New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 711 



sition reported in order that the sender might use the data in labeling 

 his seeds. The answer given to such requests is that the Station 

 does no commercial work of this nature and under no conditions 

 whatever can it assume the burden of the analytical seed work for 

 the trade. 



Owing to the fact that the percentage composition of seed samples 

 as secured from different seed-testing laboratories may vary to some 

 extent it has been held that a certain range of variation be allowed' 

 since it would seem unjust to hold the dealer in seeds to a rigid 

 standard of purity by " count." A variation in the seed itself, methods 

 of sampling and other factors will bring about a difference in purity 

 percentage even when similar methods of analyses are employed by 

 different analysts upon the same sample. Where careful methods 

 of analysis are employed it would seem that the variation in 

 tests should not greatly exceed 1 per ct. Therefore, as a limit of 

 tolerance, a variation of at least one-half of 1 per ct. should be 

 allowed in either direction from the 3 per ct. by count of foul or 

 foreign seed as specified in the seed law. In view of this fact it 

 should be expected that lots of seed requiring it will be labeled with 

 the approximate percentage of such foul and foreign seed contained 

 therein. No special style of tag or label is required except that it 

 must show plainly the percentage of foul or foreign seed in each 

 seed container. 



results of the inspection. 



During the past year 292 official samples of seed were collected 

 and analyzed. Of these, 51, or 17.5 per ct., were violations of the 

 seed law, that is, they contained over 3 per ct. of foul or foreign 

 seeds by count and were not so labeled. Lawn grass and grass seed 

 mixtures were the most frequent violations. This fact, supple- 

 mented by the results of previous examinations of similar mixtures, 

 should serve to warn purchasers against these mixtures. Where 

 mixtures are required it is more satisfactory to purchase pure seed 

 of the kinds desired and mix them upon one's own premises, unless 

 a mixture is put up by a reputable seedsman or seed dealer and can 

 be implicitly relied upon. 



The fact that 20.8 per ct. of the .samples collected during 1912 

 were violations of the seed law as against 17.5 per ct. of violations in 

 1913 seems to indicate that there was a smaller amount of misnamed 



