716 Red Clover Seed and its Impurities, [march, 



RED CLOVER SEED AND ITS IMPURITIES. 



Red clover ( Trifoliiim pratense) takes high rank among 

 fodder plants, on account of the quantity and quality of its 

 produce. It is, perhaps, the most common and widely distri- 

 buted of all the clovers. There are several varieties indigenous 

 to this country, but we are here only concerned with the two 

 which are commonly sold in provincial markets and at Mark 

 Lane as red clover and cow grass. 



Red clover is used alone, and also forms a large proportion 

 of many of the mixtures sown as a one, two, or three years' ley. 

 Cow grass, or perennial red clover {Trifoliiim pratense petenne) y 

 is mainly used for permanent pasture or leys of extended 

 duration, and differs from the first-named clover in its degree 

 of permanence and in being a single-cut crop. When grown 

 side by side, the difference between the two is most striking 

 at harvest time ; the aftermath of red clover after cutting is 

 making some headway towards a second or seed crop, while 

 the cow grass is only coming into flower, which, after cutting, 

 produces little or no aftermath or second crop. Owing to this, 

 the high price of cow grass seed need never occasion surprise. 



Up to the present time, experts have been unable to dis- 

 tinguish any real difference between the two seeds, so that the 

 description of one seed answers equally well for the other. 



The seeds of red clover differ from all other clovers in 

 commerce in form, colour, and size, and it is easy for the 

 analyst or expert to know at a glance that he is dealing with 

 red clover, but when he is required to determine whether a 

 particular sample is of English growth or not, a great difficulty 

 presents itself, and, under certain conditions, it is almost, if 

 not quite, impossible to determine the origin. If seeds are 

 examined in bulk, however, before they are cleaned, the pre- 

 sence of certain weed seeds may indicate that the sample has 

 had its origin in England, America, Northern or Southern 

 Europe. 



Seeds from the Southern States of North America, it may be 

 remarked, are not looked upon with much favour in this country, 

 for as a rule they are considered weak and tender, and not able 

 to withstand the rigours of the English climate. This may be 



