Adulteration of Seeds 



49 



No. 4. Yellow clover seed — Medicago 

 lupulina — is of a uniform sulphury yellow 

 colour, and more regular kidney-bean-like 

 shape than the red clover seed, from which 

 it also differs in possessing a distinct pecu- 

 liarity of smell. None of this seed appeared 

 in the sample from whence the preceding three 

 were selected, although it is more employed 

 than any other for adulterating red clover 

 seed, both in its natural state, and when 

 " improved " by colouring. 



As noticed at page 46, really good grow- 

 ing seeds may sometimes fail from different 

 and not easily-ascertained causes ; hence the 

 guaranteeing of quality might often lead to 

 not easily-settled disputes, more especially 

 that as there are unfair dealers among seeds- 

 men, there are equally unscrupulous dealers 



among seed purchasers, who are ever ready to 

 catch at any pretext that will give them the 

 semblance of an excuse for withholding pay- 

 ment of their seed account. While fraudulent 

 dealers have everything to lose, the fair 

 dealer has nothing to fear, but much to gain 

 from microscopic or other investigation ; for 

 how often do we see careless cultivators blame 

 the seedsmen for sending them a mixture of 

 weed seeds, when the fault of weed growth was 

 entirely their own. For instance, the un- 

 usually abundant growth of corn mustard last 

 year was attributed by many to foul seed, 

 when it undoubtedly arose from some pecu- 

 liarity in the season which restricted the 

 ravages of its natural enemy, the turnip fly, 

 and allowed the mustard plants to grow and 

 bloom in unrestricted luxuriance. 



AGRICULTURALIWEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 



ONE of the subjects recendy discussed 

 in the Scottish Chamber of Agricul- 

 ture, was the irregularity which prevails in the 

 existing system of weights and measures. The 

 members present did not feel inclined to 

 support the proposed introduction of a metric 

 system, with a Frenchified nomenclature, but 

 they were unanimous in condemning the 

 existing system, which renders market quota- 

 tions in many cases perfectly unintelligible. 

 Who can tell what is a " boll" ? It means dif- 

 ferent measures in different places ; and the 

 "quarter," although understood to consist of 

 eight bushels, is not in all cases correctly re- 

 presented by that measure, for it is not unusual 

 to make up the so-called quarter to a certain 

 weight, irrespective of the actual number of 

 bushels. And here, let us ask, what is a 

 " bushel " ? We shall be told by some that the 

 weight of a bushel depends upon the quality 

 of the grain. True enough, in some cases, 

 but not in all, for a bushel of wheat is under- 

 stood in one place to mean 70 lb., in another 

 75 lb., in a third 80 lb., in a fourth 6^ lb., and 

 so on. Then, again, a bushel of barley means 

 in different localities 38 quarts, 39 quarts, 40 

 VOL. r.' 



lb., 60 lb., 38 lb., 54 lb., 52^ lb., without 

 any reference to the quality of the barley, or 

 its actual weight per imperial bushel. 



But if it is impossible to define accurately 

 what is a quarter or a bushel, we shall find our- 

 selves equally at a loss, when we come to speak 

 of "bags," "measures," and "loads." In 

 some market towns a bag means 205 lb., and 

 in others 230 lb., 220 lb., 221 lb., 240 lb., &c. 

 A " measure" of wheat is understood to be 180 

 lb. in certain places, but not in all, while a 

 '■ load " varies from 3 bushels to 5 quarters, 

 or it is 144 quarts, or 416 lb., or 488 lb. 

 according to locality. Then we have a 

 number of nondescript measures, which 

 puzzle even the initiated, and when we come 

 to '• hobbitts," " windles," and " coombs," we 

 are compelled to admit that to understand 

 the grain market quotations of Great Britain 

 is even more difficult than to comprehend 

 the intricacies of " Bradshaw." 



The mystification does not end, however, 

 with the grain trade. A pound of butter is 

 supposed to consist of 16 ounces according 

 to the imperial standard, but local " use and 

 wont" overrides Acts of Pariiament, and 



