Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-04
YANKEE GLOVER ABROAD
No Reason for the Charges Which Have
Been Made Against It.
Testing Clover Seeds Mt the Depart
meMt of Agriculture-A MANI
moth Hatcher.

| moth Hatcher.
Over in Europe reports have been circu-
lated of late to the effect that American
| clover seed, of which immense quantities
are exported from this country. is impure.
This is very damaging to important
| agricultural industry. Accordingly. the
Secretary of Agriculture has thought it
worth while to issue formal denial of
such allegations.
| Mr. G. H.. Hicks has returned recently
| from an expedition to the great clover-pro-
| ducing region of the United States He
was sent by Secretary Morton to make
| study of the clover-seed business in Indiana
and Ohio. In some parts of Indiana farm
ers are now raising enough clover In sin
gle season to equal the value of the land,
| the seed being largely intended for export.
| The seed is better, bigger and plumper than
! the foreign clover seed, and that Is the
| reason why there is such demand for 1t in
| Europe. The production of it is such a
very profitable industry that the depart
| ment of Agriculture Is anxious to teach the
| farmers how to raise clover in greater
| quantities and of better quality.
The Glover Exchange.
Mr. Hicks made visit to Toledo, which
| is the greatest clover seed market in the
| world. and there he saw the product handled
in vast quantities. In that city clover flu
| lures are dealt in as wheat futures are in
| Chicago. The seed as it comes from the
| farm is first inspected and then submitted
| to a cleansing process. Machines are en-
| plcyed to do the cleaning, costing from $500
| to $1,000 each, and being thus within reach
of the well-to-do grower. After cleaning
weeds and dirt being removed by sieves
| the seed is inspected again. There is q
| market fSilinpC rafnSa
| are sold for seed to small farmers. The
| latter prefer to pay cent and half a
| pound for seed that is mostly of weeds
rather than purchase good seed at 10 cents
| a pound.
| Testing Glover Seed.
| Mr. Hicks has charge of the new seed
laboratory at the Department of Agricul-
ture. He is engaged Just now in testing
| samples of red CLOVER seed for the purpose
of finding out hoy the marketed article
averages in respect to purity In this way
he discovers Just What kinds of weeds grow
in the farmers fields and what proportion
the worthless seeds bear to the whole; The
| processes employed are extremely delicate.
To begin with. enough of the seeds are
| placed on BALANCE to weigh exactly ten
spresd upon d piece of paper, and every
| weed seed aid particle of dirt is picked
out. The clean and good seeds remaining
| are new weighed again, and the weed
identifca ton. From the good seeds are
| counted ont lno. and these are placed be-
| tween two thlckneSses of wet plotting pa
| per TIE bldfters and seeds are finally put
| into the gerrnin ating oven, and record
| is kept to show how many of them sprout
! and how quickly they do so. This test de-
| termines their vitality and vigor.
A Mammoth Seed Hatcher.
The terminating oven at the department
| IS the biggest seed hatcher in the world.
| IT is provided with large and shallow pans,
across which are stretched wires. Be
tween the wires folds of asbestos cloth
| hang down into the pans which are partly
filled with water. Seeds put in the
folds so as to be kept saturated. The de-
| vice is extremely simple, and the economy
| of space is such that the metal box Wn1ch
serves as an oven will hatch hundreds of
| thousands CT seeds at once BY means OF
gas the air in the box is kept at con-
slant temperature of 6s degrees Shelves
! in the oven serve to accommodate pots,
saucers and other receptacles Tor holdlnS
| earth. The cloth attached to the wires
already described is made of asbestos,
| so that it may be cleaned by putting it
| into fire, all spores OF fungi, such as are
| to seeds being thus destroyed. The seeds
tested may be terminated in the light or
| in the dark. in water or In eartn
Seeds From Everywhere.
In connection with the laboratory de-
scribed a collection of seeds from all parts
| Of the world is being formed for purposes
| of study Many of them are obtained from
| foreign countries by gift or exchange. For
| example. a great Paris scotsman the
| largest dealer in his line Of business on
| earth, has forwarded to the Department
of Agriculture an assortment of seeds free
| of charge. Seeds Of native South African
plants have come from the cape OF Gooa
| of tobacco seeds are to be sent to Or.
| Ocomes. director of the botanic garden
| at Portici, Italy. He has made a study
of tohaccos and wants to get the seeds
| Of all obtainable varieties of the herb nico-
| tan growth in America. These number
about 200. He will plant the seeds and
| thus will have an opportunity 10 observe
American tobacco growing
District Plants and Seeds.
Mr.. Hicks makes frequent trips on foot
about the neighhorhood of Washington for
| the purpose of collecting plants and seeds
| of the District of Columbia. part OF his
work cor sists in studying the structure of
Seeds and their chemical composition is
ascertained by suitable tests. Some of the
chemicals employed for these tests are
very costly. He proposes to make collec-
ton that will illustrate natures methods
of securing the distribution or SEEDS. some
seeds, of course, are inclosed In burrs with
prickles and hooks on the ends or the
prickles, in order that they may become
attached to the coats of animals and be
carried away others. like thistle seeds:
have feathery paraehutes to float them off
in the air Others yet have a brilliant
spst to sasds bT Wca ARE pa ss
through the alimentary canal uninjured,
and the CROW, is CREDITED with t being the
being very fond of it's berries: The seed
of certain Australian plant has wing
which causes'i 1t to drop bottom side down
every time So that the embryo is next to
the ground and is protected by the wing.
kinds Of seeds ha4e wings or. the pur-
Of tar wb Sway bay
Popular Errors.
The mustard seed is commonly referred
to as the smallest eff seeds, but there are
many seeds much more minute The seeds
Of some orchids are almost microscopic.
Many popular errors prevail respecting
seeds The "darnel grass which is the
"tare" of Scripture, is not poisonous as is
commonly supposed. The common wheat
cookie" is poisonous. ON the other hand.
Mr.. Hicks says that there ought to be
rapular inSnectjon Of seeds by federal and