"I^g N. H. EXPERIMENT STATION [Bulletin 197 



for one reason or another, using erroneous figures. In some cases 

 it may be that their figures are based on tests made by irresponsi- 

 ble persons or organizations which seek to make good impressions 

 for the seeds or for themselves by reporting higher figures than are 

 Justified. In relation to tliis problem, the personnel of the state 

 laboratory is always willing to make ofiicial tests free of charge in 

 so far as its equipment will permit, tlowever, it takes time to 

 make these tests, especially when irregularities or low germination 

 make retests advisable or necessary, so that seeds should be sent in 

 some time before the reports are needed. A germination test 

 always takes practically a week's time and some grasses require a 

 month. Further delay may be occasioned by the fact that samples 

 usually come in from all parts of the state at practically the same 

 time in the spring, and as a result our facilities are temporarily 

 overtaxed and the tests cannot be started immediately. 



Attention should be called to the fact that the state inspectors 

 found certain dealers who had received their seeds this year in 

 packages properly marked with the guarantees for purity and ger- 

 mination in accordance with the law, but who had poured this 

 seed into other containers, from which it was to be sold, and had 

 neglected to transfer the guarantees. Such a practice is un- 

 lawful but easily corrected, as clearly defined in Section 1 of the 

 State law. 



A few cases are noted which indicate that dealers are selling 

 old seed under the same guarantee for germination as when the 

 seed was new. This is n^ver a safe practice. All kinds of seeds 

 deteriorate with age, some very quickly and others more slowly. 

 Different conditions of storage are potent causes of variation in 

 germinability. Seed which has been kept from one season to an- 

 other should always be retested, as neither the wholesaler nor the 

 State Department can assume or expect that old seed will germi- 

 nate in conformit}' to a test which was made when the seed was new. 

 Such samples of legume seed, for illustration, as Nos. 2519 and 

 2497 of red clover, No. 2539 of alsike, No. 2533 of white clover 

 and No. 2540 of alfalfa suggest this practice to the trained observer 

 by their external appearance in some instances as well as by their 

 poor vitality. In one case, the matter of low germination reports 

 was taken up by the wholesalers, who stated that they had not sold 

 said dealer any of the seed in question for two years. Such definite 

 proof as this of the practice of selling old seed under the original 

 guarantees is not ah-ays accorded the analysts, but a comparison 

 of any dealer in question with other dealers who handle the same 

 brands of seed satisfactorily may afford strong evidence of poor 

 methods of seed handling to say the least. 



To him who sees only the analytical results in these pages we 

 would say again, in conclusion, that" occasional discrepancies are of 

 little significance, but uniformly low records for several years or 

 for numerous varieties in any one year are strongly indicative of 

 sources of seed which may ill repay' the toil and expense expended 

 in the preparation of a good seed bed. 



