PURITY AND GERMINATION OF AGRICULTURAL AND VEGE- 

 TABLE SEEDS SOLD IN NORTH CAROLINA. 



By O. I. TILLMAN, Botanist. 



THE ESTABLISHING OF SEED TESTING IN NORTH CAROLINA. 



It is not the purpose of this publication to be technical, bui lo present 

 in a lielpi'ul manner the seed problem to the farmers of the State. Con- 

 sideration must bo given to the quality of seed sown if productive crops 

 are to be obtained, is a fact which is being recognized. Tliere is no 

 j^ational law governing the importation and sale of poor seed in the 

 United States, but the various Experiment Stations, Departments of 

 Agriculture, and the Seed Laboratory of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture have done an important work in arousing wddespread 

 interest in good seed, by furnishing information concerning the different 

 qualities of farm seeds, and the United States Department has aided, 

 by cooperation, various States in establishing seed-testing laboratories. 

 North Carolina is not backward in this forward movement, and has a 

 well-equipped laboratory where accurate tests both for the pui'ity and 

 germination of seeds can be made, and this will gladly be done for any 

 farmer or seed dealer in the State. 



An act "To prevent and punish the sale or offering for sale of adul- 

 terated or niisbranded agricultural and vegetable seed and those lacking 

 viability" was passed by the State Legislature of North Carolina and 

 went into effect July 1, 1909. The act in full is included in this Bulle- 

 tin. 



The services of Mr. B. Barlow, Avho remained Avith this Department 

 until December, 1910, were secured to carry on the Avork of seed analy- 

 sis. He spent some time at the Seed Laboratory, United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, studying the methods of work and equipment there, 

 which have been practically duplicated by this laboratory. While there, 

 Mr. Barlow had the services of Miss Helen Henry, a scientific assistant 

 of that laboratory, to instruct him in the work of seed analysis. Later, 

 February, 1910, the United States Seed Laboratory began cooperation 

 Avith this Division in order to aid in establishing the seed-testing Avork 

 in this State. The cooi^eration continued until July, 1911. The persons 

 connected Avith this laboratory in the service of the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture Avere Miss Frances Burket and the Avriter. 

 Miss Mary Carter Ray and Miss Susan D. Allen have also assisted in 

 the Avork of seed testing. 



This publication gives the results of tests made at the Xorth Carolina 

 Seed Laboratory from February, 1910, to July, 1911. Within that 

 period 936 samples of agricultural seeds and 383 samples of vegetable 



