OFFICIAI, INSPECTION 17. I7I 



bottom of a flat dish and the seeds to be tested placed on it 

 under a thin covering of sand. This must be kept moist and 

 well shaded and at a somewhat higher temperature than in the 

 first case. 



At the end of every second day in the case of some seeds, and 

 the third day in the case of those germinating more slowly, the 

 sprouted seeds should be removed from the blotters or the sand 

 and counted, the per cent being readily found by referring back 

 to the number of seeds which were taken for the test. If 100 

 seeds are used, the number that sprout give the vitality per cent. 



The Seed Dealer and Seed Quality. 



Acting more or less in unison the seed handlers of the coun- 

 try have taken a position in the matter of their relation to the 

 quality of the seeds which they handle that is not tolerated in 

 the handling of any other commodity which touches agriculture 

 or the general public. While they give reasons of more or less 

 weight by which they attempt to justify their non-warranty 

 position, the fact remains that their attitude is apparently more 

 arrogant and intolerable than taken by any other legitimate 

 business. Practically all seed houses print something like the 



following : "The Company give no warranty, expressed 



or implied, as to description, quality, productiveness or any 

 other matter of any seeds, bulbs or plants they send out. If 

 the purchaser does not accept the goods on these terms they are 

 at once to be returned." Singularly enough some Maine houses 

 print a non-warranty clause like this even though they are 

 handling seeds which they must under the State law guarantee. 

 There is no reason, however, to suppose this means a defiance 

 of law on their part. At least one Maine house that publishes 

 this disclaimer gives a written guaranty of purity. It is to be 

 hoped that the time will speedily come when a National law will 

 be passed that will make this statement of non-warranty on 

 the part of interstate seed handlers of no more force than the 

 statement which is made by some Maine handlers in their cata- 

 logues. 



Several states following the lead of Maine have enacted 

 seed laws — many of them far more stringent and comprehen- 

 sive than that of this State. The position of the seed (lis- 



