213 HOW TO PROCURE GOOD SKKOS. 



Not witlislMiidiiiji' the laws cimctt'd, uiiil caiv tiikcn, it is by no 

 iiu'aiis easy to si'ciiro ^ood seeds true to name. 



Mr. T)() Laiine, in Jour. Iioyal Ay. Soe., in ISS:.', says: ** How- 

 ever can'fiil I was in my orders, and I'roiu wliatever soed-niarkot 

 r ordered my seeds; the iiereenlai;o of ryegrass, soft woolly 

 grassland other bad ijrasses and weeds, was beyond all belief. 

 T learned that good seed was most diirK-iilt lo <>-et. I consulted 

 tile botanist, and to my great amazenu'iit was told that my seed 

 bought for meadow fi'seue was all rye grass, and tho rougli 

 meadow grass was all smooth uu'ad(tw grass. 1 liave, since these 

 experinuMits, never sown any seed except aftci- the sample had 

 bei'U examined by llu! consulting botanist; and have, in conse- 

 ([uence. obtaiiUMl results most satisfactory to myself. I liavo 

 I'ouiul it necessary to examiiu' seeds from dilTerent ]tarts of every 

 sack. 1 regret lo say that there is no seed-morohant I would 

 trust without the m'i'i] was examined i)y the consulting botanist." 

 And yet a leading seedsnum in Kngland says: "Tbo seedsman 

 should be treated with much the same sort of c(»nli(lence as tbo 

 family doctor." 



i)oubt less my renders will bo glad to see the following (piota- 

 tiou fi'om the Annual lleport of the consult ing botanist, — W. 

 'Jarutlu'rs, of the Koyal Agricultural Society for 1SS4: 



*' During the past year I have examiiu'd T<U samples of seeds 

 for the nu'Uibi'rs of the society, besidt's replying to iiupiiries 

 regarding the nature, habits, and mimes of wee(ls, and tlu^ best 

 way of dealing with them ; the diseases of cultivated plants ; and 

 to various nuitters aU'eeting the crops of the farm, 1 havo 

 examined (JO samples of meadow fescue, aiul KI of lall fescue, in 

 all 1 !."» samplos, as compared with SS in the previous year. Sixty- 

 live per cent of the samples of nu'adow fescue were free from 

 weeds and seeds of other grasses, as against Jid per cent of last 

 year. The principal adulterant employed is ryegrass; but tho 



