796 The Pi-echase of Seeds. '"Dec, 



A fine of i'lO may be inflicted for each and eveiy con- 

 travention of any of the regulations mentioned above. 



Copies of the Wart Disease of Potatoes Order of 1919. Leaflet 

 No. 105 on Wart Disease, and a Map showing the distribution of 

 Infected Areas in Scotland 'see p. 891'. may bo obtained on 

 application to the Ministry. 



Under the Testing of Seeds Order, 1916, it is necessary, in 

 the case of a ?ale of any of the principal farm or garden seeds, 



_ , for the seller to declare to the purchaser 



The Purchase . , . , I . i 



of Seeds certam particulars with regard to the 



quality of the seed, the percentage of 

 germination, percentage of purity, presence of injurious 

 weeds, &c. 



Farmers, gardeners, allotment holders and others should 

 be careful to ensure that this declaration is made to them in 

 the proper manner, and if the seedsman from whom they 

 purchase their seeds fails to meet his obligations in this respect 

 the matter should at once be brought to the notice of the 

 Ministiy. The use of good seed with a high germination and 

 free from impurities, particularly of noxious weed seed, is 

 essential for high crop production. Cheap, low-quality seed 

 is wasteful and uneconomical, while the sowing of lots of 

 seed infested with noxious weeds will naturally mean extra 

 work in the eradication of weeds. 



There is now no reason why a farmer should unhnoicingjy 

 purchase such low gi-ade seed. If he does he has himself only, 

 to blame, as the seedsman is required by law to disclose all 

 the essential particulars as to the quality of the seeds he sells. 



If a farmer suspects that a parcel of seeds is not up to 

 the standard guaranteed by the seedsman he should forward 

 a sample to the Official Seed Testing Station for a check test 

 to be made. The fee charged for testing farmers" samples, i.e., 

 samples of seed which the farmer himself is proposing to sow, 

 will be, from the 1st December, 6d. per sample. Hitherto 

 the fee has been only 3d. . but owing to the marked increase 

 in the co.st of materials and labour, the expense involved in 

 carrying out an individual test is greater even than the fees 

 charged for samples of seed intended for sale, so that it has 

 been found necessary to double all testing fees. 



