CONTROL SERIES NO. 127 



1945 OFFICIAL INSPECTION OF AGRICULTURAL SEEDS 



From November 1, 1944 to November 1, 1945, the Seed Laboratory received 

 4426 samples of seed, of which 1245 were collected by the State Department of 

 Agriculture and 3181 were sent in by seedsmen, farmers and various state insti- 

 tutions. An additional lot of 260 samples of flower seeds, for field tests only was 

 received from the State Commissioner of Agriculture. 



Classification of the samples for which tests were completed, 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 4426 samples was 

 5291; 449 for purity and 4842 for germination. 



NUMBER OF NUMBER OK TESTS 



SAMPLES PURITY GERMINATION 



357 Field Crops for Purity and Germination.... 357 357 



236 Field Crops for Germination Only 236 



30 Lawn Mixtures for Germination Only, 



Germinations involving 137 ingredients.. .. 137 



74 Lawn Mixtures and Other Types of Mixtures, for 



Purity; Germinations involving 401 ingredients 74 401 



18 Lawn Mixtures for Purity Only 18 



3613 Vegetables for Germination Only 3613 



7 Tree Seeds for Germination Only.... .' 7 



72 Tobacco Seeds for Germination 72 



19 Flower Seeds for Germination Only 19 



4426 449 4842 



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

 the Departments of Olericulture and Floriculture, which tested 382 samples of 

 vegetable seeds, and 260 samples of flower seeds, respectively. 



The Seed Laboratory cleaned 60 lots of tobacco seed and 19 lots of onion seed 

 for Connecticut Valley farmers. The gross weight of the tobacco seed was 48.25 

 pounds and the net weight for the cleaned seed was 40.15 pounds. Onion seed 

 received had a gross weight of 1056.75 pounds which was cleaned to a net weight 

 of 453.20. 



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 261 B, 

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



