1922.] 



Seeds and Good Crops. 



827 



experiments. The purchase of seed from rehable merchants is 

 the safest plan. 



Purity means freedom from other crop seeds, weed seeds, 

 broken seeds, dirt, etc. This is of great importance, and only 

 seed of the very highest purity should be used. The Seeds Act, 

 1920, provides that sellers of the most important agricultural 

 seeds shall always declare the purity of these seeds : in the case 

 of vegetable and root seed a standard of purity has been fixed 

 (97 per cent.), but in the case of grasses and clovers the actual 

 figure must be stated. When purchasing seed farmers should 

 demand to know the purity. Two other points are provided for 

 by the Seeds Act : — (1) the presence of certain weed seeds, 

 described as injurious weed seeds, if in excess of 1 per cent, 

 in clovers or 2 per cent, in grasses, must always be declared. 

 The scheduled injurious weeds are docks, sorrel, soft cranesbill, 

 cut-leaved cranesbill,- soft brome grass, Yorkshire fog, and wild 

 carrot. (2) The presence of dodder, which must be declared if 

 in excess of one seed in a 4-oz. sample. Dodder is a parasitic 

 plant which lives on clover and very speedily destroys any clover 

 plant that it attacks. 



Good Germination. — A high percentage of germination is 

 very desirable. It is unreasonable to suggest that if the per- 

 centage of germination is only 50 per cent, twice as much seed 

 may be sown. This plan is very costly, while a low germination 

 frequently indicates poor vitality, which will enable weeds to 

 establish themselves before the crop. This will very much 

 weaken, if not entirely destroy it. 



By the Seeds Act the seller is required to state the actual 

 percentage of germination, or where a standard is fixed, a state- 

 ment that the seed is above the authorised minimum percentage 

 is sufficient, provided that the authorised minimum figure be 

 stated. 



Country of Origin. — This is especially of importance in the 

 case of clover seed, which is imported into this country from 

 numerous places — France. America, Canada, Chili, Silesia, New 

 Zealand. 



Good English seed is usually insufficient to meet actual require- 

 ments and is dearer than other seed. It is the most suitable to 

 use in almost all parts of England. Foreign seed often looks a 

 better sample than Enghsh, and may have a somewhat higher 

 percentage of germination, and the price being lower it seems an 

 attractive purchase, but in the Enghsh climate a better plant will 



