22 FODDER AND PASTURE PLANTS. 
Orchard Grass, Western Rye Grass, early Red Clover, Alsike or 
Alfalfa are little known, and, with the exception of certain strains 
of Alfalfa, are not commercially available. Such varieties are of 
recent production, but the difference in point of earliness, yield or 
general quality is quite remarkable. As soon as reliable seed of the 
best varieties is available, farmers will find it profitable to use it 
instead of the ordinary seed of commerce. 
Percentage vitality in grass and clover seeds is an important 
consideration and should receive special attention in the case of the 
finer grasses. Fully ninety-five per cent. of the fodder crop seeds 
used in Canada consist of Timothy, Orchard Grass, Brome Grass, 
Western Rye Grass, Red Clover, Alsike and Alfalfa, and, with the 
exception of Brome Grass, commercial seeds of these kinds are sel- 
dom deficient in vitality. Good seed of Brome Grass, the Blue 
Grasses, Fescues and others of the finer grasses should germinate 
eighty per cent. or better; but commercial samples often contain less 
than fifty per cent. of vital seeds. Seed that will germinate eighty 
per cent. or better is really cheaper at thirty cents per pound than 
seed at half the cost, if the percentage vitality is commensurately 
low. Reliable seedsmen know what the vitality of their seeds is 
but purchasers of the finer grass seeds should buy at least a month 
before planting time and test their seeds. Sow two hundred average 
seeds of each kind in light soil in a flower pot and keep them slightly 
moist in a living room temperature in a sunny window for about three 
weeks. 
Purity: The value of grass and clover seeds is affected most by 
the nature and amount of their impurities. Unfortunately it is diffi- 
cult to obtain these seeds free from weeds. One hundred weed seeds 
in an ounce of grass or clover may not be detected, but the weeds are 
very evident in the resultant crop. The folly of purchasing the in- 
ferior qualities is not always clear from an examination of the seed 
itself; and although the weeds may be quite evident in the meadow 
their bad effect on the stock is seldom fully appreciated. The best 
available seed is always the cheapest in the end. 
The suppression of noxious weeds in meadows is most 
effectively and economically accomplished by clean cultivation before 
fodder crop seeds are sown. Perennial weeds, such as Daisy, Thistle, 
Campion and Couch Grass, tend to increase in meadows. In a 
moist climate such annual and biennial weeds as Wild Oats and 
Blue Weed can be prevented from seeding and thus effectively 
suppressed by leaving the land in meadow for five years or more. 
