I04 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



educational lines as much as possible, and our instructions and 

 advice were invariably welcomed. Our regulations were ex- 

 plained in connection with marking containers with the \y'r 

 cent of purity for all seeds offered for sale ; as in years past. 

 these regulations seemed to be wtII understood regarding the 

 sale of timothy, redtop and clover, but an uncertainty existed 

 in the minds of many as to the requirements pertaining to the 

 sale of seed oats, barley and corn which, according to statute, 

 are included among those varieties which must bear the per cent 

 of purity. 



Although the number of samples secured has been larger 

 than ever before, the number of deficient samples has been 

 much less in proportion ; in fact, some of these deficiencies have 

 been so slight that they have seemed to warrant overlooking 

 entirely, and it is particularly pleasing to report that where 82 

 cases necessitated hearings in the year 191 5. only 13 hearings 

 have been deemed necessary in 1916. 



The results of the analyses of seed samples will be found 

 in Ofificial Inspections now in the hands of the printer. 



Feeding Stuffs Inspection. 



The feeding stuffs inspection for 1916 has been carried on 

 quite actively throughout the year, with the exception of those 

 months — from June to October — when there are but few new 

 feeds on the market. 



As usual, the inspector has been on the lookout for unregis- 

 tered brands. When an unregistered brand has been reported 

 to the Bureau, the matter has been taken up at once with the 

 dealer and manufacturer. In nearly every instance these mat- 

 ters pertaining to the registration of feeding stuff's have been 

 adjusted without the necessity of formal hearings. 



The following table will give some idea of the scope of this 

 particular class of inspection work : 



Number of brands registered 532 



Number of towns inspected 72 



Number of samples drawn 324 



Number of hearings arranged as a result of 



finding deficient samples 17 



