214 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



legal restrictions that would enable us to get a little nearer 

 to what we buy and pay for. 



Mr. Howe of Oxford. I wish to speak about the seeds 

 of weeds in particular. We have for some years bought 

 and sold seeds. We have paid an extra price for them, 

 because we wanted to give our patrons clean seed, free from 

 weeds. We have sold them to our good neighbors, and 

 pretty soon they were on top of us for selling them wild 

 turnip seed. I think it is time we were able to get what 

 we buy. 



Mr. J. H. Hale of Connecticut. I think this is a matter 

 of very great importance. I can see very readily how you 

 may pass such a law, and that it may be enforced as far as 

 the purity of seeds is concerned: I think a certain inspec- 

 tion could be given through the officers of your experiment 

 station, that would guarantee a certain per cent of purity 

 that would satisfy the consumer. But the question of the 

 germinating power, if it is left to each individual gardener 

 or planter, would be very uncertain. Almost any gardener 

 or farmer knows that oftentimes he has bought garden seed, 

 sowed it on a certain part of his farm at a certain season of 

 the year, under certain conditions, and perhaps ninety-nine 

 or a hundred per cent of that seed has germinated. Then 

 he has sown some of the seed from the same package a week 

 or two later, and has had almost a total failure. The ques- 

 tion of the germinating power of seed should not be left in 

 the hands of the gardener or planter. The seed should be 

 tested, and a certificate given from some State authority. 

 Then, again, there are great variations of seed grown on 

 one kind of soil and planted on another soil. A certain seed 

 grown in California might have a very high germinating 

 power when sown on our soil here, and fail to some extent 

 in other localities. It is a difficult question to handle. I 

 believe we have many honest seedsmen who are aiming to 

 have grown for them the best possible seed, and that they 

 handle it in the best manner, and deal honestly. Then, 

 again, they have rivals in business who do not hesitate to 

 buy the cheapest seed that they can find, mix a little good 

 seed with it, and then sell the whole as good seed. Such a 

 law as the one proposed would protect the honest seedsmen 



