SEED COXTROL. 65 



most difficult, not only to the purchaser, but also to the dealers 

 themselves. 



Ko grass is raised in the United States for seed alone, i.e., on a 

 commercial scale. Most of the seed of Kentucky blue grass, 

 orchard grass, timothy, redtop, and meadow fescue used in this 

 country is American grown. Some other species are raised here, 

 to a greater or less extent, but in no case, so far as I have found, 

 are these grasses cultivated for their seed alone, like a seed crop 

 of peas or cabbage, for instance. This accounts for the fact that 

 frequently large amounts of weed seeds are present in grass 

 seeds. Generally no especial care is taken to rid the grass fields 

 of these pests, and grass, above all other kinds of seed, is the 

 most difficult to clean after it is once harvested. Besides, our 

 meadows generally contain a mixture of various grasses, often of 

 very different value. 



Many grasses show an average germination of only thirty to 

 forty per cent, — timothy, redtop, the bromes, orchard grass, the 

 fescues, and a few others, being prominent exceptions. The con- 

 ditions of the weather at the time grasses flower have a great 

 deal to do with their germinative ability. If a prolonged wet 

 season ensues at this time, only a very small percentage of the 

 seeds ripen. For example : in Germany, in 1871, only five per cent 

 of the seeds of meadow foxtail were germinable for this reason. 



Again, the seeds on the same grass plant ripen very unevenly 

 and, in many cases, rattle out easily when fully mature ; there- 

 fore such seed is usually harvested before fully ripe. Besides, 

 the glumes of ripe and unripe fruits are often so nearly alike in 

 color that it is difficult for the collector to distinguish between 

 them. Hence it is no Avonder that pure and germinable grass 

 seed is so hard to obtain. The cheaper grades are mostly chaff 

 and dirt and worse than useless, while those designated " prime " 

 and " fancy cleaned " are often of very little value. 



Nevertheless the following table will show that grass seed of 

 a high germinating ability may be obtained in our markets. The 

 figures in the first column are quoted from the price list of a 

 seedsman in the United States and are the results of germinating 

 tests of seed offered for sale by him. It will be noted that these 

 figures are in every instance considerably higher than those of 

 the second column, which are the standards of germination used 

 by Dr. Stebler, director of the Zurich Seed Control Station. 



