SEED INSPECTION 



Purity and Germination Standards — Average of Ten States 



Massachusetts has no purity or germination standards. Whether or not 

 this is a wise pohcy remains to be seen when the Massachusetts seed regulations 

 have been enforced for a sufficient period of time to draw definite conclusions. 

 The present policy of having no standards is based on the hope that the pro- 

 ducer will continually strive to offer seeds of the best possible quality rather 

 than to meet some definitely established figure which for fairness must be only 

 average. 



There are, however, many producers and consumers who desire to know 

 what reasonable purity and germination may be expected for various seeds. 

 The following table, which averages the standards of ten different states', 

 has been prepared to supply this information. 



Field Crops 



Alfalfa 



Canada Blue Grass. . 

 Kentucky Blue Grass 



Alsike Clover 



Crimson Clover 



Red Clover 



Sweet Clover 



White Clover 



Field Corn 



Meadow Fescue 



Red Fescue 



Sheep's Fescue 



Common Millet 



German Millet 



Hungarian Millet. . . , 



Japanese Millet 



Oats 



Orchard Grass 



Field Peas 



Red Top 



Rye 



Perennial Rye Grass. 

 Italian Rye Grass . . . . 



Timothy 



Tobacco 



Purity 



% 



96 

 88 

 85 

 93 

 97 

 94 

 95 

 93 

 99 

 95 

 94 

 94 

 94 

 94 

 94 

 92 

 98 

 79 

 97 

 90 

 98 

 95 

 95 

 97 

 98 



Germi- 

 nation 



% 



83 

 50 

 50 

 78 

 85 

 85 

 88 

 77 

 92 

 85 

 80 

 80 

 86 



90 

 73 

 93 

 80 

 90 

 85 

 80 



Vegetables 



Asparagus . 



Beans 



Beets 



Cabbage. . 

 Carrot .... 

 Cauliflower 

 Celery .... 

 Sweet Corn 

 Cucumber. 

 Lettuce . . . 

 Melon .... 



Onion 



Parsley 



Parsnip . . . 

 Pumpkin. . 

 Radish .... 

 Spinach . . . 

 Squash. . . . 

 Tomato . . . 

 Turnip .... 



Germi- 

 nation 



% 



78 

 90 

 82 

 85 

 75 

 75 

 60 

 80 

 85 

 84 

 84 

 80 

 64 

 62 

 80 

 85 

 75 

 85 

 80 

 85 



2 Published in various reports and bulletins of Alabama, Connecticut, Indiana, New York, North 

 Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee and Virginia. 



