IMPROVED STRAINS OF GRASSES 69 



delivered to the firms for sale. Gradually the growing of seed 

 of other kinds of grasses was introduced. The value of the 

 seed delivered is calculated according to its purity, germination, 

 and other characters, as determined by the Seed Testing Station 

 of the State. An association of farmers, " The Associated 

 Danish Agricultural Societies' Seed Supply " (Danske Landbo- 

 foreningers Fr0forsyning, or D. L. F.), Roskilde, was also 

 started in 1906, for the purpose of increasing the home pro- 

 duction of seed corn and seed, in order to supply members with 

 seed of uniform quality and with a reliable guarantee, and also 

 for the export of Danish grown seed of good quality. All the 

 societies of small-holders, and 105 of the 120 agricultural 

 societies in Denmark, are now affiliated to the D. L. F. The 

 D. L. F. from the first co-operated with the Co-operative 

 Wholesale Society of Denmark (known as F. D. B.). The 

 F. D. B. had for some years supplied members of the co- 

 operative distributive societies all over the country, who were 

 mostly farmers, with seed, and had since 1904 had their own farm 

 at Lyngby, where they grew and improved stock seed. They 

 also had their own stock seed grown by seed growers for the 

 production of seed for trade, in the same way as most of the 

 large seed merchants. In 1912 the D. L. F. took over from the 

 F. D. B. the growing of seed, the latter society distributing the 

 seed through the local distributive co-operative societies. 

 The F. D. B., however, continued its cultivation and improve- 

 ment of stock seed. The D. L. F. have several farms for grow- 

 ing stock seed, control samples of consignments sold, and so on, 

 in the same way as the large seed merchants. Through this 

 development of the production of and the trade in grass seed 

 by the seed merchants and the co-operative societies the 

 import gradually decreased and an export began, which has 

 now attained considerable dimensions. 



The quantities of seed for rotation grasses used in Denmark 

 were in 1912 estimated at 4650 tons of grass seed and 3350 tons 

 of seed of clover and other leguminosae. But while of the latter 

 only about 2 per cent, were home grown, the production of grass 

 seed was about 6000 tons, or more than required for home use. 

 Of this quantity 3000 tons were of cocksfoot, of which kind 

 only about 800 tons were required for home use. The remainder 



