64 EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 354 



Approximately 700 samples of soils were analyzed for residents of 

 the state, an appreciable decline from the previous year. 



T. O. Smith, H. A. Davis, G. P. Percival 



Seed Inspection 



At the 1942-43 session, the New Hampshire Legislature passed a new 

 seed law. At the time, the former law, passed in 1921, needed either to be 

 revised or to be made over completely and patterned after the "Suggested 

 Uniform State Seed law," which was prepared by the Agricultural Mar- 

 keting Service of the United States Department of Agriculture in the in- 

 terest of uniformity and as a guide for the various states in drafting seed 

 laws to conform to the 1939 Federal Seed xA-ct. This act applies _ only _ to 

 shipments in interstate commerce and imports and works in conjunction 

 with individual states. 



An important aspect of the new state law is the labeling requirement 

 which is more strict than formerly in that the number of noxious weeds 

 must be stated. This provision is to prevent New Hampshire from be- 

 coming a dumping ground for seed which cannot be sold in states that have 

 a noxious weed law. (There are only three states which do not have such 

 a law.) 



The law also includes requirements about vegetable seeds. Before it 

 was passed, there was no check whatsoever on the quality of vegetable seed 

 sold in the state. Now rules and regulations include germination standards 

 for vegetables, a fact which is very important because the germination ex- 

 pected for different crops varies greatly. For instance, the standard for 

 New Zealand spinach is 40, for pepper 55, for parsnip 60, while for beans, 

 cucumber, lettuce, and peas the standard is 80. 



Another requirement of the law is that all agriculutral and vegetable 

 seed shall have been tested for germination within nine months after being 

 offered for sale. This clause eliminates the possibilities of two- five-, or 

 even 10-year old seed being placed on the market. 



Last fall, the seed inspector for the State Department of Agriculture 

 made a survey of some of the seed on sale in New Hampshire. This seed 

 was sent in to the laboratory for germination. Some of it was incorrectly 

 labeled and some was worthless. 



Dealers found themselves with fairly large stocks of carried-over 

 seed which had to be tested for germination before it could be sold this 

 season. This meant that the dealers had to take samples of these lots and 

 send them in to the seed laboratory. Consequently, since January first, in- 

 stead of testing official samples taken ])y the State Seed Inspector to deter- 

 mine whetlier the seed being oft'ered for sale is in compliance with the new 

 law. 1251 samples have been tested for germination, including 33 lawn- 

 grass mixtures. Approximately 40 of these tests were made for farmers 

 who had grown beans or corn and wished to sell them for seed. 



During the fall and winter of 1944-45, it is planned to have the sam- 

 ples of carried-over seed sent in during October, November, December, 

 January, and February in order that these tests may be completed if pos- 

 sible by April 1 so that we may start on the official inspection, because by 

 another spring it is reasonable to expect dealers and wholesalers to be fa- 



