AGEICULTUEAL SPECIES OF BEISTT GRASSES. 25 



SUMMARY. 



(1) Seed of the bent grasses occurring or likely to occur in the trade 

 consists of (1) redtop mostly produced m Illmois; (2) Rhode Island 

 bent mostly gathered in Rhode Island, but in recent years scarce in 

 the American market; (3) colonial bent from New Zealand; and (4) 

 South German mixed bent, imported under various names from 

 Europe. 



(2) The seed of redtop is the cheapest of the kinds of bent seed and 

 often is substituted wholly or in part for the others. 



(3) Tlie seed of redtop in the domestic trade is chiefly, if not 

 wholly, of domestic production and is free from seed of Rhode Island 

 bent, colonial bent, and South German mixed bent. 



(4) The seed of Rhode Island bent is American grown and likely 

 to contain some seed of redtop; but it appears never to contain seed 

 of velvet bent. 



(5) The seed of colonial bent imported from New Zealand recently 

 has appeared in this country. This seed is botanically identical with 

 that of Rhode Island bent. The samples examined contained little 

 or no redtop seed and were free from velvet bent. 



(6) South German mixed bent seed is produced in southern Ger- 

 many and has been imported for the American trade. Owing to the 

 European war, but one importation of this seed was received in 1916 

 and none in 1917. It consists of a mixture of redtop seed, velvet-bent 

 seed, and seed of undetermined fuie bent, which usually predominates. 



(7) The seed of redtop can be distmguished by the seed alone from 

 that of Rhode Island bent, colonial bent, and the fine bent of South 

 German mixed bent seed. 



(8) Rhode Island bent seed can be distinguished from South Ger- 

 man mixed bent seed and colonial bent seed chiefly by means of the 

 incidental seeds of weeds and cultivated plants present. 



(9) Individual seeds of Rhode Island bent apparently are indis- 

 tinguishable from individual seeds of the undetermined fine bent 

 found m South German mixed bent seed. 



(10) South German mixed bent seed can be identified by the inci- 

 dental seeds present and by the seed of velvet bent (Agrostis canina) 

 it contains. 



(11) Seed of velvet bent can be recognized, and its quantity in a 

 sample of South German mixed bent seed can be determined 

 accurately. 



(12) Seed of carpet bent or that of any strictly stoloniferous form 

 of bent can not be recognized at present, so far as is known. 



(13) Redtop seed has been imported as South German mixed bent 

 seed, presumably to be sold as the latter. Much of this seed, at least, 

 was evidently American grown. 



