The Bullktin. 7 



grades. The mixiiiG;, of course, is done proportionately to the price, 

 and to the ])rofit of the dealer, and to the loss of the farmer. 



An examination of samples of seed offered for sale by farmers will 

 convince one that the seed dealer is not the only sinner in the clover- 

 seed business. Although there is no commercial production of red 

 clover seed in the State, farmers in certain sections produce small 

 amounts which they often sell to their neighbors or to local seed deal- 



FiG. 2. Low-grade Red Clover Seed. 



ers. This may be good seed, but it very often is not, as the farmers 

 are not careful to keep the fields free from weeds and do not have 

 the machinery necessary to clean the seed properly. It, therefore, 

 often contains a high per cent of noxious weed seeds and dirt. 



One of the worst samples that has come to the notice of this labora- 

 tory is a sample of red clover seed, which was grown and offered 

 for sale by a farmer. A photograph of this seed is shown on the 

 cover page. It contained 37% of Field Dodder or Love Vine, which 

 in clover is so serious a pest that seed containing even a trace of it 

 should not be planted. Of the 120 samples of red clover seed tested 

 this year, 22% contained either Field or Clover Dodder seed. 



The results of tests show that one can neither depend upon the seed 

 purchased from dealers nor from farmers to be of good quality, and 



