ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XI 7.51 



Crimson clover seed of domestic production is often characterized 

 by the presence of one or more of several kinds of weed seeds, some 

 of which are not considered in this bulletin. Two of these kinds, how- 

 ever, are spurge and dwarf plaintain. The absence of the kinds given 

 in the following list affords strong indication of domestic production. 



The weed seeds especially suggestive of European production include: 

 Chickweed, forked catchfly, creeping buttercup, bird's-foot trefoil, wild 

 geraniums, red pimpernel, forget-me-not, vervain, rough-leaved toadflax, 

 field madder, wild corn salad, scentless camomile, hawkweed picris. The 

 presence of white seeds of crimson clover is an additional indication of 

 European production. 



TESTING ALFA I.I \ SI Mi. 



Alfalfa seed is distinguishable from the clover seeds by the somewhat 

 variable kidney-shaped form of individual seeds and by the greenish- 

 yellow or light-brown col- / ;- ; . ~ 

 or. Old, poorly developed, / \ i) Q 

 and shriveled seeds have \ <£> ^ 

 a dull, reddish-brown col- '"--*-> c 

 or. In general the details ' .-■->. 

 of testing red clover seed i 

 may be followed in testing 

 alfalfa. \ \ 



Alfalfa seed is adulter- ,», ,j 



ated by the use of yellow r%> a b 



trefoil, sweet clover, bur - .- y 



plnvov lio-ht ^bri-\roloH ai Fi ^- 2fi - — Seeds of alfalfa; a. Individual seeds, 

 iiuvei, ngiiL bunveieu ai showing: variation in form; b, edge view of 



falfa screenings or low- a seed, showing the scar; e, natural size of 



grade, weedy seed. 



Besides giving especial attention to the matter of adulteration the 

 question of domestic or of European production should be considered in 

 making the purity test. Much of the seed on the market is imported and 

 the question of domestic or foreign production often can be determined 

 by the weed seeds present. 



The purity should attain 98 or 99 per cent, the viability 97 to 99 per 

 cent. The germination test should be completed in six days, most of 

 the seeds sprouting during the second and third days. Considerable hard 

 seed is often found in new seed. 



The noxious weed seeds found in alfalfa seed include: Sand bur, wild 

 oat, chess, quack-grass, dock, black bindweed, Russian thistle, corn cockle, 

 white campion, bladder campion, night-flowering catchfly, cow cockle, 

 pennycress, field peppergrass, false flax, black mustard, English charlock, 

 Indian mustard, hare's-ear mustard, tumbling mustard, wild carrot, field 

 bindweed, clover dodder, small-seeded alfalfa dodder, field dodder, large- 

 seeded alfalfa dodder, corn gromwell, rat-tail plantain, buckhorn, rag- 

 weed, gumweed, wild sunflower, oxeye daisy, Canada thistle, bull thistle, 

 wild chicory. 



Other weed seeds commonly found in alfalfa seed include: Crab-grass, 

 witch-grass, yellow foxtail, green foxtail, soft chess, sorrel, knotweed, pale 



