Notes and Gleanings. lyy 



lock, bought at two shillings and sixpence a bushel, to mix with the turnip-seed 

 for which he pays ninepence to a shilling a pound. And not only home-grown 

 but foreign rubbish, Indian rape, and other similar seeds, first killed, are offered 

 in large quantities to the trade for mixing with turnip-seed. 



Farmers themselves often grow and sell foul seed, and thus suffer for their 

 own or their neighbors' carelessness. And as there are rogues in all trades 

 and occupations, so in the seed-trade there is an annual manufacture of dead 

 seed for the dilution of that which is alive, so as to produce a marketable com- 

 pound which can be sold at an extra profit. 



Although it is known that there is injury of this kind from which the plant- 

 grower suffers, yet it is by no means desired to imply that the seed-trade generally 

 is tainted in this way. On the contrary, seed-sellers suffer as well as their cus- 

 tomers. It is impossible, except when a man sows only seeds which he has him- 

 self grown, to avoid the risk of disposing of a worthless article. Any one who 

 buys, whether wholesale or retail, may suffer. And we are glad, in the interest 

 both of the farmer and the seedsman, that many of the leading men in the trade 

 have joined to urge the passing of a law which shall inflict penalties on wrong- 

 doers in this particular department of rascaldom. The bill which it is intended 

 to introduce enacts, that, — 



" Whoever shall destroy or kill, or cause to be destroyed or killed, by any 

 process of steaming, scalding, kiln-drying, baking, fumigating, or other artificial 

 means of any kind, the vitality or germinating power or principle of any seeds, 

 or shall give or impart, or cause to be given or imparted, to any seeds of any 

 kind, by any process of coloring, dyeing, sulphur-smoking, or any other artificial 

 means, the appearance or likeness of any seeds of any other kind, or a false or 

 deceptive appearance, shall be guilty of an offence against this act, and shall for 

 every such offence, on summary conviction thereof before the court, be liable to, 

 and shall forfeit and pay, such penalty and costs as hereinafter in that behalf 

 provided." 



Selling, or possessing for sale, dead or artificial seed, and selling mixed seeds 

 as neat, are also declared to be offences under the act. 



It is proposed that the penalties for offences under the act be as follows : — 



" First offence, fifty pounds and costs ; second offence, fifty pounds and costs; 

 and the offender's name, occupation, place of abode, and place of business, and 

 particulars of his convictions and punishments under this act, to be published by 

 the informant or prosecutor, and at the expense of such offender, in such news- 

 paper or newspapers, or in such other manner, as the court shall think fit to pre- 

 scribe; the informant or prosecutor to be allowed as part of his costs such sum of 

 money, not exceeding five pounds, as to the court shall seem a reasonable sum," 



We cannot doubt that good agricultural service will be done by the strict 

 execution of some such enactment as this ; and it will be a capital point if such 

 penalties shall be enacted by the resolute urgency of the leading men in the 

 seed-trade. — Gardener'' s Chronicle. 



