Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1906-05-17
ADULTERATED SEEDS
BLACK LIST PUBLISHED BY AG-
RIcULTURAL DEPARTMENT.
Four of Americas Most Important
Forage Plants Found to Be
Chief Victims Of the
Fraud.

I
datory by the appropriation act, has
developed the remarkable fact that
hundreds Of thousands of seeds sold
| by supposedly reputable firms all over
the country are purposely adulterated.
The publication of the names of the
firms that indulge in this practice has
thrown a bomb into the camp of the
seedsmen, and is causing the farmers
all ever the country to look more
closely into the seeds they buy and TO
cut out many of the firms whose
names are thus published in the de-
pariments black list Some OF the
adu!terated samples bought in the
open market and examined by the de-
partment have a very small percent
age Of adulterants, so small as to
make II a question whether the intro
duction was not accidental. But In
cases where the adulteration runs as
high as IS per cent. there is little room
left for accident. II is these dealers
who are squirming the most The
publication of the names is mandatory
by act Of congress, but the hornets
nest stirred up is none the less sting
some
From the statistics compiled by the
department il appears that the adul-
tera"on is practically confined to four
of Americas most important forage
plants-red clover, alfalfa, orchard
grass and Kentucky blue grass.
Since July l, 1904, the department
has obtained In the open market from
seedsmen some 1,2-0 samples Of these
four kinds of seeds. which have been
examined for the presence Of adulter-
ants
out of 65 samples Of red clover and
alfalfa seed examined prior 10 the
present investigation, "a firms were
found TO be adulterating seed and the
names were all published by the de-
partnient. The adulteration ran from
one and a fraction to as and a frac-
ton per cent, the average being about
20 per cent.
The officials of the department say
in this connection:
THE red clover has in all cases been
adnlterated with yellow trefoil. yell |
low trefoil seed is quite similar in ap-
pearance to that of both red clover
and alfalfa and is easily mistaken for
either of these when not examined
carefully. A farmer whose attention |
has not been particularly called to the |
use Of this adulterant would hardly |
discover its presence. This seed is i'm |
ported from Germany for the express
purpose of being used as an adulterant |
Of red clover and alfalfa, and II has |
not entered into agriculture in the |
United States. The plant is low
legume, somewhat similar 10 |
clover, but of practically no use in any
region where either clover or alfalfa |
will succeed. In one case the trefoil |
seed had been killed before II was add |
ed - the red clover In the fiscal
yea" 19O31904 about 100000 pounds Of
trefoll seed was imported, and in 1904
1905 about one-half of that amount.
I'm addition to yellow trefoil there
are two other kinds of seeds. sweet
clover and bur clover, which appear as
of alfalfa. Sweet clover is
a rank-growing weed throughout the
northern states. but has been used as
a forage plant in some parts of the
south, especially Texas
The bur clover, which is used as an
adulterant of alfalfa seed, is all i'm
ported, being a by-product from the |
cleaning of South American wool. A
large proportion of low-grade alfalfa.
which is constantly being imported
from Germany, contains more or less
Of this bur clover seed obtained from
wool
"of the 265 samples Of orchard grass
which have been examined 1873 have
been found to be adulterated. The
seeds most commonly used as adulter-
ants of orchard grass are English rye
grass and meadow fescue, both of
which average from one-third to one
hale the price of orchard grass seed.
1t is evident that this adulteration is
very general, as these samples were
from "A states.
"Forty-one out of PSI samples of
Kentucky blue grass were found to be
with Canada blue grass.
While Canada blue grass is imported !,
from Canada in amounts varying from
100000 to 100000 pounds per year, II Is
used but sparingly in the United |
States, and it is evident that the balk
IF The seed imported is sold sooner or