a 
42, 
are cut off about 1 ft. beneath the panicle and bound into sheaves as thick as the arm. 
These are formed into large stooks (fig. 8), and after standing on the field for 10 or 14 days, 
are mature. The seed is then threshed out. 
Yield of seed, Pinkert, obtained 880 lbs. of seed per acre, Wollny only 88—130 lbs, Hanneman and Werner 
estimate the average yield at 260—350 Ibs. per acre. Assuming the selling price to be # 2.10 per 
ewl., an acre would give a return varying from £ 5 to £ 7. 
In a dry season the yield is most certain. In a wet season, the grass is easily laid, 
and this, of course, diminishes the yield very much. Hence southern countries, where 
summer rains are less frequent than in our own, are best adapted for producing the seed 
of this grass. Commercial seed is usually imported from Dauphiny: it is often very im- 
pure, as itis not obtained from a pure crop, but from the natural meadows, where it occurs 
in mixture with other grasses. These are of course cut with the oat-grass and constitute 
the impurities. 
Impurities. During the seed-season of 1881—82 the average composition, taken from 84 analyses 
made at the seed control station of Zurich, was as follows: — 
VP APure: seed 29. Ts 4! Yo as ee SHO 
Bi aeesting. 8 So. oe. A Oe 8 Na aed | 
. Meadow and other Fescues . , 1.6 cn 73.9 “/o good seeds. 
ce 
4. Yellow oat-grass and Poas ., . 0.7 °/o 
5. Bromes (erectus, mollis) etc. . 13.6 °/o 
6. Quaking grass, yellow clover etc. 0.8 °/o 
veers. | Bes Se ae O9 e 
Bein A Ae ee ee es =e HOE 
Total 100.0 °/o 
It is thus apparent that the value of False oat-grass seed depends not only on the 
amount but on the nature of the impurities. Good seeds such as Cocksfoot do not decrease 
the value, whereas a large percentage of Bromes or chaff considerably diminish it. The 
worst impurities are the Bromes, which frequently form 20—30 °/o of the whole. The poor- 
est qualities of seed, are usually sold as »fenasse«, better kinds as »petit fromentals. 
12 analyses of »fenasse«, made in 1881—82, gave on an average : — 
Palsestatetats on 1 Ve ie. kA 
CTERA NMOL ty pe lee sf cn wel Pip 
Meadow fescue, ineludimg @ sinall propur- 
. , | 0 a +a “ 
tin of Perennial rye-grais. . . . 3.4 %j 41.5 “jo good seeds. 
Yelliw aal-urass, Puas ~ . . - . . . 3,6 %o 
SHINGLE bs or fr bus S: rey Fm cae yb 
Bromes (mainly erectus. with mollis ete.) 28.9 %7/o 
Quaking grass, Holeus, yellow cloyer ele. 1.9 %o 
WeGOTise ce fe Wye Eamets sd Beet 8 mime Sh thats 
BRaGebisy A ESS 8 a, BE OM 
Tolal 100.0 “/o 
it is thus seen that »/fenasse« consists very largely of chaff, and Brome grasses ; the 
Bromes have of course no value, and must be reckoned as worthless weeds. Neverthe- 
less, in many parts of Switzerland, »fenasse« is sown in great quantity. In the year of 
sowing, the crop obtained consists of False oat-grass, while in the second year Bromus erectus 
