New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 169 



samples contained varying amounts of dead seed but not to so 

 great an extent. 



Sand or crushed rock was found as an adulterant in four 

 samples of alfalfa seed. One of these samples contained 2.5 

 per ct. of crushed rock, and another sample contained 1.8 per 

 ct. of sand. Both of these adulterants were readily removed by 

 the use of a sieve such as would be used in cleaning alfalfa. 



One sample of alfalfa contained 13 per ct. of inert matter, 

 consisting of broken seed, sticks and dirt, which had undoubtedly 

 been used as an adulterant. 



Eighty-three per ct. of the samples of hairy, winter, or sand, 

 vetch seed examined, were found to be adulterated with seed of 

 spring vetch and other vetches. One sample was found to contain 

 over 25 per ct. of spring or common vetch. 



It is quite probable that many of the failures with hairy vetch 

 that have been reported by orchardists and grape growers in this 

 State have been due to the adulteration of this seed with old, 

 dead seed, low-grade screenings and seed of other vetches, or to 

 the presence of hard seed which is incapable of germinating, as 

 has been revealed by germination tests. 



Some of the supposed cases of winter-killing with winter vetch 

 have been found to be due to the adulteration of the seed with that 

 of spring vetch, which will not withstand the winter. 



Several samples of alsike clover were found to contain yellow 

 trefoil seed to such an extent that adulteration was suspected. 

 One sample of alsike clover contained 17 per ct. of yellow trefoil 

 seed, but upon investigation it was found that it was a case of 

 natural mixture, owing to the field in which the seed had been 

 grown being badly infested with yellow trefoil. 



impurities. 



From the examination of seed samples and a study of the 

 occurrence and introduction of weeds into the State it seems that 

 in many cases the solution of the weed problem depends upon 

 the use of pure seed. The number and variety of seed impurities 



