100 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Post and Tribune, Free Press, American Annual of Rural Affairs, Rural Neiu 

 Yorher, American Agriculturist, several bee journals, and many other jour- 

 nals and papers, I liave occasionally written some articles for the following 

 English journals, or articles have been copied by them : Science Gossip, Nature, 

 Garden, Gardener's Chronicle. I have given several lectures and papers at 

 annual meetings of the State Teachers' Association; have written several arti- 

 cles for the Illinois Teacher, Michiqan Teacher, Michigan School Moderator. 



TESTING SEEDS.* 



The first station for testing seeds was established by Dr. Knobbe, of Saxony, 

 in lS6y, only thirteen years ago. A little has been done in the same direction 

 in several of the States within the past few years. Probably more has been 

 done at this College than at any other place in this country. We began in the 

 spring of 1877, and have given more or less attention to the subject ever 

 since. 



In Saxony, adulterations of seeds were discovered, "most ingenious in 

 character, harmful in effect, and remarkable in amount." Various countries 

 of Europe, including Great Britain, have enacted stringent laws to regulate 

 the sale of seeds and punish men who adulterated seeds in any way. 



The more the subject was investigated the worse it looked and the more 

 widespread it appeared to be. 



One practice was to kill seeds by boiling or baking. These were of some 

 plant allied to the valuable one; for example, seeds of charlock, which are 

 worthless, were killed and assorted with sieves. The large ones were mixed 

 with rutabagas, the small ones with turnips. In such cases, all the seeds 

 which grow are good, but those of dead adulterations will not tell any tales. 

 The purchaser is deceived in the quantity he buys and in the amount of good 

 seeds sown on a given space. 



Old seeds, or seeds of another variety, are often dyed and used to adulterate 

 good seeds of red clover or some other species. Sulphur-smoking is frequently 

 resorted to, to renovate the appearance of worthless old grass seeds. Some 

 seeds are dressed with oil for a similar purpose. Experts are carrying on a 

 regular business in doctoring seeds. 



The seeds formerly sold, even by the very best seedsmen, were more or less 

 tampered with. Seedsmen were careful to adulterate their seeds about so much 

 each year. If they did not, troublesome questions were likely to be asked. 



In Germany mills were engaged to grind up quartz, sift it, and color it to 

 resemble seeds of red clover, with which it was mixed. In 18G9 it is estimated 

 that 20,000 bushels of poor turnip seed was sown mixed with good seed. 

 There was, and perhaps it still exists in England, an organized agreement 

 among seedsmen to adulterate seeds to just such an extent. Pure, fresh seeds 

 they quote as "net seed," while dead seed they quote as trio or "000." 

 Cauliflower, in some cases, they agree to adulterate 40 to 50 per cent. 



It cannot be expected that our Yankee seedsmen would remain very long 

 behind our European friends in selling poor seeds. As a people, we do not 

 like to be outdone. Many seeds are imported and sold in this country. Some 

 are adulterated before they come here. Perhaps some of our seedsmen have 

 learned to adulterate seeds. I do not know. We know that all of the large 

 dealers who have the best reputation sell some poor seeds — some seeds which 

 are absolutely worthless. 



* Some portions of this cliapter on testing seeds were used in articles presented at two meetings 

 of the Society for the Promotion of Agricultural Science. 



