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pounds which he has set before himself as his task, much to the 

 detriment of the quality of his produce from a purity point of 

 view. This is worse even there, where it concerns varieties of 

 about equal heights or of those which come to maturity almost 

 simultaneously as for instance Dactylis glomerata (Cocks- 

 foot or Orchard-grass) and Festuca pratensis (Meadow 

 Fescue), which citations could be easily increased by several others. 



In regard to the germinative capacities of both the collected 

 seeds and those grown as a crop, experience has taught most 

 decisively, that whilst for certain varieties the percentages found 

 for seeds of the old system are in no way inferior to those obtained 

 from the produce of the modern system, there are a few other 

 species which, in that respect, speak decidedly in favour of the 

 seed purposely grown as a crop. This is mainly due to the fact, 

 that crops of separate varieties grown for seed-saving are treated 

 all over the fields more equally; that the plants ripen more 

 simultaneously; and, finally, that if a farmer thinks the crop not 

 sufficiently ripe and believes it to be in his interest to let it stand 

 over a few days longer, he can do so and defer the cutting of the 

 field as long as he likes. 



On the other hand in regard to the seeds saved by collection, 

 it is a fact, that if a seed-collector is not just then engaged in 

 collecting a variety which is fully matured for reason he is through 

 with his work on that kind, he is prone to commence with the 

 following-one though it would have been far better if that following 

 variety had been left uncut a few days yet. 



Of course the cleaning-up of these collected seeds; the winnowing 

 out of same of the light material, will do a great deal to provide 

 for this deficiency; in several cases even carry up the germinative- 

 powers to the same high standard as that of the seeds grown as a crop. 



And as regards the exact purity in the sense of absence of 

 obnoxious weeds, though the produce of the modern system is 

 originally more free from same, the cleaning both by machinery 

 and hand-sifting, is capable of carrying same for the one as well 

 as for the other up to an equally high standard. 



And, finally, as regards the capacity of each to maintain their 

 force and permanency in the newly sown meadows and pasture- 

 lands, the ideas which originally placed both produces on a par, 

 have at least in a couple of cases been departed from in favour of 

 the wildly-growing, collected seeds, since in recent years varieties 

 like Avena elatior (Tall Oatgrass) and Festuca pratensis 



