SEED INSPECTION 



51 



SUMMARY OF SAMPLES ANALYZED AND TESTED 

 From October 1, 1928, to October 1, 1929 



Total 



Purity analysis onh- ... 



Germination test only .... 

 Roth purity and germination required 



Total number private and official sam- 

 ples examined 



386 



485 



871 



Note. — Included in this Summary, classified as Non-Official Vegetable samples, were 9.3 sam- 

 ples of onion seed furnished the l")epartment of Vegetable Gardening, M. \. C for Variety Tests. 



Unofficial Samples 



The term "unofficial samples" is applied to .seeds submitted by dealers and 

 •growers for examination and for which service a fee is charged. 



This work is believed to be of material value to both dealer and grower, espe- 

 cially where any doubt exists as to the quality of the seed. Manner of storage 

 and the age of seed are such important factors in seed vitahty that a laboratory 

 test is advisable where there is any question as to age or manner of storage. A 

 purity test on grass seed or grass seed mixtiyes will also determine to what extent 

 such seed ha.s been freed from foreign seed and inert material. 



The average time required for a germination test varies from ten to twenty- 

 eight days; some of the grass seeds taking the longer time. Therefore, seeds 

 should be submitted a sufficient length of time in advance to make sure of obtain- 

 ing a report before planting time. 



Samples should be sent to the Seed Testing Laboratory, Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station, Amherst, Massachusetts. 



Rules and Regulations Governing the Testing of Seeds for Purity and 



Germination 



(1) The kind of seeds that will be tested are those specified in the Massachu- 

 setts seed law, and in addition, flower seeds may be tested for germination. 



(2) Samples to be tested should be drawn in such a way as to be representa- 



