RESULTS OF SEED TESTS 

 Made July 1, 1922 to June 30, 1923 



The laboratory has completed tests on 553 samples 

 of seed during the past year. In a majority of the cases 

 both germination and purity determinations have been 

 made indicating that well over 1000 separate indices to 

 quality have been thus computed. As these tests are 

 usually duplicated from two to five times in each in- 

 stance for the purpose of arriving at a suitable average 

 and to eliminate any possible inconsistencies, the few 

 official figures herewith presented hardly express the 

 scope of the work. 



This bulletin shows the records of tests based on 

 what we choose to call official samples. They represent 

 the seeds collected by the State Department of Agri- 

 culture and tested by us for conformity with their 

 printed guarantees. 



Persons interested in the State Seed Law will find 

 it printed in last year's seed bulletin or may obtain 

 copies by writing the State Department of Agriculture 

 at Concord. 



The seed testing regulatory work should be largely 

 a preventative of trouble. It should keep poor or 

 undesirable seed ofif the market either by assisting the 

 conscientious vender to make sure that his product is 

 not sold under false pretenses or by preventing the "gyp" 

 from flooding the market with a cheaper product which 

 he knows may be practically Worthless. Our investi- 

 gation of seeds is not expected to find poor seed unless 

 such is on the market nor to make unnecessary trouble 

 for any person or company that does a legitimate 

 business. 



Seed testing work has now been in vogue in this 

 country as a service of insurance for the farmer against 

 the necessary use of seed of unknown quality for some 



