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 efTectively 

 suppressed by leaving the land in meadow for five years or more. 



