REPORT OF ASSISTANT DAIRY INSTRUCTOR. 25 



ing you with the actual conditions here as they may exist at 

 any given time. I should want you to make my home your 

 headquarters while here. 



"Trusting that we may have the pleasure of a visit from 

 you in the not distant future, and with kindest regards to you 

 and yours, I remain. 



"Very sincerely yours, 



"F. C. Danser." 



In cases where the tags were furnished and the growers 

 allowed to grade their own product, reports were not always 

 so favorable, as several letters came in, criticising quite se- 

 verely the grading of some lots of seed sent out under the blue 

 tag of the Department of Agriculture and Seed Improvement 

 Association. In some cases samples were sent in, taken from 

 sacks bearing the blue tag, accompanied by the tag taken from 

 the sack. These samples certainly did not speak very highly 

 for Maine certified seed. 



It is only fair, however, to state that in tracing these 

 different lots, it was lack of knowledge of how certified seed 

 should be graded and packed rather than any attempt on the 

 part of the grower to put in anything objectionable. There 

 seems to be a lack of knowledge on the part of many of our 

 potato growers as to the proper manner to grade seed potatoes 

 and better grading will naturally come with a clearer under- 

 standing of how the work should be done. 



The work of seed certification is one that is attracting atten- 

 tion all over the country, especially among those growing seed 

 potatoes. Those having charge of this work in several of the 

 northern potato growing states have written me in regard to 

 the methods we are following here in Maine. Several of the 

 states have intimated that they will use our method as a basis 

 to outline their work along this line. This spring's experience 

 in shipping certified seed showed that if we are to keep Maine's 

 certified seed at the head of the list, an inspection must be 

 made at the time the potatoes are sacked to be shipped. This 

 was an untried experiment, as far as I am able to learn, all 

 over the country and several of the states are today looking to 

 Maine as to the outcome of this work — it being generally be- 

 lieved by all that it would be impracticable and the cost of the 

 work prohibitive. 



