IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



knotweed. lady's-thumb, lamb's-quarters, wild saltbush, rough amaranth, 

 spreading amaranth, wild spurry, chickweeds, mouse-ear chickweed, forked 

 catchfly, creeping buttercup, peppergrass, shepherd's purse, cinquefoil, 

 hop clover, yellow trefoil, bird's-foot trefoil, wild geraniums, spiny sida, 

 evening primrose, red pimpernel, sticktight, vervain, catmint, healall, 

 rough-leaved toadflax, smaller broad-leaved plantain, bracted plantain, 

 field madder, cleavers, wild corn salad, poverty weed, dog fennel, field cam- 

 omile, scentless camomile, cornflower, cat's-ear, oxtongue, hawkweed picris. 



The bulk of the domestic alfalfa seed is produced in the western states 

 and many kinds of weed seeds it carries are distinctly different from 

 those appearing in imported seed. The weed seeds (if not associated 

 with kinds distinctly foreign) pointing decisively to domestic production 

 are: Sand bur, Russian thistle, cow cockle fragments, tumbling mustard, 

 small-seeded alfalfa dodder, the form of field dodder having light colored 

 seeds, large-seeded alfalfa dodder, ragweed, gumweed, wild sunflower, wild 

 saltbush, spreading amaranth, spiny sida, and poverty weed. 



European origin of alfalfa is indicated by the presence of the following 

 weed seeds: White campion, wild carrot, clover dodder, wild chicory, 

 wild spurry, chickweed, forked catchfly, creeping buttercup, bird's-foot 

 geraniums, red pimpernel, vervain, rough-leaved toadflax, 

 wild corn salad, scentless camomile, oxtongue, hawkweed 



trefoil, wild 

 field maddei 

 picris. 



TESTIXCi ORCHARD GRASS SEED. 



Orchard grass seed should be carefully mixed before the test sample 

 is taken, because small and relatively heavier impurities are likely to 

 settle to the bottom of the bulk sample. Seed equal to the weight of 

 12% BB shots may be taken for the test sample. 



Orchard grass seed is readily identified by the slender, pointed form 

 of the seed in the chaff. The lemma of the seed is angled on the back 

 and is curved to one side toward the pointed apex. The seeds are three- 

 eighths inch to one-half inch long. Some of the seeds bear the sterile 

 chaff of a second seed. 



Orchard grass seed is adulter- 

 ated by the use of English rye- 

 grass seed, meadow fescue seed, 

 and orchard grass chaff. The 

 seeds of meadow fescue and of 

 English rye-grass are very simi- 

 lar. They are about the same 

 length as the orcbard grass 

 seeds, but are flattened and 

 broader, not curved nor slender 

 pointed. When seen under a mag- 

 uitier the two kinds may be dis- 

 tinguished by the difference be- 

 luivn the rachilla segments, that 

 of meadow fescue being slender, cylindrical and distinctly expanded at 

 the apex; that of English rye-grass usually wedge shaped, flattened, and 





Fig-. 27. — Seeds of sweet clover; a, Seeds 

 showing: variation in form and size; b, 

 natural size of seeds; c, a pod of sweet 

 clover. 



