68 



des semences, dont les travaux seront surveilWs par uu comite compose de botanistes- 

 eminents et d'agronomes, assist^s par deux chefs de I'mdustrie des graines sous la prfisidence 

 de Sir Daniel Hall, conseiller scientifique en chef du Ministers, 11 sera I'arbitre impartial 

 dans toutes les questions techniques qui pourraient etre soulev6es au sujet du »Seeds Act«. 

 En faisant les 6preuves extensives menant a la distribution de nouvelles vari6t6s de plantes 

 de grande culture d^couvertes par les Universit6s et par les recherches des personnes 

 priv6es, il aura le conseil et la co-op6ration cordiale de I'industrie des graines qui voit 

 dans cat Institut une organisation destinee a avancer ses plus grands interets. 



J'espere que la Conference voudra bien croire que je lui ai soumis la constitution et 

 la politique de I'lnstitut en toute modestie, meme si je suis optimiste, quant k ses 

 resultats dans I'avenir. Je reconnais bien que ses differfintes sections sent des 

 enfants qn'on ne peut nuUement comparer h I'age mur des grandes institutions deja 6tablies, 

 telles que le Seed Control Station de Danemark pr6sid6 d'une maniere si distingu6e par 

 mon ami si estim6 M. le Directeur Dorph-Petersen,iOu avec 1' organisation merveilleuse de 

 Svalof k laquelle je rends mes hommages les plus sinceres. L'Angleterre est entr6e tard 

 sur le champ oil tons ceux auxquels je m'adresse t)nt remporte des succes acclamfe par le 

 monde entier, mais je suis assur6 que vous tons suivrez nos efEorts ayec sympathie. La grande 

 science agricole de laquelle depend en iin de compte la prosp6rit6 et le bonheur 

 de tous les peuples, ne reconnait pas de frontiferes, et mes coUegues, ainsi que moi-meme, 

 sont assures que nous pouvons tous faire appel pour tout conseil et aide dans notre nouvelle 

 entreprise avec I'assurance que votre rfiponse ne nous apportera qu'une bienveillance 

 universelle. 



Professor Johannsen thanked Sir Lawrence Weaver. Summarized 

 in German and introduced Mr. Saunders. 



Mr. Saunders: 



"Seed Testing in the United Kingdom." 



By Mr. C. B. Saunders, Director of the Official Seed Testing Station, Ministry of 

 Agriculture and Fisheries, London. 



"At the outset I feel that I ought to express on behalf of myself and of my colleagues 

 at the other official Seed Testing Stations our appreciation of the honour conferred on 

 us in being asked to describe the methods of Seed Testing in the United Kingdom. At 

 the same time I do not quite understand why our methods in particular should be of 

 greater interest than those of any other country. The only suggestion that enters my 

 mind is that our Stations are of more recent date than those of most other countries 

 represented here, and that, therefore, it might be supposed that our methods might be 

 more up-to-date and novel. If that suggestion is correct I would hasten to assure you 

 that our methods are largely based upon the result of the work of many years at Copen- 

 hagen, Zurich and the various other Continental Stations, and in this connection I would 

 like to place on record our appreciation of the value of the Official Regulations for Seed 

 Testing published from time to time by the German Association of Experiment Stations. 



As the general question of making purity and germination tests is subsequently to 

 be raised by gentlemen more competent to do so than myself, I do not propose to discuss 

 the British methods in any detail. I think it would be of greater interest if I were briefly 

 to describe the requirements of our Seeds Act which has been referred to by Sir Lawrence 

 Weaver in an earlier paper. I will then touch upon one or two details of routine Seed 

 Testing where our practice differs from the usual Continental practice, and I hope I may 

 be able to offer one or two suggestions which may be of interest. 



Sir Lawrence Weaver has already told you that a Seeds Act has been passed which 

 comes into force on the 1th August next. At present we are working under a temporary 

 Order called "The Testing of Seeds Order", but the differences between the Act and the 

 Order are not great. I will, therefore, refer to the Act all through. The Act itself does 



