184 HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 
covers this point in adulteration of blue grass and blue-grass test. 
The blue-grass dealers have made complaint. They buy Kentucky 
fancy blue grass for $1.20 a bushel, and they buy the same quality 
apparently of Canadian seed at 60 cents. They mix these two seeds, 
half and half, and sell it for’a fancy price. Perhaps they will sell it 
for 10 cents a bushel less than the fancy seed, you know, tae to get 
their seed on the market, and the result is that honest dealers are 
being put out of the business unless some kind of a law like this is 
enacted. The same thing with a mixture of orchard grass with the 
Italian rye grass, anda very inferior grass—-a cheap grass—and sell 
it and impose on the public, which is very detrimental to honest people. 
Mr. Bowrr. Have you introduced a bill on the subject? 
Mr. Trimpie. Mr. Galloway here and myself have been in con- 
ference and the bills are ready to be introduced. 
Mr. Gattoway. It gives the privilege of sending a sample to the 
Department for test. ‘ 
Mr. Triste. It will be effectiveallright. It puts a heavy penalty 
for adulteration. 
The Cuatrman. I remember this clause, and it seems that we can 
stop it under that, as follows: 
And the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized to purchase samples of 
seeds in open market, test same, and when found not up to standard, he may, at his 
discretion, publish the results of such of these tests, together with the names of the 
seedsmen by whom the seeds were sold. 
Mr. Gattoway. If that thing was in force the entire seedsmen 
would combine and come down on Congress. 
The Cuarrman. You can get at the big invoices that come over here 
from Europe and from Canada; you can stop that under this clause, 
and you would make a great headway. 7 
Mr. Gattoway. This is handled by comparatively few firms. If 
there were a slight increase in the tariff on blue grass it would stop 
coming in here, but that would bring up the whole question of tariff. 
The Cnairman. I should think you could get at that foreign seed, 
anyway. I do not see any objection to that clause. If you could 
catch one of the people once it would ruin bis business. The mere 
danger of their being exposed, I should think, would deter them. 
r. Bowrg. Do you not think that while there is a fraudulent adul- 
teration of an article of that sort that it ought to be penalized in some 
way—be made a penal offense? 
Mr. Trimpix. You can not prevent the mixture of seed, but you 
can force the dealers to say what percentage of the seed is mixed 
and if they sell adulterated for pure seed it would be a fraud and 
ought to be punished by a heavy fine. 
Mr. Henry. That it is what they do in States with fertilizers. 
Mr. Trex. I do not see how anybody would fight a bill of that 
kind except fraudulent seed dealers; there is no injustice done to any- 
re in a legitimate business, and if a seed dealer makes a fight on 
at 
The Cuarrman. I think a clause could be framed to cover this trouble 
and be put right in the bill. 
Mr. Bowrg. Would it not be subject to a point of order? 
The Cuarrman. There would be very little danger of that. 
_ Mr. Bowrs. I would be perfectly willing to put it on the appropria- 
tion bill. 
