356 COMMON WEEDS 



no reason for supposing that the present law is inade- 

 quate to meet such cases of fraud as occur, but they 

 deemed it advisable to put the following notice in their 

 Journal : 



" The Board of Agriculture consider it desirable 

 again to call the attention of purchasers of farm and 

 garden seeds to the provision of the Adulteration of 

 Seeds Acts of 1869 and 1878. Under these Acts it 

 is a criminal offence to sell or cause to be sold any 

 killed or dyed seed or to kill or dye or to cause to be 

 killed or dyed any seeds. The term t to kill seeds ' 

 means to destroy by artificial means the vitality or 

 germinating powers of such seeds. The term ' to dye 

 seeds ' means to apply to seeds any process of colour- 

 ing, dyeing, or sulphur smoking. Proceedings under 

 these Acts against any person in respect of selling or 

 causing to be sold any killed or dyed seeds must be 

 commenced within twenty-one days from the time of 

 the commission of the offence. Seeds for use on farms 

 and market gardens should always be bought subject 

 to a guarantee of genuineness and germination, and 

 their germinating power should be tested to see whether 

 the seeds come up to the standard guaranteed. The 

 presence of dye or other colouring matter can mostly 

 be detected by rubbing the seed in soft white paper 

 or by washing a small quantity in water." 



The subject seemed of so much importance, how- 

 ever, that a further note was inserted in the Board's 

 Journal for July 1905, the following being extracted 

 therefrom : 



" Seeds for use on farms and market gardens should 

 always be bought subject to a guarantee for purity, 



