RESULTS OF SEED TESTS. 1925. 3 



of two parts: (1) pure seed, and (2) all else. The 

 variation allowed, or tolerance, then, is two-tenths of 

 1 per cent plus 20 per cent of the lesser part, this for- 

 mula to be applied to the figure which is obtained by 

 the official analyst. 



Most dealers appreciate the work of seed testing 

 and are anxious to co-operate in making sure that their 

 seeds conform in every way to the requirements. Mis- 

 understanding or lack of information still prompts a 

 few to try to evade at least the spirit if not the letter 

 of the law. Assuming that lack of appreciation or 

 knowledge is more often the cause of delinquency than 

 intentional evasion of the regulations, we wish to call 

 attention to the matter of seed mixtures. The Seed 

 Law requires that mixtures of seeds shall carry a 

 label stating clearly that fact and also the percentage 

 of each kind of agricultural seed present in excess of 

 five per cent of the total by weight. If alsike clover 

 and timothy grass seeds are mixed there is no objec- 

 tion to selling them but they must be labeled with a 

 statement of the percentage of each seed present. 



Lawn grass mixtures must be labeled with the 

 percentages of the different seeds which are included. 

 The few lawn grass mixtures that we have examined 

 recently in this State are either of questionable utility 

 as a mixture or carry an abnormally high percentage 

 of inert, worthless material. From a practical stand- 

 point, to allow the sale of a lot of rubbish just because 

 it may be labeled "lawn grass seed" is undesirable. 

 It is also unfortunate that an intelligent buyer should 

 pay exorbitant prices for a "lawn seed" which contains 

 practically nothing but red top and timothy, even 

 though such a mixture mighi entirely satisfy his re- 

 quirements. Misrepresentation is strongly indicated 

 by the labels on some of the few samples found about 

 the state and is exactly what the law was designed to 

 correct. Does a request for a strict observance of the 



