Cypella seed

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Sat, 06 Dec 2003 15:02:11 PST
Jennifer asked,


>OK, so here's where I reveal my still-novice status: what is "chitting"?

"Chitting" is British English for what is called "scarifying" in American 
usage. It means breaking the seed coat physically by nicking it with a 
razor blade or rubbing it gently with sandpaper or a fine rasp so that 
water can enter the seed and cause it to germinate. This is often 
recommended for the large, hard seeds of certain legumes.

It was funny to see this, because I just opened a package from a publisher 
with a cover letter that asked me to explain the Britspeak in the book, 
including this term.

Jane McGary


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