No. 4.] GARDEN SEEDS. 63 



the seedsmen to guarantee the seed when it leaves his hands, 

 — guarantee that it shall have a certain vitality; but I do 

 not believe it is fair or equitable to hold a seedsman responsi- 

 ble for what happens to the seed after it has left his hands. 



Mr. Bowkek. That is where you are right. It would be 

 entirely unfair for the dealer to guarantee the seeds after 

 they have left his hands, for too many conditions enter into 

 the matter of germination which are beyond the control of 

 any one. My point is this, that we should have a law in this 

 State which requires that seeds shall be subject to inspection, 

 the same as fertilizers, milk and food products ; that seeds- 

 men shall guarantee the purity and vitality of their seeds at 

 the time they leave their hands ; that all seeds shall be 

 tested under certain prescribed conditions, which shall be 

 fair to all concerned. 



Mr. Ross. We have a national seed law now, and a State 

 fertilizer law. The latter I believe is all right, and I don't 

 believe any seed dealer will object to a State seed law similar 

 to the national law. When we have a State law that protects 

 us when a person, unknown to us, can get a sample of seed 

 and have it carried through the mails and examined without 

 our knowing it and without giving us any redress, then we 

 will be perfectly satisfied with the law. We received a state- 

 ment this morning from Washington that two-year-old onion 

 seed tested better than one-year-old, but we don't know what 

 the result will be when the seed is put into the ground. If 

 anybody wants to make an examination of seeds, we are will- 

 ing to have them go ; but in case of an accident, leave a 

 sample of the same, so we can have the advantage that the 

 fertilizer men have, — not have it all on one side. 



Mr. Tracy. Often you buy seed from your seedsman early 

 in the season, and you go out and plant it, and there comes 

 a cold, wet time, and the seed doesn't do well, and you say 

 that seedsman was a fraud, and you never buy of him again. 

 You go to another man on the next corner, and you plant 

 again, and that season, after it is planted, nice warm weather 

 comes on, and it does splendidly, and you say, " That is the 

 man; I will buy of him," when it is nothing in the world 

 but accidental conditions. It is true the men ought to know 



