ROUGH-STALKED MEADOW-GRASS 671 



Germination Capacity. — In the finest quality this is 95 per 

 cent, but samples containing 75 to So per cent, of living seeds 

 rnay be considered good. 



Weight. — The bushel-weight of the best seed is 22 lbs. ; 

 1000 seeds should weigh from 0.9 to I'o gram. 



Smooth-stalked Meadow-Grass [Foa pratensis L.). 



Form, Size and Colour. — The pale brown flowering 

 glume is acute not awned, but with a well-marked keel 

 and four prominent ribs or veins. The lower halves of 

 the keel and marginal ribs are distinctly hairy, and 

 at the base of the seed is a tuft of white woolly hairs, 

 (Fig. 218). 



The length of the seed varies between 2 '5 and 4 mm. 



Purity. — This is the cheapest of the three or four Fig 218.— 

 species of Poa in the market and the seeds are pro- smooth- 

 duced in abundance and easily procured pure. It is jiendow- 

 sometimes, however, adulterated with Tufted Hair- 

 Grass [Aira aespitosa L.) which has a circle of hairs at the base 

 of its seed, not woolly but resembling those in Fig. 214, the 

 seeds of the impurity are also shining and white, and the 

 flowering glume usually possesses a short awn inserted 

 at a point a little below the middle. 



The Germination Capacity of the best samples is 

 about 75 per cent., and a bushel weighs 32 lbs. Samples 

 containing 60 per cent, of living seeds may be con- 

 sidered good. 



1000 seeds should weigh not less than '25 gram. "'1^ 



Kough-stalked. Meadow-G-rass (Poa trivialis L.) : — Fig. 219.— 



. , . ■ ■! Seed of 



Form, Size and Colour. — This seed is very sunilar Rough- 

 to the preceding one, but is more slender and acute (Fig. Meadow- 

 219). The hairs on the keel are not quite so prominent, 

 and there are none at all on the marginal ribs. The wooUy 

 hairs at the base are variable in ciuantity in both seeds, so 

 that little reliance can be placed upon them as a distinguishing 



