Annual Report of the Consulting Botanist for 1884. 369 
look at the germinating power of the grasses examined. The 
meadow fescues had only 8 per cent, below the standard 
recommended by the Council, and the greater proportion of the 
remainder were considerably better than that standard. In the 
case of the tall fescues, 18 per cent, were below the Council's 
standard for germination ; while of the remainder many were 
decidedly better than the standard. 
Fifty-nine samples of the smaller fescues have been examined. 
Greater attention has been given to secure true samples of the 
sheep's fescue, resulting in 90 per cent, of the specimens 
examined being true to that species. These seeds are very 
little adulterated, and the germination is often low, but there 
was a decided improvement in this respect over the previous 
year. Fifty-six per cent, were up to or beyond the recom- 
mended standard, but in several cases the germination was 
under 25 per cent. 
The samples of cocksfoot {^Dactylis glomerata. Linn.), 
amounting to 76, were, on the whole, pure. Six per cent, had 
a considerable quantity of small rye-grass seeds in them ; and in 
one case 20 per cent, of the naked seeds of the Yorkshire fog 
(^Holcus lanatus. Linn.) were included in the sample. Seventy- 
eight per cent, germinated up to or beyond the recommended 
standard, and only three samples were very low in germination, 
one of them giving only 1 per cent, of living seeds. 
Of meadow fox-tail (^Alopecurus prate?isis, Linn.) I examined 
65 samples, and found a fair proportion of them very good, 
and fully justifying the improved percentage adopted for the 
standard recommended by the Society. There is very little 
adulteration in this seed, and the presence of the small seeds of 
Aira cgespitosa. Linn., does not, to any appreciable extent, 
deteriorate the seed, as their size and weight are both small, 
and they are generally immature, and fail to germinate. Sixty 
per cent, of the samples were up to, or above, the standard 
specified by the Council. The injury done by the small 
thrips, which had more or less seriously affected all the samples 
except four, has such an important influence on the quality of 
this seed, that it would be an important gain if some of those 
engaged in the seed business would try to raise this seed in 
a country where the thrips is not known, and where the harvest 
season would secure the gathering in of the crop in good 
condition. 
I have again to call attention to the prevalence of ergot in the 
seeds of fiorin (^Agrostis alba, var. stolonifera). No less than 
64 per cent, of the samples examined during the year were 
infested with this most dangerous fungus. Twenty per cent, of 
the samples were composed of chaff up to half their bulk. 
TOL. XXI. — S. S. 2 B 
