Seeds may be tested to determine their purity, trueness to name or type and their viability or power to grow. As most garden seeds do not contain impurities, testing for this purpose is of little importance, while testing for trueness to name or type is of great importance, and can be done to a considerable extent by special growers who are cultivating only a few crops. Most of the testing at the experiment stations has been done to determine the sprouting or germinating qualities of garden seeds. Sprouting tests are made in plates, pans, dishes and in various apparatus where soil and moisture conditions may be controlled to a greater or less degree. Gardeners want to know whether their seeds will grow when planted under real conditions, and germination tests are regarded more valuable by practical growers when carried on under natural conditions. Seeds are counted in lots of 25, 50, or better 100, and planted in drills. The soil should be in good physical condition and watered often enough to keep it moist. When sufficient time has been allowed for germination, the plants in each row are counted and the percentage determined. Such a test may be the means of avoiding losses and disappointments by sowing seed of low germinating power. It requires very little time, and it is a great satisfaction to make the main planting with the assurance that a high percentage of the seed will grow. Most of the large seed houses test the germinating power of their seeds before supplying customers.

Rules and regulations for official seed testing, adopted by the standing committee on methods of seed testing of the Association of American Colleges and Experiment Stations, are published in Circular 34 of the Office of Experiment Stations.

The following table shows about the average percentages of germination of one-year-old seed when planted under proper conditions:

Asparagus..................... 90 Okra........................... 80

Bean.......................... 90 Onion.......................... 80

Beet.......................... 140* Parsley......................... 70

Cabbage....................... 90 Parsnip......................... 70

Carrot.'........................ 80 Pea............................ 90

Cauliflower.................... 80 Radish......................... 90

Celery......................... 60 Salsify......................... 75

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Eggplant...................... 75 Squash......................... 85

Lettuce....................... 85 Tomato........................ 85

Muskmelon.................... 85 Watermelon.................... 85

Botanically a fruit, often containing more than one seed.