WHITE-CLOVER SEED.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 5, Issue 2, 15 August 1912, Page 134

WHITE-CLOVER SEED.

A. H. Cockayne.

The .past season has been remarkable for the extremely high price of white clover, and the great superiority of local seed over that imported both in respect to purity and germination. Unfortunately, New Zealand does not produce sufficient seed for the local requirements, and large quantities are annually imported. A good deal of the seed harvested here is a by-product of the cleaning of rye-grass, and in those cases where it is secured from old-established pasture closely resembles that at present being sold in Britain as “ wild white clover,” and exploited at a price far in excess of ordinary white clover. The area actually devoted to white-clover seed is confined to the South Island, and rarely exceeds a few hundred acres.

In consequence of the smallness and poor quality of the European crop, it has been difficult for merchants to secure reliable foreign seed, and in certain cases the bulk fell far short of the . standard on which it was purchased. Had the past season been favourable for bush burns there would have been a shortage of good-quality white clover, and the price for such seed would have reached a phenomenal figure. As it is, there must be a considerable amount of distinctly inferior seed being held over for next season.

Germination.

During the past season forty-four samples were tested for germination, and gave an average of 72-5 per cent. Excluding' the local seed, which gave an average germination of 93-5 per cent., the foreign seed averaged 65-5 per cent., with a minimum of 30 per cent, and a maximum of 96 per cent. . Eleven New Zealand samples germinated as follows: Five between 95 and 100 per cent. ; four between 90 and 95 per cent. ;' two between 88 and 90 per cent. . • Thirty-three foreign samples germinated as. follows: Five between 90 and 100 per cent. ; six between 80 and 90 per cent. ; two between /0 and 80 per cent. ; two between 60 and 70 per cent, ;, eight between 50 and 60 per cent. ; four between 40 and 50 per cent. six between 30 and 40 per cent.

The percentage ■ of hard seeds averaged 9-5, with • a maximum of 32 and a minimum of nil. Hard seeds are a peculiarity of many members of the clover family. They are seeds in. which the ' seedcoats- are quite impervious to moisture, and, being unable to absorb water, they cannot germinate. In calculating germination it is estimated that one-half of them are capable of growing. This. is regularly made in all seed-testing stations, as probably the majority of . hard seeds may germmate when exposed to field-conditions.

Extraneous Seeds

Twenty-seven samples examined yielded seventy-nine different kinds of extraneous seeds, varying from forty-one in one sample to five in another. The percentage of extraneous seeds by numbers varied from under 1 per cent, to over 17 per cent. The names and relative frequency of the extraneous seeds were as follows :

1. Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) occurred in 26 of the samples. 2. Rib-grass (Plantago lanceolata) „ 25 „ 3. Alsike (Trifolium hybridum) ,>24 „ 4. Timothy (Phleum pratense) „ 24 5. Yellow trefoil (Medicago lupulina) „ 22 „ 6. Chickweed (Stellaria media) » 20 . „ . 7. Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris) » 19 ” 8. Suckling clover (Trifolium minus) „ 18 » 9. Upright chickweed (Stellaria graminea) „ 16 10. Night-flowering catchfly (Silene noctiflora) ~ 16 » 11. Red clover (Trifolium pratense) „ 4 .. » 12. Rathen (Chenopodium album) „ 13 » 13. Mouse-eared chickweed (Cerastium viscosum) „ • 12 14. Field madder (Sherardia arvensis) „ 12 . » 15. Small-flowered cranesbill (Geranium pusilium) „ 12 16. Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) „ 12 17. Mouse-eared chickweed (Cerastium vulgatum) . „ 11 » 18. Spurrey (Bpergula arvensis) „ . 19 ” 19. Alyssum (Alyssum alyssoides) „ 16. » 20. Field chamomile (Anthemis arvensis) „ 10 a » 21. Forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis) „ 1° ”- 22. Plantain (Plantago major) » 1° » . 23. Dodder (Cuscuta trifolii) „ ■ 9 ■ ” . 24. Yellow cress (Barbarea vulgaris) „ 8 „ 25. Wild poppy (Papaver dubium) „ 7 ' ” 26. Yorkshire fog (Holcus lanatus) „ 6 „ 27. Scarlet pimpernel. (Anagallis arvensis) „ 4 28. Ox-eye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) » 4 . » 29. Stinking chamomile (Anthemis cotula) „ 4 30. Perennial rye-grass (Lolium perenne) „ 4 31. Scentless mayweed (Matricaria inodora) „ 4 32. Speedwell (Feromca spp.) . ” 1 ” 33. Sand clover (Anthyllis vulneraria) „ 4 34. Cranesbill (Geranium dissectum) „ 4 35. Red top (Agrostis vulgaris) . 3

36. Cress (Lepidium sp.) . occurred in 3of the samples. 37. Small cleavers (Galium mullugo) „ 3 38. Dead nettle (Lamium amplexicaule) " 3 39. Lucerne (Medicago saliva) ■, 3 ' ■ 40. Hawkweed (Crepis tectorum) . . 3 41. Canadian stinkweed (Thlaspi arvensis) ~ 3 42. Birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) 3 43. Sandwort (Arenaria s erpyllifolia) „ 3 . 44. West European catchfly (Pilene dichotoma) ~ 3 „ 45. Rough-stalked meadow-grass (Poa trivialis) ; . 2 46. Basil thyme (Calamintha acinos) 2 47. Catchfly (Silene gallica) .2 48. Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa pastoris) ~ 2 49. Cinquefoil (Potentilla monspeliensis) „ 2 50. Sweet vernal (Anthoxanthumodoratum) ~ 2 51. Crested dogstail (Cynosurus cristatus) ~ .2 52. Italian rye-grass (Lolium italicum) ~ 2 53. Nipplewort (Lapsana communis) ; ■ „ 2 54. Hawkweed (Crepis capillaris) ~ 2 55. American plantain (Plantago Rugelii) „ 2 56. Field-dodder (Cuscuta arvensis) 2 < 57. Large birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus major) '. „ . 2 58. Wild carrot (Daucus carota) „ 2 59. Witch-grass (Panicum capillare) „ 2 ' 60. Pigweed (Amaranthus spp.) . , ; 2 61. Treacle mustard (Erysimum chieranthoides) ~ 1 . 62. Pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus) „ 1 ' . 63. Storksbill (Erodium cicutarium) .. 1 64. Catsear (Hypochaeris radicata) , „ 1 65. Sowthistle (Sonchis oleraceus) . 1 66. Prickly sowthistle (Sonchus asper) ~ 1 . 67. Soft cranesbill (Geranium molle) 1 68. Toad-rush (J uncus bufonius) ' 1 69. Hairgrass (Festuca bromoides) ■ .. 1 70. Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) 1 71. Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus) „ 1 72. Turnip (Brassica sp.) " ' . 1 ' 73. Curled dock (Rumex crispus) ' . j 74. Wireweed (Polygonum aviculare) „ 1 75. Catmint (Nepeta cataria) ■ . j 76. Pigeon-grass (Petaria viridis) 1 77. Wild pansy (Viola tricolor) . 1 78. Lamb’s lettuce ( Valierianella sp.) 1 79. Wild mignonette (Reseda lutea) ' „ 1 ?

Amongst the ' extraneous seeds noted were the following that have not, as yet, become naturalized in the Dominion

24. Barbarea vulgaris occurred also in alsike. 46. Calamintha acinos 61. Erysimum chieranthoides „ ” 15 - Geranium pusilium . ' „ trefoil. 38. Lamium amplexicaule 59. Panicum capillare „ ■ alsike. 55. Plantago Rugelii - „ timothy and- red clover. 49. Potentilla monspeliensis ~ Lotus major, timothy, Poa pra . tensis, and florin. 44. Suene dichotoma.

Two of the samples examined were of American origin, as was evidenced by the presence of Platago Rugelii, Panicum capillar Cuscuta arvensis, Potentilla monspeliensis, and Erysimum chieranthoides in them. American white clover is rare on the . New Zealand market, except in seasons when the European crop is very short.

Examples of Inferior Lines

The following two examples give some idea of the quality of some of the poor grades that have been on offer : .

Sample No. 354. Purity: percentage of good seed, 64 per cent, by weight; percentage of impurities, including shrivelled seed, 36 percent. by weight.. . Germination of pure seed, 30 per cent. Real 64 x 30 value, -fog - = 19-2 per cent. This means that. 100 lb. of the bulk contained only 19-2 lb. of white clover that was capable of germination. The price charged was Is. 2d. per pound, so that the real price paid for 1 lb. of pure seed was over ss. 6d. There were twenty-three different kinds of weed-seeds present.

Sample No. —The germination was 34 per cent. The number of different kinds of extraneous seeds was forty-one, present to the number of 95,000 per pound. They included 50,340 sorrel-seeds and 13,620 rib-grass seeds. Altogether, in each 100 white-clover seeds there were thirteen extraneous seeds. As in 100 clover-seeds only 34 germinated, thus to every thirty-four clover-seeds capable of growingthirteen extraneous seeds were present.

Mr. H. A. Reid, F.R.C.V.S., D.V.H., the officer in charge of the bacteriological and pathological work carried out at the Wallaceville Laboratory, has left for Europe on six months’ leave of absence. Mr. Reid will devote a considerable portion of his time abroad to visiting the best laboratories in Great Britain and on the Continent, and generally doing what he can to get into direct touch with the latest developments of modern science so far as it bears on his particular work. .

The production of a new artificial manure, “ biphosphate,” is announced from Norway as a result of experiments at the Notodden Nitrate Works. The new fertilizer is a by-product of the nitrate of lime produced at these works, and is obtained without affecting the quantity of nitrate produced. Apatite or other raw materials are dissolved in the nitric acid and are then submitted to further treatment. Samples are stated to contain 26 per cent, of phosphoric acid (of which 92 per cent, is in citrate soluble, form) and 23-8 per cent, of nitrate of lime. It is also stated that the fertilizer will, in future, be placed on the market with considerably higher percentages of both phosphoric acid and nitrogen and at a low price.— of Trade Journal.