484 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



PERCENTAGE OF PURITY AND OF GERMINATION OF HIGH GRADE 



SEED (PREPARED BY THE SEED LABORATORY OF THE 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE) 



Purity Germination 



percentage percentage 



Alfalfa 99 95 



Alsike 98 95 



Red Clover 98 95 



Timothy 99 96 



Sweet Clover 98 90 



THE ALSIKE TIMOTHY MIXTURE. 



Attention is especially called to a noticeable comparison observed the 

 present season between those mixtures and samples of alsike only, or of 

 timothy only. The mixture often contains an excess of impurity, carrying 

 very frequently quantities of sorrel and nightflowering catchfly, and are an 

 especial refuge for Canada thistle seed. 



Germination results for immediately present season are about as fol- 

 lows: 



Timothy (separate samples) 96% (in alsike and timothy mixtures) 91% 

 Alsike (separate samples) 88% (in alsike and timothy mixtures) 54% 



These results while but partial indicate that inferior seeds are often 

 used in the mixtures. 



