(>3- 



J oil) iial of Agr'i cult lire. 



[ir Oct., 1909. 



Such cases are apt to give locally grown seed a bad name, especially 

 when the wrong seed is sold under a particular name. Recently, the 

 seed of a troublesome weed, South African Wood Sorrel, was sold and 

 planted as Clover. Similarly, two years ago, large amounts of the seed 

 of a grass, EJirliarta lojigifiora, were .sold as Antliisiiria {Tliemeda) 

 avcnacea, the two grasses having quite different properties, the latter being 

 drought resistant, and much more valuable. Hence, it is not surprising 

 Xo find weeds suddenly appearing in new districts, which were previously 

 free from them, or to find that approximately one new plant e\erv two 

 months becomes naturalized in this State, and that most of these 

 naturalized alien plants are injurious weeds. As long ago as 1835 

 Darwin noted in A Naturalist' s Voyage Round the World, p- 513, 

 that " the common Dock is also widely disseminated (in New Zealand), 

 and will, I fear, for ever remain a proof of the rascality of an English- 

 man who sold the seeds for those of the Tobacco plant." 



* Percentaije i.f fruits produc'n"? seedlings 



t 14 per ceit. hard seeds. 



Andropogoii Iialepcnsis, Krot. (Jchnston (oass). — Good samjjle with 

 few weed .seeds (chiefly C hciiopoditoii album'). Seeus .somewhat une\eniy 

 ripened and gave very poor germination results. 



Avena sativa, 1-. (Hhick Oats). — Free of weed seeds, but low percentage 

 germination. 



Beta vulgaris, L. (Beet). loo fruits contained 213 seeds of which 19 

 germinated ; 5 per cent, fruits were barren ; 16 per cent, contained i seed ; 

 43 per cent., 2 seeds ; t^}^ per cent., 3 .seed.s; and 3 i^er cent., 4 seeds. Of 

 these, 3 fruits jiroduced i .seedling, 4 fruits produced 2 seedlings, and -' 

 fruits 4 seedlings. The best seed is that in which each fruit produces 

 one seedling, extra ones are no use since there is no room for them to 

 develop. The germination value is therefore given as the number of fruits 

 producing seedlings and not the number of seeds germinating. 



