714 



IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 





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b 



Fig. i. — Mixture of seeds of alfalfa (a) and 

 yellow trefoil (b). Alfalfa seeds are more or 

 less kidney-shaped or angular, while those 

 of trefoil are more uniformly oval and have 

 the small projection at the scar more com- 

 monly evident. (Enlarged.) 



Cheap imported alfalfa seed usually carries clover dodder while 

 American seed is free from it. Again, buckhorn. wild carrot, and 

 wild chicory seeds are nearly always found in the cheap alfalfa seed 



from Europe, while they 



»: —^ do net appear in most lots 



lj| ^HpP^-jJ^S '. of American seed. Both 



b d red clover seed and alfalfa 



seed are subject to adul- 

 teration with yellow tre- 

 foil seed. Alfalfa seed, 

 furthermore, is adulterated 

 with sweet clover seed and 

 with seed of the bur 

 clovers. Seed of red clover, 

 alfalfa, and crimson clover 

 from the warmer parts of 

 Europe is from a tenderer 

 strain of plants than is de- 

 manded in most parts of 

 this country. Experiments 

 have shown that, as a rule, 

 such seed can not compete 

 in crop production with 

 domestic seed. 



Considerable red clover seed has been imported from Chile within 

 recent years. This seed is the best appearing clover seed in our market, 

 and authentic reports show that it has proved productive in various 

 localities extending from Canada nearly to the Gulf states. Nearly every 

 lot of this seed that has come under our observation, however, has been 

 badly infested with an unusually destructive strain of field dodder seed. 

 Alsike Clover — Seed of alsike clover is produced in the Northern states, 

 but much of that in .~ '— , 



the market is m- 

 ported from Canada. 

 Very little is im- 

 ported from Europe. 

 Canadian seed, and 

 doubtless some of 

 that produced in the 

 ['nited States, often 

 contains much Can- 

 ada thistle seed — 

 more, indeed, than is 

 found in any other 

 kind of farm seed. 

 Yellow r trefoil seed 

 commonly appears in 

 alsike seed, some- 

 times to the extent Fi& 5.— Mixture of seeds of alfalfa (a) and sweet 

 of severe adultera- clover (b). The elliptical form of the sweet clover 



seeds, which have the scar notch near one end, to- 

 tion. L w-g r a d e. gether with their uneven surfaces, serves to dis- 



„-o«ri,- „, i c^riTmiQ^ tinguish them from the more nearly kidney- 



weea\, ana snriveiea shaped and smoother alfalfa seeds. (Enlarged.) 



