FIORIN 667 



pale-brown colour. The presence of dark-brown naked fruits 

 should be looked upon with suspicion as the seed is likely to 

 have suffered from damp weather in harvesting, and where 

 dulness and discolouration of the glumes is present as well, 

 it is very necessary to test the germination capacity of the 

 sample. 



Purity. — There is no difficulty in obtaining absolutely pure 

 seed. Weed seeds, if met with at all, are easily seen in con- 

 trast with the silvery-white colour of the genuine ones. The 

 impurities of m.ost frequent occurrence are those usually met 

 with in the clovers, viz. : Docks (Riiiiiex ohtusifoliiis ]-. and 

 R. Acetosella L.); Wild Pansy {Viola tricolor L.) ; Narrow and 

 Broad-leaved Plantains {Plan/ago laiiceolata L. and P. major 

 L.) ; and Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris L.). 



The Germination Capacity should not be less than 90 per 

 cent., and bushel-weight 50 lbs. 



1000 seeds should weigh '4 gram., a little more if the number 

 of naked fruits is large. 



Fiorin {jigrosiis alba L. var. slolonifera). 



Form, Size, and Colour. — The flowering glume, which is 

 about I '8 to 2 mm. long and '5 mm. broad, is thin 

 and transparent, with five nerves, slightly notched at 

 the tip, and not awned ; the pale is only half the 

 length of the flowering glume, and the fruit yellowish 

 in colour. 



Very often complete spikelets are present in the 

 samples, the empty glumes of which are narrow and 



Fig. 212 — 



acute, often pale violet m colour; the larger of the Seed of 



Fiorin. 



two glumes has minute teeth along the whole length 

 of its keel. 



Purity. — No reliance whatever can be placed upon com- 

 mercial samples of this seed. True seed is very rare, Fine 

 Bent-grass {Agrosth vulgaris I^.) being generally substituted 

 for it. The latter is very similar to Fiorin but smaller, the 



