434 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



is shiny and somewhat pinkish in color. Old seed be- 

 comes dull and brownish. Rarely it may be adulterated 

 with red clover screenings, and 

 sometimes there is considerable 

 trefoil present. 



Good, fresh commercial seed 

 sh 011 ^ be 99 per cent pure and 

 have a viability of 98-99 per cent. 

 FIG. 49. Seeds of crim- It loses its viability rapidly, so 



son clover (enlarged and t h at see ^ two yearg ol( J ig wort h- 

 natural size). 



less. There is never much hard 



seed, and all the good seed should germinate in 2 to 6 

 days. . 



Troublesome weed seeds that may be present as impuri- 

 ties are Canada thistle, wild carrot, yellow dock, buck- 

 horn and oxeye-daisy. 



The legal weight of a bushel is 60 pounds, but it may 

 weigh up to 63 pounds. One pound contains 118,000 to 

 150,000 seeds. 



SHAFTAL OR SCHABDAR (Trifolium suaveolens) 



525. Shaftal or Persian clover is an annual, native to 

 central Asia. It is characterized by hollow stems, which 

 lodge easily ; smooth herbage ; small heads of pink, very 

 fragrant flowers; and pods inclosed in a much swollen 

 calyx. 



This clover is cultivated under irrigation in Persia and 

 northwest India for forage. In Europe it has been cul- 

 tivated many years as an ornamental. Seeds of it some- 

 times occur as an impurity in crimson clover seed from 

 France, and thus occasional plants may be found in crim- 

 son clover fields. Commercial seed in small quantities 

 can be obtained in Persia. 



