158 AGRICULTURAL, APPROPRIATION BELi,, 1924. 



severe winters without a snow blanket to protect the plants, and we 

 have got this summer disease susceptibility to look out for in con- 

 nection with foreign clover seed. 



Of course, the difficultv at present is that we have not yet developed 

 a home-grown supply of clover seed adequate for our needs, and so 

 there is a continuing large importation whenever the price differential 

 justifies. 



Mr. Anderson. I noticed this summer when T was home quite a 

 number of clover fields that appeared to have the leaves covered, or 

 appeared to be covered with a sort of a white mold. A great many 

 or some fields were almost white with it. 



Doctor Taylor. That mildew was unusually prevalent this year. 

 It was at Arlington Farm, and was more conspicuous on clover from 

 American-grown clover seed than on the South European. It does 

 not, so far as has been ascertained, through feeding tests and obser- 

 vation, materially injure the quality of the forage. It probably does 

 reduce the quantity somewhat. It does not kill the plant. It 

 appeared to be a seasonal, climatic result of weather which encouraged 

 the growth of this fungus, previously unnoticed or unimportant. 



FOR STUDYING AND TESTING COMMERCIAL SEEDS. 



On page 98 is our seed laboratory paragraph, in wliich there is no 

 change in the estimates. 



Mr. Anderson. I think you referred last year to some develop- 

 ment in connection with the buying of this .seed to indicate its charac- 

 ter, variety, or something. I would like to have you tell us something 

 about that, whether anything has developed from it. 



Doctor Taylor. The practical way of informing the American 

 farmer as to what the clover seed is that he is buving, as between 

 domestic and imported seed, appears to be through a requirement 

 of coloring of the imported seed before entry. Proposed legislation 

 has been agreed to in principle by the leading representatives of the 

 importing seed trade. I believe the department has not yet sub- 

 mitted a specific draft of the bill, but has made the suggestion to 

 the committee that that would seem to point the way out. 



Mr. Anderson. Admitting that the imported seed may be just 

 as good or even better than the domestic variety, isn't the dis- 

 crimination of this product upon the sole ouestion of whether or 

 not it is imported wholly immaterial, and almost a fictitious one i 

 The man who buys seed is not especiallv interested in whether it 

 comes from this country or some other. \{ it is just as good as what 

 he gets in this country. What he is interested in is in getting good 

 seed, is it not'^ 



Doctor Taylor. That is his interest. The difficulty at present 

 is ho has no wav of determining at all what the climatic endurance 

 of that particular lot of seed is as determined by the conditions under 

 which it is grown. 



Mr. Anderson. Well, as a practical matter, aside from that, it 

 would give the imj)ort(>r and tne farmer an opportunity to express 

 liis prejudices, well j'rounih'd or n(»t, against the foreign seed. 



Doctor Taylor. Yes, sir. 



