ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAE BOOK— PART XI 



715 





a b 



g. 6. — Mixture of seeds of alfalfa (a), toothed bur 

 clover (b), and spotted bur clover (c). Note the 

 larger size of the bur clover seeds, also the kid- 

 ney shape of the spotted bur clover seeds, which 

 have the scar near the smaller end. (Enlarged.) 



screenings are sometimes used as an adulterant. Several of the com- 

 moner kinds of weed seeds found in alsike clover seed are very detri- 

 mental. Some lots 

 of alsike seed con- 

 sists largely of tim- 

 othy, which amounts 

 to an adulterant if 

 the mixture is sold 

 at the price of pure 

 alsike seed. This 

 mixture is poor seed ^ 

 to sow if alsike seed 

 production is con- 

 templated ; the two 

 crops ripen together 

 and their seed can 

 not be wholly sep- 

 arated. 



Old stocks of seed | 

 of the clovers and of pj 

 alfalfa having low vi- 

 tality are often 

 mixed with new 

 seed. Such seed is sometimes oiled and rubbed to give it the appear- 

 ance of freshness. 



Grass Seeds — The seeds of grasses are subject to various conditions 

 tending to reduce their quality. Adulteration with old seed or chaff of 

 the same kind or with the very similar appearing seeds of other kinds 

 is often practiced and readily escapes detection by both retail dealers 

 and consumers. Accidental misbranding of grass seed in the trade is 

 doubtless not uncommon. 



Kentucky bluegrass seed is often adulterated with the similar Canada 

 bluegrass or seed of the latter is substituted for the former. Again, 

 Kentucky bluegrass seed often has low germinating power, owing to im- 

 proper methods employed in curing and it is commonly very chaffy. 



Orchard grass seed is adulterated 

 with seed of meadow fescue, Eng- 

 lish rye-grass, or with both. 



Seed of meadow fescue, or Eng- 

 lish bluegrass, is adulterated with 

 seed of the perennial, or English, 

 ryegress and with orchard grass 

 chaff. 



Awnless (or Hungarian) brome- 

 grass {Brovvus inermis) seed is 

 p.dulterated with meadow fescue 

 and English rye-grass seeds and 

 with chess, or cheat. The latter has even passed in the trade as Hungar- 

 ian brome seed. 



Fig". 7. — Seeds of field dodder (b) 

 and red clover (a), showing rel- 

 ative sizes. (Enlarged.) 



