Alfalfa in Kansas. 



45 



Eighty-four per cent of the growers reporting expressed preference 

 for home-grown seed as compared with seed grown in distant localities. 

 Almost 16 per cent said that it made no difference to them where the 



seed came from. All of those rep- 

 resented by this 16 per cent are lo- 

 cated in the eastern one-third of 

 the state. Only one grower ex- 

 pressed preference for foreign- 

 grown seed. 



About 35 per cent of the cor- 

 respondents report testing their 

 seed for germination. They are 

 evenly distributed throughout the 

 state, and it can not be said that 

 the practice is more prevalent in 

 any particular section. All those 

 who have tried it consider the test- 

 ing of seed well worth the time and 

 effort, for by so doing they know 

 the right amount to plant to get a 

 stand, and are enabled to detect 

 inferior seed. They report that 

 there are large quantities of trash 

 upon the market, sold as good al- 

 FIG. 37. Nodules on a young alfalfa plant, falfa seed. Home-grown seed 



[Courtesy Wisconsin Experiment Station.] 



seems to test better than seed from 



a distance. Seed grown under irrigation is said to be inferior to seed 

 grown under ordinary methods of culture. A general opinion prevails 

 that good seed will test from 90 to 98 per cent, most growers refusing to 

 plant seed which will not test 90 per cent good. 



Seventy-two per cent of the alfalfa growers reporting examine their 

 seed for impurities or adulterants before planting. These examinations 

 establish the fact that there is always more or less weed seed and dirt 

 found among the alfalfa seeds: 



Labette county: "Too many weed seeds in the best." 



Marion county: "Some is nearly worthless, compared with prime seed 

 that is 98 per cent pure." 



Coffey county: "I would not sow some seed if it were given me." 

 Sumner county: "We find it generally from 95 to 96 per cent pure." 



Washington county: "It leads us to think a state law should be en- 

 acted to control the same." 



It is undoubtedly the part of wisdom to buy from reliable seed firms, 

 or to know that the seed comes from weed-free fields. Here are several 

 reports bearing on this subject: 



Crawford county : "I buy a high grade of seed from a reliable dealer." 



