PERENNIAL FORAGE GRASSES 83 



seed. The seed (flowering glume including awn) is about one- 

 third of an inch and without awn one-sixth to one-fourth of 

 an inch long, and the grain is one-tenth inch 

 long. The embryo is very minute. 



Seeds of meadow fescue and the rye grasses 

 not infrequently occur in orchard grass seed. 

 These seeds in American grown orchard grass 

 seed may be considered adulterations, since 

 meadow fescue and the rye grasses are not usu- 

 ally found growing in the seed-producing sec- 



Spikelet of or- 



tion of this country. Meadow fescue, however, chard grass, 

 is a common impurity in European fields, and vel- Enlarged four 



times. 



vet grass in New Zealand fields, from which large 

 quantities of orchard grass seed are imported to America. The 

 weeds, which are troublesome in orchard grass fields in the seed- 

 producing section, are whitetop (Erigeron annuus (L.) Pers.), 

 red sorrel (Rumex acetosella L.), oxeye daisy (Chrysanthemum 

 leucanthemum L.), milfoil (Achillea millefolium L.), and the 

 plantains (Plantago lanceolata L. and P. aristata Michx.). 1 

 Seed growers pay special attention to prevent these weeds from 

 seeding, a common and effective method being to pasture with 

 sheep in the spring until the early part of May or in some 

 instances until seed is ready to harvest, and again after seed 

 is harvested. This practise not only reduces the weeds, but 

 appears to improve the yield of seed as well as furnishing an 

 additional source of profit. 



As just indicated, it is possible to furnish orchard grass seed 

 with 100 per cent, purity, and less than 98 per cent, should not 

 be accepted. The number of seeds per pound may vary from 

 400,000 to 480,000. The legal weight per bushel is usually 14 

 pounds, but the best well-cleaned seed may weigh 22 pounds 

 to the bushel. The standard of germination should be not less 



1 U. S. Dept. Agr., Bu. PI. Ind. Bui. No. 100, pt. VI, p. 13. 



