154 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DF^PARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



the oats in most instances. Progress has also been made in develop- 

 ing chemical methods for determining the class of wheat, as to 

 whether it is hard or soft, and for determining the degree of damage 

 in oats. 



Investigations have shown that wheat grown in dry-land territory 

 frequently has a very low moisture content when harvested and that 

 when wheat of this nature is transported to the more humid climates 

 of the seashore it will absorb considerable moisture and show a 

 noticeable increase in weight if allowed to remain there in storage 

 for some time. 



It has been shown, also, that by thoroughly mixing dry old wheat 

 from the previous year with the new wheat, which is frequently 

 damp, and putting it into bulk storage for a few days the dry 

 wheat absorbs a sufficient amount of the moisture from the damp 

 wheat to improve both kinds for milling purposes. 



INVESTIGATIONS IN QUALITY OF SEED. 



Seed testing. — During the fiscal year 1916, there was a gradual in- 

 crease in the number of samples of seed submitted for test to the 

 Washington seed laboratory, as well as to the cooperative branch 

 laboratories. Owing to the unusual conditions in Europe, the normal 

 supply of winter-rape seed was unavailable, and much other seed 

 was imported under the name of rape. Seed purchased in the open 

 market as winter rape showed that seeds of seven other types of 

 plants, all unsuitable for forage purposes, were being sold under this 

 name. Tests of imported seeds have shown that large quantities of 

 red and crimson clover seed brought into the United States germi- 

 nated so poorly as to be of little or no agricultural value, and that 

 much of the orchard-grass seed contained but a small proportion of 

 good seed, the balance being mostly chaff. The seed importation act 

 has now been amended, prohibiting the entry of such low-grade seed. 

 Through the enforcement of the seed importation act a large amount 

 of low-grade red-clover seed offered for import into the United 

 States has been recleaned and the screenings destroyed under cus- 

 toms supervision. 



The amount of important crop seeds imported in the past year 

 varied greatly from that imported in previous years. Only about 

 one-half as much alfalfa seed was imported as in either of the three 

 previous years, and the imports of crimson-clover seed were less than 

 half of those of the two previous years. Of hairy-vetch seed less 

 than 70,000 pounds were imported, as compared with 2,500,000 pounds 

 in 1914 and 500,000 pounds in 1915. The imports of both winter- 

 rape and red-clover seed exceeded those of any previous year, enough 

 red-clover seed being brought in to seed over 4,000,000 acres at a nor- 

 mal rate of seeding. 



