No. e. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 277 



woitliless. SiiK(> tlie samples were drawn from about 55 stores 

 and llu'se were located principally in the cities and lai-ger towns, it 

 is leasouable to believe that the worst conditions of this problem 

 have iiol been touched, for a dealer with au extensive trade is al- 

 ways more discrinjinating in makin}>- the purchases for his own sup- 

 ply than one having but an occasional call for a particular line of 

 goods. Nevertheless, uusii upulous dealers may be located in large 

 as well as small towns, and the farmer, when making the purchase 

 of his seeds, should insist u[)OU knowing more about the quality of 

 the seeds ottered than can be learned from its appearance and price. 

 The dull appearance common to old seed is not readily observed, 

 unless samples of fresii seeds of the same kinds are near at hand 

 for comparison, and the prices of seeds, as shown by the preceding 

 tables, are no index of their true agricultural value. A sample of 

 Hed Clover at $0.50 per bushel has an agricultural value of 74.9 per 

 cent.; another at |4.75 per bushel has an agricultural value of 90.8 

 per cent.; and again one at $6.00 per bushel has an agricultural 

 value of 9G.5 per cent., while another at |5.00 per bushel has an agri- 

 cultural value of 22.6 per cent., and thus it is for all kinds of seeds. 



No farmer can judge of the true value of a given sample of seed 

 by its appearance and price anj- more than lie can judge the qual- 

 ity of a fertilizer from similar data. The true index of the latter to 

 the farmer is in the chemical analysis placed upon the bag contain- 

 ing the fertilizer, and so the true index of the agricultural value of 

 a sample of seed can only be in a statement of the per cent, of pure 

 germinable seed contained in it. \A'ith such a statement he can 

 judge if the price attached is cheap or dear and he can determine 

 whether he should plant the seeds thickly or thinly upon his farm. 

 The large seed houses determine such facts for themselyes to pro- 

 tect their own reputations for supplying only reliable seeds, and if 

 farmers would always insist upon having such a statement when 

 buying a quantity of seed, it would soon become the custom to have 

 with every shipment of seeds in bulk the per cent, of pure germina- 

 ble seed. The farmer will then be able to choose intelligently be- 

 tween two samples of Red Clover, for example, like sample No. 50 

 and No. 102. The former has 74.1 per cent, pure germinable seed, 

 at 16.25 per bushel; the latter has 94.. 3 per cent, pure germinable 

 seed, at $6.60 per bushel. The calculation shows that for good seed 

 the latter article is cheaper per bushel by |1.43; and the further 

 analysis of the samples shows 2,500 weed seeds (principally 

 Ribgrass or Narrow-leaved Plantain), to the pound in No. 50, and 

 only 15 (Green Foxtail), in No. 102. It is very clear, therefore, that 

 the higher priced article is the cheaper seed to buy. 



It has long been known that poor seeds have been sold to farmers, 

 and many attempts have been made to prevent such frauds. If a law 



