HOW TO TEST SEEDS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1955, 2 April 1885, Page 2

HOW TO TEST SEEDS.

It is of the utmost importance to every one to know how to buy seeds as well as how to sell them. Now; Ido not mean to infer that 110 man oan be trusted to sell good seed to his customers, or that some seeds are any worse for being a year old, for some particular causesand reasons; but since seeds are usually sold to purchasers as new and sound, Ido think it will be useful for all to learn that there is a true sign whereby to know old from new, vital from non-vital, or less so, as well as to form a correct opinion as to the character of the seed. It will be very useful in purchasing new flower seeds from non-descriptive catalogues, When you. want now seed peWi put one from the stock into your mouth ana biteit, If it is very hard it ismore than one year old. If the teeth enter it with moderate ease it is new seed. New carrot seed always harf a green shade on it. Old seed loses this, and is of a dead pale brown, and less fragrant, New parsnip has a shade of green, which it loses if more than one year old. Onion seed is more difficult to prove than most other seeds,-but if you take a single seed at a time and carefully bite it, you will find that old seed has a tough, dry skin, with a very white and harsh kernel, while new seed has a more tender, moist skin, and the kernel possesses a greater degree of moisture, and is somewhat oily. The seed may be cut with a penknife instead of bitten.

Onion seed that has no vitality at all has no kernel, or one perfectly dry. Test this by pressing the seed on a piece of white writing paper. If it leaves no moisture on the paper it is of no use, and has been tampered with, or has lost its vitality by age. New cabbage or broccoli seed possesses a pale green shade in the kernel when pressed out or cut, and a tinge of green in the brown skin also. ■ But old seed loses this in proportion to its age, becoming of a dull, dark brown, Cabbage, broccoli, kales, etc,, will retain their vitality longer than any other seeds, and will grow well when three years old, or oven six years, if well kept. Beet soed has a faint tinge of pale green if new, but it is a dull brown if old, and its vitality isj very'doubtful if old.' 1

New celery has a faint tingo qf greon and is very aromatic, but it loses the green and becomes less fragrant ifmore than ont year old, and is doubtful. Lettuce seed is of a bright silver grey, if new, and the kernel has a green tinge with it, both of which it partially loses with ago. Lettuce seed will grow very veil two years old, but above that it is doubtful. The black seeded varieties can only be tested by the colour of the kernel, which is the same as in the white-seeded, Radish seed always lias a I strong green colour in the kernol up to two or three years'old, which changes to a dead, dirty whitish brown if past growing quality. Radish seed will, however, retain its vitality four or five years, although it will not do for early sowing. Cucumber and melon-seeds are of a bright, creamy white, while the outside becomes a dead, pale brown, and the kernel a dull cream colour when old. Either will grow very well up to three or four years old,. After that they are doubtful, unless they have been preserved very carefijlly,-The Seeder. ,