22 
Adulteration of Seeds. 
his growing crop in tlie following season. From Italian rje-grass 
the bromc-grasses and black grass are still more difiicult to 
separate, as both the genuine and spurious seeds are awncd, and 
unless the buyer is well versed in his business he will be easily 
deceived. Indeed, I have known small bulks consisting of nine- 
tentlis of brome-grass, a vile weed, publicly exhibited and sold 
as Italian rye-grass in one of our largest country markets, and 
that, too, by a respectable dealer of long standing, who was 
fully impressed with the idea that he was selling true Italian 
rye-grass. 
Very many samples of English and foreign Italian rye-grass 
are largely admixed with seeds of the comparatively valueless 
" holcus lanatus," soft meadow-grass, or Yorkshire fog. This is 
readily distinguished, and (being very light) more easily separated 
than the black grass, which is a weed of no value as food, but 
very troublesome to get rid of when once it takes possession of 
the land. A few years since large quantities of light Scotch rye- 
grass were sold for exportation, and came back mixed with foreign 
Italian, but the speculation did not appear to answer well ; at 
least it has not been repeated to any great extent. English 
dealers, however, still buy foreign Italian by the hundredweight, 
mix it off with light Scotch rye-grass, often bought at Is. to Is. 6 J. 
per bushel, and resell by the quarter or bushel at a handsome 
})rofit, whilst if the proportion of light rye-grass does not exceed 
25 to 30 per cent., and the admixture is carefully made, the im- 
posture is not readily discovered. 
Although with the farmer and country dealer some of the 
London trade get the credit of these tricks, they sometimes 
extend to the country, as shown by the following transaction, in 
which I was personally concerned. Some five or six years since, 
towards the end of the seed season, I bought of a well-to-do 
country dealer, who has a high reputation for respectability, and 
who has (it is said) amassed a large fortune by his dealings, 
some 50 or 60 quarters of what appeared to be a fine parcel of 
Italian rye-grass, the want of the usually characteristic awn on .a. 
part of the seed being attributed to over-ripening, or some such 
cause. This sample was immediately resold to Mr. William 
Skirving, the well-knowa seedsman of Liverpool, one of the most 
straightforward and honourable men in the trade, who made a 
request for immediate despatch. Accoi'dingly, dependence being 
placed upon the honesty and reputation of the country merchant, 
the 50 or GO quarters were forwarded on from London without 
the usual examination there. When the seed was inspected in 
Liverpool it was found to contain a large percentage of light 
Scotch rye-grass, so carelessly mixed that when shot out of the 
bags the seed showed a streaky appearance, giving plain evi- 
