6S2 FARM ' SEEDS ' : SPECIAL 



dampness are reddish. When the colour has become altered, 

 dyeing the seeds is occasionally practised, Sometimes this can 

 be detected by placing them on damp blotting paper and 

 observing if a green stain is produced. Fast dyes, however, 

 may be used, and only test of germination capacity will decide 

 whether the seed is old and dyed or fresh. 

 New seeds are smooth and bright. 



Purity. — This should be 96-98 per cent, but is often con- 

 siderably lower than this. Many of the weeds met with in 

 red clover samples are found in alsike. The larger seeds, 

 however, should not be present as they are readily screened 

 off. The impurities to be looked for are the small dock 

 {Rumex Acetosella ]^.)., field chamomile, ox-eye daisy, 

 narrow-leaved plantain, soft round-leaved cranesbill 

 {Geranium moUe L.); the seeds of which are egg- 

 shaped, somewhat pointed, and reddish brown in 

 colour, with smooth surfaces. 

 ^S^ed°of~ Field pansy {J'iohi iricolo?- L.) ; this seed is met 

 round-leaved with in red clover but more frequently in 

 alsike, as its size is nearer the latter; the 

 colour is yellowish-brown, and a light coloured, 

 shrivelled projection (caruncle) is seen at its base 

 (Fig, 202). 



Self-heal {Pnmella vulgaris L.) is another impurity F1G.202.— 

 whose seeds are egg-shaped with a white p^^J 

 triangular projection at the narrow end ; Pansy, 

 their colour is a rich chestnut-brown with two 

 deeper lines running round them (Fig. 203). 



Dodder occurs frequently in this clover as it is 

 F1C.203.— Seed almost impossible to separate it by sifting on account 

 of the size of the two seeds being much the same. 

 'J'he grey flattened seeds of Yarrow {Achillea iiiillefoliuiii L.) 

 are met with occasionally. 



Germination Capacity. — This is usually not so good as in 



