448 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



This method naturally lowers the germination percentage in, e.g. such 

 chaffy seeds as meadow foxtail. The Department considers that its 

 method gives a truer idea of the quality of the seed. 



As one of us (T. J.) has ceased to be responsible for the work of the 

 Seed-testing Station, owing to the increased administrative work necessitated 

 by the operations of the Weeds and Seeds Act (Ireland), passed in December, 

 1909, the time appeared opportune to summarize certain results of the 

 Station's work during the ten years it has been in operation. 



It is not much more than a generation ago that seed-buyers in any part of the 

 world were made to realize the necessity of testing the seeds offered for sale. 



To IsTobbe, of Tharandt, in Saxony, tlie credit is mainly due of being the 

 pioneer of seed-testing. In his book, "Die Samenkuude," amongst other 

 revelations, is that of a letter from a Hamburg to a Dublin firm, offering, at 

 a cheap rate, for mixing with clover seed, stones so like true seed as to deceive 

 the buyer. Fraud of this type is now, let us hope, impossible ; but still it is 

 often of practical importance to be in a position to say what is the actual 

 origin of a seed, i.e. tlie region from which it comes. Stebler states, e.g., that 

 Chili red clover, Utah lucerne, and New Zealand cocksfoot are of little 

 value ; that cocksfoot of forest growth grows smaller than cocksfoot from 

 the meadow, and that American meadow fescue falls a victim to rust. Hence 

 arises the necessity of reliable means of detecting the source of supply of a 

 seed. Wittmack was the first scientific man to interest himself in this 

 question, and in 1873 he recognized a red clover as American owing to the 

 presence in it of seeds oi Ambrosia. In 1875 the Ziirich Station began the 

 same kind of investigation ; and in 1906, Dr. Stebler, the head of the 

 Station, gave us at Dresden an illustrated account (4) of the results of its work. 



Sometimes tlie appearance of the seed itself — the metallic lustre of its 

 coat — proclaims its origin. (The lustre of English " cow-grass " (perennial 

 or red clover) is said to be usually artificial.) In some cases particles of soil 

 (e.g. black soil from Russia) or other inert matter suffice. Weed-seeds in 

 the sample are, however, the best guide, though caution is necessary in 

 drawing conclusions from them. 



Stebler calls those weed-seeds, which indicate the origin of the seed, source- 

 indicators. Other seeds not so reliable, but still helpful, he calls companion- 

 seeds. He divides the seed-supplying districts of the world into the following 

 regions : — 

 1. South European. (South France, Italy, Spain.) 



Coronilla scorpioides, Koch. {Arthrolobium scorpioides, Desv.), and 

 Ammi majiis, L., in a sample are sure signs of the S. European origin of 

 the seed. 



