MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



375 



sire to propagate weeds, especially if they are extremely 

 troublesome ones. To pay grass seed prices for weed seed 

 is poor economy, and extreme precautions should be taken 

 to secure pure, viable seed of the variety desired. Fre- 

 quently as much as 10 per cent or more of commercial 

 grass or legume seed is weed seed. This, of course, 

 means that with each 100 pounds of seed purchased, 10 

 pounds are weeds, which results not only in their intro- 

 duction into the pas- 

 ture or meadow, but 

 also increases the actual 

 cost of the seeding. To 

 insure the purchase of 

 pure seed, a small 

 quantity of seed from 

 several dealers, together 

 with their prices, may be 

 secured for a purity test. 

 401. The purity test 

 consists in separating 

 from a sample the weed 

 seed and other foreign 

 matter and determining 

 by weight the amount 

 of pure seed. Not more 



than one or two per cent of foreign matter should be found 

 in good seed. After a purity test, the grass of legume 

 seed should be tested for germination. Many kinds of 

 grass seeds are frequently of poor vitality. The test 

 may be made by using the corn germinator box, filling in 

 about two inches with sand and adding enough water to 

 thoroughly moisten it. The grass seed may then be 

 tested between or upon blotting paper placed upon the 



Fig. 



130. — Method of making vitality 

 test of grass and legume seeds. 



