to the essentially dry slurry and grind the slurry to an average particle size of from 0 5 to 5 microns in diameter by attrition grinding the preferred surfactants are a mixture of wetting agents di 2 ethylhexyl sodium sulfosuccinate and sodium 2 ethyl sulfate and a dispersing agent water soluble lignin sulfonate wheat seed of the authur 51 variety was coated with a water insoluble alkali lignin slurry made according to the above procedure at the rate of one quart of lignin slurry 34 34 a 34 lignin solids per 60 lbs of seed this was accomplished by tumbling the seed in the presence of the lignin slurry in a cement mixer for a period of 5 minutes after being coated the seed was spread on a screen and dried for three hours after drying the seed was planted using a john deere planter a control treatment consisting of uncoated seed of the same variety was planted in the same field test and control plots were laid out in alternating strips germination occurred within both test and control plots in six days shortly after germination seedlings emerging from lignin coated seed began to take on a chlorotic stunted appearance while seedlings emerging from uncoated seed appeared normally green and about the same size as plants of this same variety from other fields immediately adjacent to the test site this visual difference between test and control plots remained throughout the prevernalization and vernalization periods.