212 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



Off. Doc. 



dreds of thousands of pounds of low grade alfalfa and red clover 

 seed are brought into the United States every year from Europe, 

 It must not be understood that all of the red clover and alfalfa seed 

 imported into the United States is of poor quality for much of it is 

 high grade seed. The importation of the low grade seed, however, 

 should be discontinued and this can be best accomplisTied by our 

 farmers refusing to buy seed of this kind. The tabulated results 

 of a few importations of alfalfa and red clover are here given in 

 Chart III: 



Chart III. — Analyses of samples of imported red clover and alfalfa 



seed. 



Amount of Importatlona, pounds 



Total value 



Pure seed, percent 



Germination, per cent 



Number of weed seeds per pound 



Price paid per bushel 



Actual cost per bushel of the good seed which would 

 grow 



Alfalfa. 



12,540 



"'23!5 

 27 



17.190 



t6.3 



•Actual value of the sample based on purity and germination. 

 tPer cent. 



The chart shows one consignment of red clover consisting of 30,550 

 pounds, which was of fair quality, but the other two consignments 

 which aggregate 10,040 pounds, were both of very poor quality. The 

 actual value of Number 2 being 17.04 per cent, and that of Number 3 

 being 17.8 per cent. The co'nditious with the alfalfa are even worse. 

 The actual value of the consignment of seed shovv-n in column G 

 was only 0.3 per cent. This same seed also contained 17,190 weed 

 seeds for every pound, 4,754 of which v/ere seeds of the clover 

 dodder, the m.ost dangerous weed for the clover and alfalfa field. 



One consignment of 48,000 pounds of jiarticnlrady low grade alfalfa 

 seed was received at Nev/ York little more than one year ago which 

 was imported for one cent per pound (sixty cents per bushel). This 

 lot consisted of immature, brov,n dead seed — all of which was un- 

 doubtedly used for grading dovrn good seed, as is all of the low 

 grade seed which is imported. Some dealers frequently contend 

 that consignments of seed of this character are recleaned. and that 

 only the good seed gets into the nmrk(>t, the screenings being dis- 

 carded. The most superficial examination, however, will show tliat 

 this is far from the truth. The good recleaned seed in consignments. 

 Numbers 2 and 3 of the chart cost ,«?18.17 and |20.70 per bushel re- 

 spectively. Would any sane mnn import clover seed at those prices, 

 when as is shown in column 1 of the same clsart he could have ob- 

 tained a good grade of seed for .?7.0-i per bushel? 



HOW TO AVOID rOOR SEED, 



I am convinced that those of you who have follov/ed what has 

 been said, are almost of the opinion that the American seed trade 



