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ated only 31%. A Saskatchewan farmer sent in a sample of oats which showed
90% germination but contained 472 noxious weed seeds, 568 weed seeds of all kinds,
and 108 wheat kernels. A third sample of oats which came in through the Saskatch-
ewan Seed Cleaning Plant at Moose Jaw, germinated 95%, contained no noxious weed
seeds, and only four false wild oats and one barley per pound. You can easily see
which farmer was making the best start towards getting a good crop. At 34 pounds
per bushel and two and one-half bushels per acre, the second farmer was sowing 40,120
noxious weed seeds, and a total of 48,280 weed seeds per acre.

The Dominion Department of Agriculture tests and grades seeds for farmers, seed

houses, customs authorities and its own seed inspectors. They test five samples pers”

year free, for any person, providing the samples are sent in other than during February,
‘March and April. The seed laboratories are so busy during these three months thai
the Department charges 50c each for purity and germination test to encourage people
to send in their seed during the other nine months. Samples for Manitoba, Saskatch-
ewan and Northern Ontario west of Port Arthur, should be addressed to the Dominion
Seed Branch, Commercial Bldg., Winnipeg, Man. Samples from Alberta and British
Columbia should go to the Dominion Seed Branch, Calgary, Alta.

Strong manilla paper or cotton bags should be used for sending samples of seeds.
Glass bottles, cardboard boxes, ordinary envelopes, or thin paper bags are apt to be
broken in the mails. When several samples are enclosed in thin paper bags and sent
under one cover, two or more of them are often broken in the mails and the samples
mixed or lost,

For Timothy, Alsike and seeds of like size send one ounce (about 7 teaspoonfuls).
For Red Clover and seeds of like size, two ounces (about 12 teaspoonfuls). In case of
Wheat, Oats, Barley or Buckwheat, one pound. When a germination test only is wanted
send about 1,000 seeds. Make sure that the sample is representative of your lot.

Mark samples with, (1) your name and address; (2) some letter, number or other
designation by which samples of the same kind of seed may be distinguished; (3) the
grade and test number, if the seed has been tested before. ;

However, if it is a case of determining the value of the seed for your own farm
you can easily test the seed for yourself. First make sure that the seed tested is
representative of the entire lot. Do more than take a few seeds off the top of the
grain pile; take samples from several places, mix thoroughly and then take the seeds
for examination.

For purity test weigh out one pound in the case of cereals, and one-half ounce or
one ounce in the case of clover or grass seeds. Place on a sheet of white paper and
pick out the weed seeds and the seeds of other crops. Figure the number of weed
seeds sown per acre if that seed be used.

In making a germination test count out two lots of 100 seeds each, counting the
plump ones and small ones as they come. These may be planted in soil in a shallow
box or good-sized flower pot, or may be placed between wet blotters or pieces of feit
between soup plates. In the latter method the second soup plate should be inverted
over the lower one. Finer seeds, such as clovers, can be watched more easily when
between blotters. Oats and barley do better in soil. Wheat germinates readily in either
soil or blotters. In all cases keep fairly moist, and place in a room at ordinary house
temperature. All cereals should germinate in ten to twelve days, clovers in six to
eight days. At the end of this time count the number that have sent out both a healthy
stem and a healthy rootlet. Evenness of germination makes for evenness of growth
of the crop in the field and evenness of ripening. It is always interesting to test
samples side by side to see how they compare.

For testing corn on the cob, grains from each ear should be tested separately. For
this purpose a shallow box is filled to a depth of one inch with sand, over which is
placed a sheet of heavy cotton plainly ruled by a soft pencil into two-inch squares.
These squares are numbered. The ears are arranged in rows, or have slips of paper
pinned to their butts with numbers corresponding to those on the squares. From each
ear five kernels are taken and placed on the corresponding square. The kernels
should be taken from the different rows and at different distances from the tip
of each ear. When the squares are full they are covered with a sheet of muslin
or thin cotton, over which is another heavy sheet, large enough for the edges to project
over the sides and ends of the box. Above this is placed sand to a depth of three-
quarters of an inch. The whole is kept moist and warm, and the seeds may be observed
from time to time by removing the top cotton with the sand and carefully rolling back
the muslin. Ears which under good conditions fail to give four sprouted kernels at
the end of ten days are weak and should be discarded.

Make your tests early enough in the season so that you can purchase better seec
if necessary, or in the case of low germination, sow more heavily.

A loose-leaf binder for holding these Farm News Sheets may be had at the small

price of 50c, postage paid, with index and news sheets issued to date. This special offer
is to encourage the keeping and filing of agricultural information for quick reference
when wanted. See the Farm News Service page in our General Catalogue for further
information.

If you receive an extra copy of a bulletin, please pass it on to a friend or neighbor.

The information contained in this bulletin is received from reliable sources, but
the Company does not assume responsibility and will not be liable for any damage which
any person may sustain in carrying out or in attempting to carry out the suggestions.