684 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The features that will require the greatest care are those that require 

 the approximate percentages by weight of purity and the approximate 

 l>ercentages by weight of contaminates, specifying the kinds that are 

 present in quantities greater than one i)er cent and also the provision 

 that no seeds may be sold or offered for sale that contain more than one 

 seed in two thousand of quack grass, Canada thistle, and the two 

 dodders mentioned. This point will make it necessary that the seed 

 dealers or the wholesaler from whom the smaller dealers purchase their 

 seed, must analyze their seed. In case this is done by the wholesalers 

 or by the larger seed firms, these analj^ses will naturally be furnished 

 to the retail dealers either on printed reports furnished by the whole- 

 salers or on the label itself that is attached to the lot so that the retail 

 dealer will be able to obtain his analysis in that way. However, where 

 the retail dealer buys his seed from the grO'Avers, it will be necessary 

 that he make an analysis before he can sell that seed. If it is not pos- 

 sible for him to make the analysis himself, he can have this made by 

 another person who is competent to do the work or, on payment of 

 twenty-five cents for each sample analyzed, can have it made by the 

 State Board of Agriculture or more accurately, by the seed analyst 

 appointed by the State Board of Agriculture and placed under the 

 supervision of the Department of Botany of the College. In case the 

 dealers make their own analyses, these should conform in general to 

 the regulations and methods of testing used by the United States 

 Department of Agriculture. 



The Act does not apply to growers selling seeds to seed merchants 

 or growers shipping seed to be cleaned and graded before being sold, 

 or to seed which is held in storage for the purpose of being cleaned or 

 for seed marked "not cleaned" and held or sold for shipment outside 

 the state. The latter, however, must conform to the government regula- 

 tion governing shipment of seed in interstate commerce. 



Of interest to the consumers are the paragraphs concerning the purity 

 of the seed. It is particularly desirable that consumers take great care 

 not to buy seed that has not the proper labels as the very fact that 

 this seed is not labeled should be prima facie evidence that the dealer 

 is not conforming to the provision of the law. It should also be noted 

 that seed containing quack grass, Canada thistle, and the dodders to 

 the amount of one seed in two thousand is not only forbidden to be 

 sold but also may not be sown. 



Anv further information concerning the law mav be obtained from the 

 Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture or from the Department 

 of Botany at the Agricultural College, East Lansing, Michigan. 



It is highly desirable that the newspapers call attention to this law 

 as far as possible and that this infonnation receive the widest possible 

 dilTnsion in order that dealers and others may not violate the law in 

 ignorance of its provisions. 



ERNST A. BESSEY. 

 East Lansing, Michigan. 



