ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XI 719 



The seed of certain farm irons is rarely Tree from all impurities. 

 Miscellaneous impurities may appear or some one kind of foreign seed 

 may be present as an adulterant. Old seed of the same kind as the crop 

 seed may constitute an adulterant, a fact which becomes apparent in the 

 germination test. 



A second object of the test is to show if the seed has been intentionally 

 adulterated. 



The miscellaneous impurities of seeds are classified (1) as inert ma- 

 terial incapable of growing, and (2) as foreign seed which may be cap- 

 able of growing and producing plants. 



A third object of the test is to show the relative proportions of com- 

 paratively harmless inert material and of possibly noxious foreign seed 

 in the sample. 



The foreign seeds in a sample, consisting usually of various kinds 

 of weed seeds, may not amount to much in quantity, but their noxious 

 character may make them very important. 



A fourth object of the test is to disclose the presence of especially 

 noxious weed seeds, as dodder, dock, thistle, etc. 



A fifth object of the test of seeds in which the region of production 

 is a matter of importance is to show, if possible, by the nature of its 

 impurities, the probable source of the seed or to show if it is a mixture 

 of domestic and foreign-grown seed. 



A sixth object is found in the germination test, showing how much 

 of the seed is capable of growing under favorable conditions. The energy 

 with which the seed sprouts is to be considered. With new clover and 

 alfalfa seed the amount of "hard seed," or seed which absorbs moisture 

 slowly and therefore sprouts tardily, is to be noted and allowed for in 

 using the seed. 



The objects thus enumerated relate particularly to the seed of mis- 

 cellaneous forage crops. Interest in the seed of the cereals and corn 

 centers chiefly in the germination test with respect to the extent and 

 character of the sprouting. 



SEEDS ESPECIALLY XEEDIXG TO BE TESTED. 



While all kinds of farm seeds may be subjected to a test of one kind 

 or another, the seeds of the crops in most general use and which it is 

 especially desirable to have tested represent the true clovers (as red, 

 alsike, and crimson), alfalfa, certain grasses (as timothy, orchard grass, 

 fescue grass, bluegrass, brome-grass, and the millets), cereals rape, 

 flax, vech, and corn. The reason for this selection is that much of the 

 seed of the crops enumerated, except cereals and corn, is imported, and 

 widely variable grades are on the market. The magnitude of the trade 

 in this class of seeds shows that the majority of farmers do not depend 

 on domestic production for the seed they use. It is probable that the 

 prevalence of foreign-grown seed in the market is not generally recog- 

 nized by farmers in localities where locally grown seed is ordinarily used. 



