386 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



TESTING SEED WHEAT. 



A practical test of seed wheat may be made in which the points to 

 be considered are the quantity of shriveled, or "pinched," grains, the 

 presence of bunt, the quantity and character of the weed seeds, and the 

 viability of the plump grains. ' . 



After thorough mixing of the bulk sample, a quantity of seed equal- 

 ing the weight of 121/2 or even 25 BB shot may be taken for the test 

 sample. This should be separated into plump, well-filled, large grains 

 and shriveled, small grains. 



While making this separation the presence or absence of bunt, or dis- 

 eased grains, should be noted. Such grains are somewhat above the aver- 

 age size of the best grains, brown in color, soft, and show a blackened 

 interior when broken open. Seed fit for sowing should be plump and well 

 filled ; it should show at least 99 per cent purity and 99 per cent viability 

 in three days and be free from bunt. 



The noxious weed seeds found in wheat incUide: (Fig. 17) wild oat (b), 

 chess (c), darnel (d), quack-grass (e), dock (f), black bindweed (g), Russian 

 thistle (h), corn cockle (i), cow cockle (m), pennycress (n), field peppergrass 

 (o), false flax (p), ball mustard (r), black mustard (s), English charlock (t) ; 

 (fig. 18) Indian mustard (a), hare's-ear mustard (b), tumbling mustard (c), 

 field bindweed (e), corn gromwell (k), ragweed (n), the similar (but larger) 

 seeds of giant ragweed, wild sunflower (p), Canada thistle (r), bull thistle (s), 

 and the whitish or pinkish bulblets of wild garlic which are sometimes very- 

 abundant in wheat grown in the Eastern States. 



Other weed seeds occurring in wheat include many of those found in for- 

 age-crop seeds. This is particularly true of wheat which has been poorly 

 cleaned. 



A test of a poor grade of wheat along the lines suggested should con- 

 vince any farmer of the value of the fanning mills and suitable screens 

 used in grading seed wheat. 



TESTING SEED OATS AND BARLEY. 



Seed of oats and barley may be tested in general as outlined for 

 wheat. In testing oats especial attention should be given to the possible 

 presence of seed of wild oat (fig. 17, b), which can be recognized by its 

 brown color, the brown hairs at the base of the seed, the bent awn at the 

 back, and especially by the expanded, cup-shaped scar at the base of the 

 seed. 



The purity of oats and barley should reach 99 per cent, the viability 

 at least 95 per cent for oats and 98 or 99 per cent for barley. 



In general the weed seeds appearing in wheat may be expected to 

 appear in poorly cleaned oats and barley. 



