No. 7. 



DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



211 



Chart II. — Analyses of samples of seed sold as alfalfa. Adulterated 



seed. 



Broken seed, dirt, etc., percent 



Seeds not alfalfa 



Adulterants, percent 



Pure alfalfa seed, per cent., 



Germination, per cent 



Price paid per bushel, 



Actual cost per bushel of pure seed which would grow. 



4.4 

 46.1 



45.7 

 49.5 

 K 



|9 60 

 20 40 



The three samples in the table sho\Y an adulteration of 10 per 

 cent., 16.5 per cent, and 45.7 per cent, respectively. In addition to 

 the adulterants lots 1 and 2 contain a relatively high percentage of 

 broken seed, dirt, etc. Moreover, the germination of the pure al- 

 falfa seed contained in these two samples is so low (50 per cent, and 

 43.5 per cent.) as to render them almost worthless. The high per- 

 centage of dirt and the low vitality of the alfalfa seed is made pos- 

 sible owing to the nature of the adulterant. The trefoil seed is of 

 a slightly brighter green color and when mixed with low grade al- 

 falfa gives the seed a good appearance. When mixed with good 

 clean alfalfa seed, the mixture would be considered as an excep- 

 tionally fine grade of alfalfa seed to one not able to distinguish the 

 two kinds. 



The first sample was sold at $12 per bushel, twenty cents per 

 pound, which should buy the very best seed on the market. The 

 actual cost of the alfalfa seed which would grow contained in this 

 lot of seed was ^82.40 per bushel. The actual value of the sample 

 was 37.2 per cent. — which could possibly result in nothing other 

 than a failure to secure a stand. This is likewise true of the other 

 two lots of seed. 



Kentucky bluegrass and orchard grass are also very commonly 

 adulterated. The Kentucky bluegrass is adulterated with Canada 

 bluegrass for which purpose approximately 700,000 pounds are im- 

 ported annually into the United States from Canada at a cost of 

 about one-half that of Kentucky bluegrass. The difficulty to dis- 

 tinguish the seed of these two grasses is very great and large 

 amounts are sold as Kentucky bluegrass which contain no Ken- 

 tucky bluegrass at all. 



Orchard grass is largely adulterated with meadow-fescue and 

 English rye grass. Of 265 samples of orchard grass obtained in the 

 open market last year, 133 were found to be adulterated, the de- 

 gree of adulteration varying from 1.1 per cent, to 98.55 per cent. 



Further information relative to the adulteration of seeds can 

 be had by consulting circulars numbers 12, 14, 15 and 18, published 

 from the office of the Secretary, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 

 These circulars give the names and addresses of seed firms who sold 

 adulterated red clover, alfalfa, Kentucky bluegrass and orchard 

 grass seed during the past eighteen months. 



f 



IMPORTED SEED. 



Aside from the importation of large quantities of trefoil and 

 Canada bluegrass which are used principally as adulterants, hun- 



