

BULLETIN No. 138. 



SEED INSPECTION. 



Chas. D. Woods, Director. 



Royden L. Hammond, Analyst. 



The Legislature of 1897 enacted a law regulating the sale 

 of agricultural seeds. This law was satisfactory as far as it 

 went, and resulted in an improvement in the character of the 

 seed sold in the State. It did not provide for an inspection 

 and as time passed the moral effect of the law to some extent 

 and with some dealers grew less. To remedy this, the Legis- 

 lature of 1905 passed an additional section to the law, calling 

 for an inspection somewhat similar in requirements to that of 

 the laws regulating the sale of commercial fertilizers,' foods 

 and feeding stuff's. The chief requirements of the law follow. 

 The full text of the law will be sent on application. 



CHIEF REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW. 



Kind of Seeds Coming Under the Law. The law applies to 

 every lot of seeds, containing one pound or more, of cereals, 

 grasses, forage plants, vegetable and garden plants, but does 

 not apply to sweet corn, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. 



The Guarantee. Every lot of seed sold, offered or exposed 

 for sale must be accompanied by a written or printed guarantee 

 of the percentage of purity. Dealers may base their guarantee 

 upon tests conducted by themselves, their agents, or by the 

 Director of the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station; pro- 

 vided, that such tests shall be made under such conditions as 

 the said director may prescribe. The rules for testing the 

 purity of seeds are given in Bulletin 36, a copy of which will 

 be sent on application to the Station. 



TESTING SEEDS AT HOME. 



It is important to the user of seeds to know their percentage 

 of purity, what kind of weeds they carry, and their vitality. 

 A seed which carries foreign matter of any kind is correspond- 



