218 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



corn as I plant. I should hardly want to go to the expense 

 of having my whole crop inspected, or even my seed corn. 

 But I can conceive how this law might be of great benefit. 

 Those dealers who sell large quantities of seed, and are 

 willing to go to the expense, might have their seed in- 

 spected ; and those of us who are willing to pay for the 

 trouble and expense of that inspection would know where 

 to go to secure seed, we should know when we purchased 

 that seed that it had the germinating power in it. The 

 dealer in seed would be responsible to that extent, but he 

 would not be responsible for the result if you or I planted 

 that seed, in perfect ignorance of the nature of the plant, 

 where it would be impossible for it to germinate. Now, I 

 suppose that that is the extent of the intention of the 

 resolution. If it be so, I think we ought cheerfully to 

 support it. 



Secretary Sessions. Allow me just one word. I suppose 

 our experiment stations are equipped with facilities for 

 proving the power of germination in seeds. We are not 

 framing a law here, gentlemen. We might take ever so 

 much pains, and fix up a law just exactly as we want it, 

 with suitable penalties and with necessary provisions for its 

 enforcement ; but it would have to go before a committee 

 of the Legislature, and be dissected there ; and then it must 

 go into one branch and stand the fire of opposition there, 

 and then into the other branch, and pass the same ordeal. 

 Then, if it passes both branches of the Legislature, it is 

 looked over with reference to its constitutionality by the 

 Governor. We simply propose to recommend to the State 

 of Massachusetts, by the passage of this resolution, the 

 enactment of such a law ; and it strikes me, if the resolution 

 accords with your idea, we shall accomplish about all 

 we want to do by its passage. I bought some seed oats 

 two years ago, very fine-looking ones indeed, of a well- 

 known seed dealer. I sowed them, and not one in ten came 

 up. I wondered what was the trouble. The dealer being a 

 friend of mine, I went to him and stated the case. He said : 

 "I bought a car-load of oats that came from the West; I 

 thought they were very nice oats, and winnowed them over 

 and sold them for seed. I suppose those oats had heated 



