584 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



THE SEED LAW AND THE STATE SEED GROWERS' ASSO- 

 CIATION IN WASHINGTON. 



By Louise M. Allen, State Seed Analyst, Seattle, Washington. 



In 1909 the legislature of Washington enacted a law relating to the 

 sale of and fixing the standard of purity of agricultural seeds. The 

 enforcement of the law was put in the hands of the State Dairy and 

 Food Commissioner. At this time no appropriation was made for 

 carrying on the work, but the legislature of 1911 appropriated funds. 

 The work of establishing a laboratory was at once begun and a seed 

 analyst was appointed. 



Briefly, the law is as follows : 



All seed dealers are required to label their seeds, giving a statement 

 of their purity and specifying the kind and percentage of the impuri- 

 ties, provided said seeds are below the standards fixed by the act. If 

 they are above the standards, the label may bear the word "Standard." 



The sale of seeds containing dodder, quack grass, Canada thistle, corn 

 cockle, wild oats and charlock, is prohibited. 



Provision is made for any person who is going to use the seed him- 

 self, to have it tested, free of charge, at the State Seed Testing Labora- 

 tory. 



The department has made the work educational, as far as possible. 

 Farmers' meetings have been held, seed dealers visited and exhibits 

 made at State and county fairs in various parts of the State. In this 

 way the people are told of the idea of the seed law, the advantage of 

 having their seed tested and a card with the address of the laboratory 

 distributed, so that they may send in samples. About four hundred 

 samples were tested last year. 



In addition to the educational work the .stock of dealers over the 

 State is sampled and tested to show whether their labels are correct. 

 The dealers have complied with the law and poor grades of seed are 

 rapidly disappearing. 



Dodder is the commonest of the "noxious" weed seeds, as it occurs 

 in our two most important forage crops, i.e., red clover and alfalfa. 

 Wherever it is found the lot of seed is condemned and the denier 

 ordered not to sell it in the State. Several carload lots and many lots 

 of a few tons or bags have been condemned and shipped out of the 

 State. One carload of alfalfa, containing approximately one hundred 

 dodder seeds per pound was shipped to Lawrence, Kansas. Another 

 containing some of the same alfalfa and red clover with approximately 

 six hundred dodder seeds per pound was shipped to ]\Tilwaukee. A 

 third of alfalfa went to Oregon. 



As a result of this movement for better seeds throughout the State, 

 a number of men, interested in the growing of seeds, met at the close 

 of the State Grange meeting in June and formed a temporary organi- 

 zation of the State Seed Growers' Association. Temporary officers, 

 including an executive committee to draft a constitution and by-laws, 

 were elected. The aims of this organization are : 



To interest growers in the production of high grade clean seed. 



In the pi-orlnctinn and sale of varieties of seed, true to name, i.e., 



