xlii BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



in addition to the maximum number of five allowed by law 

 to be given to any one applicant in a year has made it de- 

 sirable that the statute under which these are printed and 

 distributed be so amended as to permit the secretary of the 

 Board to sell at not less than the cost thereof as many addi- 

 tional posters as any applicant may require, the money re- 

 ceived from such sales to be credited to the appropriation 

 for incidental and contingent expenses, from which the cost 

 of printing is paid. 



Good Seed. 



The importance of good seed cannot be too highly em- 

 phasized, as this is the most essential step in all of our agri- 

 cultural work. Certain kinds of seed, like corn, squash, 

 tomato, etc., can best be grown by the farmer himself, pro- 

 vided he establishes a good strain and keeps it up by careful 

 selection; but other seeds are difficult to grow, and here we 

 must depend on the seedsmen for our supply. All seed 

 should be tested both as to its germinating per cent, and its 

 freedom from weed seed; and where strains of known worth 

 are carried by seedsmen, we should not hesitate to pay more 

 for them than for seeds of unknown merit. As a rule, seed 

 germinated satisfactorily this season, but in some instances 

 a very poor quality of seed was sent out, resulting in many 

 cases in the entire loss of the crop. The screening, to elim- 

 inate that which is too small, is a good practice, and shows 

 remarkable results, particularly in the tobacco industry. 

 The sizing of lettuce seed for the greenhouses is also a 

 marked advantage, resulting in perfectly uniform beds of 

 lettuce. 



POUETEY PeEMIUM BoUNTY. 



The poultry premium bounty was distributed to the differ- 

 ent poultry associations applying therefor, in proportion to 

 the premiums paid for the breeds specified by the Board. 

 Two societies each received the maximum allowance of $300. 

 The following list shows what societies received bounty and 

 the amount to each : — 



