1891.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 219 



in an elevator, and the germinating power was destroyed." 

 That is one sort of trouble we want to avoid. 



Mr. Kinney of Worcester. I think it would give better 

 satisfaction, and would be more to the point, if we should 

 simply vote that we approve of having an inspection of seeds. 

 1 think that would be a grand thing ; but when we ask seeds- 

 men to sell on a guarantee, it is a very hard thing to do. 

 Many seeds are put into the ground at a bad time, when the 

 ground is in a bad condition ; and the fact that those seeds 

 had been in a greenhouse under the most favorable circum- 

 stances, and made a good start, would be no proof that they 

 would do well under other circumstances. There would be 

 a great many objections to such a law as is proposed. But, 

 if Ave called for a law authorizing the appointment of a 

 State inspector of seeds, then the seedsmen and the farmers 

 could meet together, and arrange the details. I think that 

 might be very desirable. 



Mr. Stockwell. The idea of an inspection of seeds I 

 suppose is that the seeds should be given a trial in which 

 their germinating power should be properly and thoroughly 

 tested under favorable circumstances. It is not for every 

 farmer to do this. The farmer sends his seed to the 

 inspector just as you send your fertilizer to the fertilizer 

 inspector, and there the seed will be tested, and that test will 

 be the dealer's commendation or condemnation. It is a very 

 simple thing. All fertilizers are inspected and sold under a 

 guarantee, and the State inspector sends agents about, to take 

 fair samples of fertilizers ; they are analyzed, and then a cer- 

 tificate of that analysis is given to the dealer. Some arrange- 

 ment of this kind could be made with regard to seeds. 



Mr. Bill of Paxton. I came in a little late, perhaps, to 

 grasp the whole situation ; but this question of the inspec- 

 tion of seed is really important. It has been said that that 

 people is the best governed who are least governed. I 

 think that is true ; and it is desirable to have as few com- 

 missions in the Commonwealth as possible ; but we can 

 stand one more in the way of an inspector of seeds. If the 

 resolution was confined to the one article of grass seed, if 

 we could have an inspection in this Commonwealth of that 

 seed alone, it would be of immense value to the farmers of 



