FIELD CliOPS. 935 



;iih1 \;ii'icl ics of tDharco, with rcrcrciicc to llicir fnnii, cdlor, siriicturt', (linien- 

 siuiis, aiitl wcijilit. 



The inspection of seeds under the Kentucky pure-seed law, II. Garman 

 and M. L. DiDi.AKK { Kciitiickn Sta. liiil. I.n\ pp. 12'J-1()!)). — The working of the 

 Kentucky puro-sci'd law is (lismsscil and ainondments to the same are sug- 

 gested. A rej)ort on tlie samples examined is given and the details concerning 

 adulterated sam])Ies are enumerated. The weed seeds most conunon in the 

 samples are listed. Of tlie samples e.xaniined :'.•! were found adulterated as fol- 

 lows : Red clover 2. or 0.!)l per cent; blue grass 12, or 8 per cent; orchard grass 

 21, or 19.4 per cent, and tiniothy 1, or 0.45 i)er cent. The text of the law is also 

 given. 



Commercial seeds of bronie grass and of English and Kentucky blue 

 grasses: Adulterants and substitutes and their detection, II. F. Roukkts iind 

 G. F. Freeman (Kaiifias /S7(/. Bui. I'/I, pp. (HJ-112, pys. 38). — The seed and the 

 plants <tf cheat, hronie, and English blue grass are compared and described 

 with a view to ixtinting out their distinguishing characters. The 3 species of 

 plants are easily dift'erentiated, and the seeds of brome grass and cheat are 

 also easily distinguishable, but the seeds of cheat and of English blue grass 

 resemble each other somewhat closely. The seeds of cheat frequently appear 

 as a substitute for English blue grass seed and very often as an adulterant 

 of it. 



It is stated that every year nearly TOO.UUU lbs. of Canadian blue grass seed 

 are used, chiefly for the adulteration of Kentucky bluegrass. The 2 species of 

 plants are easily differentiated, but the seeds are not distinguishable by the 

 ordinary observer, and the distinguishing characters hitherto given are con- 

 sidered inisatisfactory aids to identification. This bulletin presents the fol- 

 lowing as "an absolutely new, hitherto unnoticed, and practically infallible test 

 for distinguishing the seeds of Canadian from those of Kentucky blue grass: 



"A careful examination of the palet in the two species shows a marked dif- 

 ference in the form and arrangement of the teeth on the lateral veins that we 

 find to be constant for all cases where examined. In Poa praten.sis [Kentucky 

 blue grass] the palet is armed with teeth set well apart, long-acuminate, stand- 

 ing at progressively greater distances apart as the apex of the palet is ap- 

 proached, and linally disappearing short of the apex . . .; or, in rare cases, 

 the teeth are wholly lacking. In Pna comprcssa [Canadian blue grass] the 

 marginal teetli arc shorter, blunter, not long-acuminate, continuous, not widely 

 separated, becoming gradually smaller and of an eipiilaterally triangular form 

 as the apex is approached ; densely crowded together, like the teeth of a saw, 

 Avithout intervening spaces, and continuing up to the very apex of the 

 palet . . ."■ 



Increase in yield by treatment of the seed with concentrated plant food 

 solutions, ScHi.Eii {Fiilili)i!/'s Jjiiidir. Ztf/., .')6 (HKH). \<>. .1. pp. .?.J-.>.)). — 

 The different experiments show that this treatment lias tlir same elfect on 

 germination as soaking in pure water, provided the solution is not injurious to 

 the gernnnative ability of the seed. The increase in the yield of grain was in 

 most cases no greater than that resulting from the treatment with pure water. 



Seed soaked in a weak jilant-food solution gave better yields than seed not 

 treated, with the exception that seed treated with a one per cent solution of 

 nitrate of soda was in most cases injuriously affected. Soaking beet seed in 

 liquid manure reduced the develoi)meni of the root, but jiroduced ;i mai'lvcd in- 

 crease in the development of the leaf. 



Coating the seed with a dense soluti<m generally interfered with the ]irocess 

 of germination. In some instances this method increased the yield of the 



