282 EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN. 



lbs. of seeds capable of producing plants of the species for which they 

 were sold. All the samples referred to came from dealers who ranked 

 among "the reliable" in Germany. In 1868 over 3 tons of so-called red 

 clover seed were sold to farmers in the Saxon city of Chemnitz alone, 

 of which two-thirds was yellow clover. Of 51 specimens of red clover 

 seed, 31 were found to contain seeds of the dodder, "the destructive 

 (parasitic) enemy of the clover plant." In another case, "of samples of 

 timothy seed, the best yielded 99 per cent of sound seeds, the poorest 

 15 per cent, while the average was 82 per cent." To the tradesmen 

 "troublesome questions are put if the seed is found better or worse one 

 year than another," so they get accustomed to adulterating and keeping 

 seeds of about the same average year after year. One advantage of using 

 dead seeds is that they tell no tales in the shape of feeble plants, or 

 of plants other than the variety desired. In Prussia at present, govern- 

 ment experts are appointed to test seeds for merchants and for farmers 

 and gardeners. 



In Germany, one or more firms, formerly at least, ground up quartz, 

 sifted it and colored it to resemble seeds of red clover, with which it 

 was mixed. It requires close examination with a miscroscope to detect 

 the quartz from the clover seed. 



In 1869, it is estimated that in England alone, 20,000 bushels of poor 

 turnip seed was sown mixed with good seeds. A few brief experiments 

 will enable anyone to tell which seeds are dead and which will grow, 

 but it requires more time to tell which are weak and which are strong, 

 or to tell which are true and which untrue to the name put on the pack- 

 age. 



There appeared at one time, and perhaps it still exists, an organized 

 agreement among seedmen of England, with perhaps some exceptions, 

 to adulterate certain sorts of seeds to just such an extent. Pure fresh 

 seed they quote as "net seed," while dead seed is quoted as "tri" or 

 "000." In some seasons they agree to adulterate cauliflower so that 

 a package shall contain only 50 to 60 per cent of good seeds. At one 

 time 18 packages of seeds of cauliflower were taken to contain from 86 

 to 24 per cent of good seeds, averaging 51 per cent; 18 samples of seeds 

 of broccoli ranged from 86 to 35 per cent, averaging 51 per cent; 18 of 

 carrot seeds ranged from 61 to 14, and averaged 40 per cent of good 

 seeds. The same number of packages of white turnip seed ranged from 

 98 to 57, averaging 74 per cent of living seeds. 



In Great Britain they now have a law passed making it a fine of not 

 over five pounds for the first offense and fifty pounds for the second 

 offense to dye or kill and sell worthless seeds. Besides the fine, the 

 court has authority to- advertise the name of the offender in any news- 

 paper at the expense of the guilty party. No wonder those who man- 

 age farms in Germany, England and other old countries chafed under 

 this imposition. They agitated the subject and began to enact laws 

 with penalties attached to them. If I mistake not, the first seed-control 

 station was started by Dr. Nobbe of Saxony in 1869 and many others 

 have followed. 



Adulterations of seeds were discovered most ingenious in character. 

 harmful in effect, and remarkable in amount. 



Since 1871, members of the Royal Agricultural Society of England 

 have among their officers a consulting botanist, William Caruthers, 44 



