224 



Testing Agricultural Seeds. 



[JULY, 



Seeds for use on farms and market gardens should always be 

 bought subject to a guarantee of purity, genuineness, and high 

 germinating power. Purity may be taken to 



empty husks, &c. Impurity is usually caused by carelessness 

 in separating weed seeds from the bulk and from want of care 

 in cleaning and screening, and is one of the most important 

 considerations in purchasing seeds, as impure seed is the cause 

 not merely of a diminished yield, but is responsible for the spread 

 of weeds. Farmers not infrequently make use of the sweepings 

 of haylofts, and thus encourage the reproduction of weeds, which 

 later in the season require much labour to be prevented from 

 choking the cultivated crop. An example of the extent to which 

 weed seeds may be present in home-grown seed (not sweepings) 

 was mentioned in an article in this Journal (July, 1904) on the 

 " Destruction of Weeds." In this case two samples of home- 

 grown clover seeds were sent before use to the Botanist of the 

 Royal Agricultural Society for examination, and were found to 

 contain in one case only 53 per cent, and in the other case 45 

 per cent, of seed true to name. The number of weed seeds, more- 

 over, which may occur in a pound of seed, which is only slightly 

 impure, is considerable. In some samples tested in the United 

 States, one which contained less than 1 per cent, of impurity had 

 about 3,000 weed seeds to the pound ; while in another sample 

 in which 2\ per cent, was spurious seed, there were more than 

 27,600 weed seeds. The number of weed seeds sown to the acre 

 would be enormous, and, having an equal chance with the crop 

 among which they grew, might be the cause of considerable loss. 

 The presence of 1 per cent, of dock seed in a mixture of grass 

 and clover seed for ordinary leys means ten or more dock plants 

 per square yard all over the field where it is' sown. 



In addition to the guarantee of purity, a high percentage of 

 germination should be demanded, and the germinating power 

 of the seeds may usefully be tested to see whether they come up 

 to the standard named. Persons who are members of certain 

 agricultural societies may have this done and the purity tested 

 for a small fee. Tests of a similar character are carried out at 



Testing 

 Agricultural 

 Seeds. 



mean that the seeds composing the sample 

 consist of the variety required without ad- 

 mixture of other seeds, or of sand, dirt, chaff, 



