LABORATORY MANUAL IN FIELD CROPS 33 



PRACTICUM NO. 25 



Object. A Study of the Characteristics of Some of the Com- 

 mon Forage Crop Seeds. 



Materials. Four-ounce samples of seed of the following : 

 timothy, red clover, white clover, alfalfa, vetch, blue grass. 



Method. Examine each under the disect lens, and write 

 up the description in tabular form, as outlined in the following 

 questions : 



STUDIES 



1. Weight of seed, average of 100 seeds. 



2. Length of seeds, average of 25 seeds. 



3. Width of seeds, average of 25 seeds. 



4. Shape of seeds (drawing) : spherical, flat, heart-shaped. 



5. Color. 



6. Hardness: soft, medium, hard, brittle. 



7. Covering : glume, pod. If a pod, what is the shape ? 



8. Where is the embryo located ? Make a drawing to show. 



9. What are some of the impurities? (Farmers' Bulletin, 

 Adulteration of Seeds, No. 382.) 



10. What is the scientific name for the plants studied ? 



REFERENCES 



Bailey's Cyclopedia of American Agriculture, Vol. 2. 

 Hunt's Cereals in America. 

 Farmers' Bulletin No. 382. 

 Livingston's Field Crop Production, p. 374. 



Lyon and Montgomery's Examining and Grading Grains, pp. 87-93 

 (very good). 



