266 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



amount of weed seeds in a pound is something enormous. Of 

 some kinds there are over 400,000 to a pound, which is enough 

 to put quite a good scattering over an acre. We also do not 

 know how much of the seed we are going to plant will grow. 

 We go to the grain dealer or seed dealer and buy so much 

 grass seed. On the tag is plainly printed, according to the laws 

 of the state, the percentage of purity, but how many of those 

 seeds out of 100 will grow? I ask for your consideration 

 whether it would be advisable for this association to start a 

 movement leading towards the adoption of a law requiring 

 germination percentages. I will say further that I have been 

 a little bit interested in the matter and I have sent to some of 

 the different states asking for seed laws, and I have some of 

 the seed laws. If the association wishes to take it up, anything 

 I may have will be turned over to the committee in charge. 



You may be interested to know the amount of money ex- 

 pended by the association at its last annual meeting. We 

 turned back $12 to the State Treasurer, expending $488. This 

 year, owing to the kindness of the Commissioner, we have 

 offered $554 for premiums. The Commissioner has offered to 

 pay the expenses of this meeting out of other appropriations, 

 making it rather an Institute affair. If the whole expense of 

 this meeting should be kept under $500 it would be a small 

 exhibition and not of very much value to us as seed growers. 



We must continue to study plant diseases. We must do 

 more educational work among our own members in regard to 

 diseases, cooperaiting with the College and the Experiment Sta- 

 tion which are trying to do this work. We must find, or assist 

 our members in finding, the best market for the seed, and 

 assist them to find a better method of marketing tha/t seed. We 

 should discourage the indiscriminate planting of untested vari- 

 eties of seed. We plant too many seeds which will not grow. 

 The one thing which perhaps would be of the most benefit to 

 every one of us individually would be a better understanding 

 and a better knowledge of the seed breeding work and other 

 work which is being carried on by our Maine Experiment Sta- 

 tion and a greater use of the knowledge which we get upon 

 our ow^n farms. It seems to me like this : Ninety-five per 

 cent of the ordinary farmers cannot breed seed. We have not 

 the time and w^e may not have the ability. The Experiment 



