Science and Practice in Farm Cultivation

his chapter tell their tale to the fullest extent,

seeds should be capable of germinating

delivered to the farmer, are generally incapable of germinating to t

sult of mixing charlock, Indian rape, and the like, by way of adulteration, whi

ch of the rim, with a mixture of fine mould and silver sand. In these, seeds of different sorts of turnips were sown, and the whole was put into a bed of sand in our forcing-house. We could, however, see no difference in the results, nor could we

t only of the samples we had obtained for a different purpose, but of others also. We first, then, counted a hundred of each of the following sorts of seeds, and caref

ation of Ten So

Copy of La

ent.

a

tail, 1

or White Glo

reen Round

e new Red Glo

Tankard,

Mousetail,

pped Stone

erial Green Gl

pped Scotc

ix-weeks,

up

led

ld germinate came up. Now this table is not a little instructive, as showing that samples of turnip-seed can be got in which only a very few of the seeds fail to germinate; but as experience had taught us that these samples by no means represente

les were not grown by the seedsman, but were said

Ten Sorts of Turnip Se

of Labe

ent.

a

76 9 - Taken from th

e Glob

ey-topped

ard, or Pu

ge Jel

k Round

pped yellow

e Dutc

Green

Tankard Pu

up

led

seed, which was from a very poor crop, half of which had decayed on the ground with the early frost of 1860, and the rest, without transplanting or selection of any kind, was allowed to seed. Now, as this whole crop was so degenerated that it ought never to have been seeded at all, we were anxious to get

of Swedes, &c., fro

of Labe

ent.

a

ple Top 58 12 - Taken fro

Bangho

g's Liver

en To

improved Pu

Improved W

n Majo

Swede (own

urnip, neighb

on Hybrid

up =

ed =

edsman's spe

rpose of mixing, it is of little consequence whether it be used by the wholesale house or

uses," as, though the tradesman whence the samples came combines the business of "nurseryman" with that of seedsman, we happen to know that he is not a grower of seeds, at least of turnip seeds. The average, then, of eighteen samples of turnips and swedes from t

ecessary to state that they were not sent to us direct, but were forwarded

those of Table 1, being seeds partly of 1859 and partly of 1860, occupied nine days, and those of Table 2, whose date we d

ation of Ten Sa

of Labe

ent.

a

Turnips from sample

's Hyb

Glob

ge Jel

und, or No

n Tank

brick (s

e Glob

en Yel

en rou

up =

ed =

le were obtained in like

of Samples of Commo

of Labe

ent.

a

6 - Swedes and Turnips fro

Tankar

e Tank

w Tanka

p Yellow S

e Top d

-shaped S

fleshed

mproved Purple

ad Green

up =

ed =

ing seeds, and this is only so low on account of two or three unusually good samples, the gen

; in the former little more than half came up, in the latter every seed. This is of importance, a

ly the examples herein referred to, with hosts of separate ones which have fallen under our notice, show a general amount of dead seeds, of from 20 to 30 per cent. For these figures compare Table 1 with Tables 2, 3, 4, and 5. In those of the first lot the sam

facts more conclusive upon this important point, and we shall in this next chapter endeavou

etty nearly one-third to be rubbish. It is of no use to try from samples, except in comparison with bulk; and if all the farmers of Great Britain did this, and would communica