SEED INSPECTION 



By F. A. McLaughlin 1 



This bulletin gives the results of analysis of official seed samples collected by 

 the State Department of Agriculture, during the year 1935, from the open markets 

 in 63 towns and cities of Massachusetts and analyzed at the Seed Testing Lab- 

 oratory of the Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station at Amherst. 

 Between October 1, 1934, and October 1, 1935, the Seed Laboratory analyzed 

 1,151 samples, of which 743 were collected by the State Department of Agricul- 

 ture and 408 submitted by dealers and farmers. In addition, 205 ingredients 

 found in the special mixtures were given viability tests as a check on the quality 

 of seeds used in these mixtures during 1935. The total number of samples worked 

 in the laboratory, therefore, really amounts to 1,356 without taking into account 

 many retests which were necessary as a check-up on questionable viability of 

 many kinds of seeds which were submitted to us for retests. 



This bulletin also contains results of field tests for trueness to type of 207 lots 

 of the following vegetables: beans, beets, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, 

 parsnips, radishes, spinach, squash, sweet corn and turnips. 



SUMMARY OF RESULTS 



Alfalfa to Timothy 



The following table of analysis, covering 209 samples of seed in this group, 

 continues to show, as in former years, that the most common violation of the seed 

 law is the lack of certain required information on the label. This information 

 was lacking, wholly or in part, for 85 samples (40.66%). Other deficiencies shown 

 are 35, or 16.74%, below in germination; 9, or 4.30%, with excessive weed seed; 

 and 21, or 10.05%, below in purity. In all, 126 samples (60.29%) of this group 

 either did not comply with the label requirements or were not up to the 

 guarantee, even when proper tolerance allowances were made. 



Mixtures of Not More Than Two Lots of Seeds 



No samples declared as such were taken by inspectors. One, however, sold 

 under the special mixture clause contained but two kinds of seed and should have 

 been labeled as such. The table shows this sample otherwise deficient. 



Special Mixtures 



In this group 45 samples were analyzed, of which 20 (44.44%) complied with 

 the requirements of the law in every respect and the remaining 25 were only 

 partially labeled or were found deficient in other respects. 



Although the law does not require the label to show the germination of the 

 various kinds of seed used in this group, a germination test was made for each 

 kind of seed declared or found in excess of 5% in each of the 45 samples of mix- 

 tures analyzed. The following table shows the results of these tests: 



•Assisted by Miss Olive M. Hoefle, appointed Technical Assistant March 11, 1935. 



