WEIGHT PER BUSHEL. 11 



contained from 30 to 50 per cent of Canada bluegrass seed and several 

 have been entirely composed of the Canada seed. 



It is significant in this connection that the price of Canada blnegrass 

 seed varies with that of Kentucky l>luegrass seed, being usiially about 

 one-half that of the latter. This adulteration is not merely a simple 

 fraud by which the farmer pays for what he does not get, but the 

 difference in the resulting pasture or hay crop is very important. 

 Canada bluegrass, while having many good qualities in common with 

 other species of Poa, is by no means a pasture grass, for which purpose 

 Kentucky bluegrass is unexcelled. 



The seed of wood meadow grass {Poa nemoralis) is sometimes adul- 

 terated with other species of Poa, and samples have been offered under 

 this name that contain no wood meadow grass seed. One sample tested 

 in the Seed Laboratory contained 59,4 per cent of Poa prat etwk and 

 23 per cent of Poa compressa^ the remainder being chaff and dirt. 

 Samples of fowl meadow grass {Poa trifloi^a) have been examined 

 which consisted largely of various common grass and clover seeds 

 combined with an abundance of weed seeds. These samples contained 

 small quantities of Kentucky and Canada bluegrass seeds, much chaff 

 and dirt, and some of them no seeds of fowl meadow grass. 



The seed of Kentucky bluegrass is used to adulterate that of the 

 higher priced Poa trivialh^ pure seed of the latter species usually 

 being hard to obtain. Some of the German authorities say that it is 

 necessary for every farmer to save his own seed of this grass in order 

 to be sure that it is pure. Hunter" says: 



Previously to 1883 good and genuine seed of this species {Poa trmalis) could not 

 be obtained in this country [England]. Seed of the Poa pratensis was commonly 

 supplied for it. It is now less difficult to procure genuine seed, but large quantities 

 of seed of Poa pratensis (which usually costs about one-third the price) are prepared 

 to resemble and are sold for Poa tricialis, and it is only by careful microscopic exam- 

 ination that the nature of the seed can be determined 



WEIGHT PER BUSHEL. 



The standard weight of a bushel of bluegrass seed of any grade is 14 

 pounds. The actual weight, however, varies from 6 to 8 pounds in the 

 case of ''extra cleaned" to 27 pounds or more for especially good sam- 

 ples of fancy recleaned seed. In the bluegrass region of Kentuck}^ it is 

 the usual practice to sell the seed fresh from the strippers or cured in 

 the chaff by the bushel of 11 pounds, but it is always weighed, not 

 measured. The cleaned seed is always sold by the pound. As the 

 weight per bushel of bluegrass seed depends directly on its purit}' , 

 it is customary in quoting the price of ' ' fancy " seed to accompan}^ it 

 with a statement as to the weight per bushel. 



"Treatise on Permanent Pasture Grasses, James Hunter. Chester, England, 1901. 



