CONTROL SERIES NO. 123 



1944 OFFICIAL INSPECTION OF AGRICULTURAL SEEDS 



From November 1, 1943, to No\cmber 1, 1944, the Seed Laboratory received 

 5080 samples of seed, of which 1184 were collected by the State Department of 

 Agriculture and 3896 were sent in by seedsmen, farmers, and various state insti- 

 tutions. An additional lot of 261 samples of flower seeds, for field tests only 

 was received from the State Commissioner of Agriculture. Although 5080 

 samples of seed were received, 363 of these had not been tested on November 1, 

 1944, consequently the actual number of samples worked during the year is 4717. 



Classification of the samples for which tests were com.pleted, with the total 

 number of laboratory tests involved, is shown in the following summary. It 

 will be noted that the total number of tests required for the 4717 samples was 

 5236; 273 for purity and 4963 for germination. 



NUMBER OF NUMBER OF TESTS 



SAMPLES PURITY GERMINATIO^f 



194 Field Crops for Purity and Germination 194 194 



647 Field Crops for Germination Only 647 



1 Field Crop for Purity Only 1 



62 Lawn and Other Types of Mixtures for Purity; Ger- 

 minations involving 211 ingredients 62 211 



16 Lawn Mixtures for Purity Only 16 



37 Lawn Mixtures for Germination Only, Germinations 



involving 151 ingredients 151 



3636 Vegetables for Germination Only 3636 



5 Herbs for Germination Only 5 



10 Tree Seeds for Germination Only 10 



64 Tobacco Seeds for Cleaning and Germination 64 



14 Tobacco Seeds for Germination Only 14 



31 Flower Seeds for Germination Only 31 



4717 273 4963 



Field tests to determine trueness to type were conducted in cooperation with 

 the Departments of Olericulture and Floriculture, which tested respectively 453 

 samples of Vegetable seeds and 261 samples of Flower seeds. Results of the field 

 tests are shown on pages 29-41. 



The Seed Laboratory- cleaned 78 lots of Tobacco seed and 22 lots of Onion seed 

 for Connecticut Valley farmers. The gross weight of the 78 lots of Tobacco seed 

 amounted to 33 pounds with a net weight of cleaned seed of 25.50 pounds. Onion 

 seed received had a gross weight of 1621 pounds which was cleaned to a net 

 weight of 838 pounds. 



Explanation of Tables 



Each of the following tables contains seeds, the sale of which is regulated by a 

 definite section of the Massachusetts Seed Law. The samples were taken by an 

 inspector from the State Department of Agriculture and worked at the Seed 

 Laboratory. Section 261A of the Acts and Resolves of 1937 and 1938, Chapters 

 288 and 363, defines the group from Alfalfa to Wheat, inclusive; Section 261B, 

 Mixtures; Section 261 C, Special Mixtures; and Section 261 D, Vegetables. 



The last table is a summary, by wholesalers, of the total number of samples 

 tested under each of the above four sections and the number of samples found to 

 be mislabeled. 



