OFFICIAL INSPECTIONS 64. 1 55 



at cost, and the results will not be published. The cost of the 

 analysis of blue grass or redtop is $i.oo per sample and for 

 other seeds 50 cents. Remittance should accompany the sample. 



8. Written guaranty. No prosecution will lie against any 

 person handling agricultural seeds provided he obtains at the 

 time of purchase a written guaranty signed by the person resid- 

 ing in the United States, from whom the purchase was made, 

 to the effect that the seeds are not adulterated or misbranded 

 within the meaning of the Maine law regulating the sale of 

 agricultural seeds. After a person has been notified by the 

 Commissioner of Agriculture that an article of agricultural 

 seeds appears to be adulterated or misbranded the written 

 guaranty will not protect further sales. 



9. Hearings. The person who is believed to have violated 

 the law regulating the sale of seeds will be granted a hearing at 

 which he may appear in person or by attorney or by letter. 

 The notice of the hearing will name the time and place of the 

 hearing and a copy of the charge. Failure to appear will not 

 prejudice the case. The hearing will be private and every 

 opportunity will be given for explanation and establishment of 

 innocence. If the time appointed is not a convenient one, post- 

 ponement within reasonable limit will be granted. 



Testing Seeds at Home. 



It is important to the user of seeds not only to know their 

 percentage of purity and what kind of weeds they carry, but to 

 also know something of their vitality. In the case of seeds there 

 are at least three ways whereby the user may be injured. A 

 seed which carries foreign matter of any kind, in any consider- 

 able amount, is correspondingly lowered in value. But there is 

 another reason which is more important than the money consid- 

 eration, and that is that the weed seeds which the seeds contain 

 may be pernicious. For example, — clover seed ferquently car- 

 ries plaintain seed. If this plaintain seed is the door-yard 

 variety which is present practically all over Maine, there would 

 be comparatively little harm from using clover seed which con- 

 tained it. On the other hand — lance leaved plaintain or rib 

 grass is not abundant in Maine. It is an undesirable plant and 

 using seed carrying it might introduce a weed into land which is 

 at present free from it. It is important that the farmer should 



