THE GRASSES— CHEMICAL ANALYSES. 135 



the value of grass seeds is the weight per bushel of the 

 sample," as there may be a very wide difference in dif- 

 ferent samples of a particular species — chaffy, unripe 

 seeds weighing perhaps only one-third of what a prime, 

 well-cleaned sample of the same species would show. 



For instance, Italian Eyegrass seed can be had as 

 light as 8 lbs. to the bushel, and as high as 22 lbs. (in 

 some rare cases even higher). Foxtail, according to 

 Mr. Hunter, may vary from 5 lbs. to 12 lbs. per bushel. 

 Cocksfoot from 6 lbs. to 20 lbs., and Meadow Fescue 

 from 10 lbs. to 28 lbs. 



Grass seeds should therefore never be bought by 

 measure, which is quite misleading. As a matter of 

 course, light, chaffy seed will germinate badly, as the 

 light weight implies the absence of kernel. As a farmer 

 wants seed, and not empty husks, it follows that a 

 knowledge of the weight per bushel is the next best 

 thing to a knowledge of the germinating faculty. 



In practice it is not easy for a seedsman to give 

 guaranteed germinations in the hurry of a season, espe- 

 cially when, as in the case of seedsmen in country 

 towns, they have to make up many small orders ; but 

 there is no difficulty whatever about ascertaining the 

 weight per bushel, and grass seeds that approximate in 

 weight to the standards given in this work should ger- 

 minate well if pure and sound. 



II. 



Chemical Analyses of the Grasses. 



Undemoted wiU be found a table extracted from an 

 extremely interesting and useful report on the Grasses 



