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XI. — Report of the Consulting Botanist for 1885. By 
W. Carrutheks, F.R.S. 
During the past year I have attended to nearly 600 cases 
submitted to me by members of the Society, mainly referring 
to the quality of grass seeds for laying down permanent pastures. 
It is scarcely possible to realise the great change in the quality 
of the seeds examined by me during the past year, as compared 
with the samples submitted only five years ago. This will be 
evident from a comparison of the results of this year's work 
with those published in previous Reports. 
The samples of meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis, Linn.) 
have been almost free from rye-grass. In 1883 I found 71 
per cent, of the samples adulterated with rye-grass, and in 
12 per cent, of these it amounted to more than half the seeds. 
In 1884 rye-grass was found in 34 per cent, of the samples. 
During the past year I have met with it in only 5 per cent, of 
the samples. The gain is, of course, not limited to the members 
of the Society whose samples I have examined, nor even to the 
members of the Society at large, but farmers everywhere have 
benefited from this remarkable improvement. If the advantage 
represented only the saving effected by securing a pure high- 
priced seed at the same rate as was formerly paid for adulterated 
seed it would be very considerable ; but it is much greater 
when we look at the results, and contrast the perennial grass 
of the highest quality produced in the meadow by every seed 
of last year's samples with the short-lived inferior grass pro- 
duced in greater or less quantity by nearly three-fourths of the 
samples of only two years ago. The germination of the meadow 
fescue is also greatly improved ; only 5 per cent, germinated 
less than 90 seeds in the 100, while in 8 per cent, every seed 
germinated. 
The samples of tall fescue (^Festuca elatior, Linn.) have been, 
on the whole, more true to the species. In 1883 I included this 
grass with the meadow fescue, because, " with the exception of 
three or four cases, all the samples sold as tall fescue were really 
meadow fescue." In 1884 meadow fescue was present in 30 
per cent, of the samples ; this year the proportion has fallen to 
18 per cent. Figures cannot so easily represent the improve- 
ment in relation to rye-grass. Last year 50 per cent, of the 
samples contained rye-grass ; this year it was found in 4() per 
cent., but in only one case did it reach nearly a third of the 
whole, while in the majority of cases the quantity was so small 
that it was probably accidentally present, and not introduced 
for the purpose of adulteration. The seeds of this grass are 
