1922.] 



Germination of [ndigenous Seeds. 



1 19 



1917-18 were conducted at the official Seed Testing Station 

 (then at the Food Production Department) while those on 

 samples collected subsequently have been made by similar 

 methods aft Aberystwyth. 



It will be convenient to deal with the species that have been 

 collected under separate headings: " Legumes," " Grasses " 

 and " Miscellaneous Plants." 



Legumes. — The figures in Table I give particulars relative 

 to indigenous legumes and where possible figures for ordinary 

 commercial samples have been included in the table for the 

 purpose of comparison. 



TABLE I. — Percentage Germination, Hard Seed, and Weight per 1,000 Seed 8 

 in the case of Indigenous Legumes collected from various native habitats. 

 When possible, comparisons are made with Commercial samples. 



INDIGENOUS 



Species 



No. of 

 Lots 



A.verag« 

 Gerin- 

 ^ ination 



Highest 

 and Low- 

 est germ- 

 ination 



Aver- 

 age 

 Hard 

 Seed 



Highest 

 per cent 

 Hard 

 Seed 



Weight 

 per 

 1,000 



in 'jr. 



A ver- 

 age 

 Germ- 

 ination 



Aver- 

 age 

 Hard 

 Seed 



Weight 

 per 

 1,000 



in gr. 



Wild White Clover 



9 



28 



71-12 



47 



82 



•49 



77-3 



12-7 



*Gk 7t 



Wild Red Clover 



7 



52 



100-11 



32 



87 



1 19 



81-7 + 



i'7% 



Jl-9 



Bird's Foot Trefoil 



3 



26 



37,15 



18 



58 





70 



17 





Trefoil 



3 



39 





50 



65 



1-68 



79-8 



2-7 



1-8 



Tuffed Vetch ... 





3 



7-0 



65 



99 











Meadow Vetcbling 



2 



12 



25-0 



79 



100 











COMMERCIAL 



* Commercial Wild White. t Commercial White Dutch. 



t English Grown Ordinary Commercial Red Clover. 



The result of the tests bring out very prominently the high 

 percentages of hard seed that are to be met with amongst 

 legumes and which show themselves in the germination test 

 when the seed has not been subjected to any rasping process.* 

 It is interesting to observe that hard seed is by no means con- 

 fined to red and white clover but is equally in evidence in the 

 case of the wild vetches and bird's-foot trefoil — whilst trefoil, 

 one of the " softest " seeds after being subjected to the hulling 

 and cleaning processes, is exceedingly hard when collected by 

 hand and tested without any pre-treatment. 



It has been noted, moreover, that hardness appears to be at 

 its maximum in the case of samples harvested late and when 

 the seed has fully matured. The poor average germination 



* Hardness can be greatly reduced by rubbing the seed with sand paper or 

 <»ii a smooth surface with a bath brick or by Bhaking violently in a box lined 

 with sand paper, 



