1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



131 



WEED SEEDS SOMETIMES FOUND IN CLOVER 

 SEED. 



AN IMPORTANT WOKK BY THE NORTH 

 LINA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Bee-keepers have more or less to do with all 

 tlie clovers; and as there has been in times 

 past (luiie a little trouble in regard to various 

 seeds, and some discussion as to what these 

 seeds were, we have thought best to extract the 

 following from Bulletin No. 108. of the North 

 Carolina Experiin(uit Station, which station has 

 kindly loaned us the cuts given: 



THE CLOVER FAMILY. 



The clovers are tlie most frequently adulterated, 

 and generally the foulest samples found in the mar- 

 kets Crushed quartz rock, either pUun or colored, 

 t(5 resemble true seed, has l)een frequently employ- 

 ed where dealers do not fear detection. Old, discol- 

 ored, and worthless seeds are often dyed, and mixed 



Fig. 18.— Plantain —a. riuil.with attaclu-d cinulla; h, tin- 4 

 <'orolla-]ietals; c, twin .seeds; d. the inner smfaee of seeiis; e. 

 bafk of seed ; f, seed, natural size. 



with fresh seed. These " doctored " .seeds can be de- 

 tected by pouring: some of the seed upon a clean 

 white cloth, sliglitly moistened, and rubbing- the 

 seeds thereon. The cloth wjll remove the artificial 

 coloring-, and show it. Quartz g-ralns can be readily 

 detected by e.vamining the seeds with a magnifying- 

 glass. "Uncleatied " sam|>les often contain a fifth 

 of their weight in weed-seeds, the most common of 

 which are plantain (Pkoitaiio lam-e<il(it(U Fig". 18), 



Fjg. 19.— SHEEt' Sorrel.— 



a. seed in liull ; b. a nake<l ~ 



seed; c. natural size. *- 



Fig. '.iO — Chick,wked. 

 — a, natural size ; b, 

 niatrnified ; e. same in 

 profile. 



sheep sorrel {Rumer accUtrrUn, Fig. 19i, chickweed 

 (Ceraslium triviale. Kig. 20), pigeon -grass {Sttaiui 

 ylauca and S. rf'ri'dis, Figs, 21 and 22), ox-eye diiisy, 

 dog-fennel, and buttercup ' Seeds of a parasitic 

 plant commonly known as dodder, '• devil's-gut," 



and goldthread, are 



usually present in 



■-amples of luceinc 



and clover imported 



trom Eumpe. These 

 „ plants. hdtanicalU 

 V' (Mlled Cusinta cinli 



liuiii and <'iif<nil(i 1 1 1 



tiilii, aie shown at 

 ._, Figs. 23 and 24. Sani- 



b, back and front ples wllich COnt.llll 



views. eniai-Ked: .-. even a trace of seeds 



natural size. ^j t,,;^ f^,^,, pamsite 



should be rejected, wliateverbe their 

 price. A full account of this weed 

 was given in Bulletin 70 of the North [ 

 Carolina E.xperiment Station. s._ 



AlsikeH-tover seed (Fig 2.5) is largely iiatinai size.' 

 imported from Europe, and is apt to contain dodder- 



'1 — I'IGI ON 

 iRASS (GREEN), —a. 



Fig. '^a.-PiGEON- 



; .-ASS (Yeixowj. 

 —a, ina^nitied t<i 

 marking; b. 



seed (Fig. 24— on the ground), which, being of nearly 

 the same size as the clover-seed, is very difficult to 

 get rid of. Uncleaned samples are 

 move or less infested with seeds of 

 buttercup, plantain (Fig. 18), sheep 

 sorrel (Fig. 19), and chickweed (Fig. 

 , »<»».». 20). 

 h __„.„ 



Fig. -23.— Flax Dod- Fig. 24. —Clover Dodder. 



DER.— a, natural size; — r, seetion of a seed; e, 



h. niatiuified; i-, don- endosperm ; v, vegetation 



Ide seeds. point. 



Crimson - clover seed Is 

 generally much cleaner 

 than other clovers, and 

 the samples are not often 

 adulterated. The mo.st 

 common impurities are 

 plantain (Pig-. 18), ox-eye 

 daisy, and sheep sorrel 

 (Fig. 19). 



: Japan clover is usually 

 sold in the husk, and is not 

 adulterated; neither does 

 it contain as impurities other kinds of seed, for Jap- 

 an clover permits no other plant to grow among it. 



Fig. 2.1.- alsike Clover. 

 natural size; b. side view si 

 ins- rootlet; e, profile view. 



Fig. 26.— Common Pimpernel.— b, double 

 fruit; e, d, single fruit, back and front 

 view, enlarged. 



Samples are, however, often very dirty with sticks, 

 siones, and trash. In diy seasons the seeds do not 

 fill well. Good seed should weigh 24 pounds to the 

 bushel. 



Lticernesecd is largely import- 

 ed from Europe, and is apt to 

 contain dodder (Figs. 23 and 24), 

 plantain (Fig. 18), common pim- 

 pernel (PimpiueHa saxifi-aga. 



Hi. -38 — Ravsted-weed.— a, b. front 

 1 protile views; c, natural size. 



Fig. 26), and seeds of composite weeds. American- 

 grown seed-samples are apt to contain seeds of hog- 

 weed (Amara)itus spinonus), dog-fennel, and plgeon- 



FlG.-«l. 



Ra(;w KKD.— <-, without pappus, and 

 (•\it cjpen; d. natwiul size; d, e, uaKeil .seed; f, 

 section of seed, showing cotyledons. 



grass (Figs. 21 and .""). European lucerne-seed is 

 generally better than American-grown seed. The 

 best comes from Provence, in Prance. 



