SEED IMPURITIES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12790, 15 June 1912, Page 3 (Supplement)

SEED IMPURITIES.

HOW TO DETIcT WEED SEEDS. tfy~ It is estimated 7 that the presence of weeds of various descriptions on New Zedlferid ?farms together with impurities m seed stocks, cause the agricultural product of New Zealand to diminish by at >U&sl five per^eent. annually. This represents a losfi'iof nearly £1,000,000 eyery ye,ar. This Hs, says the Agricul-turar^o-urhai,'' art amount considerably In' excess <oi the total revenue from the Nsav Zealand land 1 ! tax. The significance of th& is appareht* It is considered that-Acbmparativevimmunity from many of our Avorst scAds can be secured by using only high-fetade clean seed. In order*; that faiiri^ and seed merchants may. be farmed Avith a practical knoAvled& off the mosli'fcommon impurities m agricultural seeds;'; the' biologist of the Depariment of Agriculture, Mr Cockayne has prepared a neat reference, card mounted betAveen sheets, of •gTabk,P 'iontainingMthe seeds of fifty of the most common'';. weeds to be found iri ordinary^ commer'iJal samples. Attach-•.ed-'to- it is./a^ptfeket magnifying glass aria a Sifri'pW'^tl'e^tise on weed seeds. This complete v miniature guide is included m the Department's exhibits that artf-beifig staged -at the season's Avinter shows. To all engaged m farming, the ownership of one of these charts should be of great. A:alue r as.. ari .. assistance, m keeping the areas' tinder' their control frde from-^"undesirable 'plants, ;, and AiiiBechriufg :th'e highest- '-retufri* from Mi^e yeftr's' , 'Opera'ti6iiS' on" the j MriV.7 ' y '. .