sic 



Seed Control, 1920-21. 



[Dec, 



averaged 17s. 6cl per acre and the horse labour added £1 Os. 6d. 

 per acre or 4s. 8c 1 . per qr. to the cost of growing wheat. 



On Farm G where the horses worked 187 days last year, or 

 66 per cent, of the total possible at a cost o c Ds. 7d. per working 

 day, the cost of ploughing during the whole year averaged 

 £1 Ss. Od. per acre, as compared with 17s. Sd. per acre on 

 Farm I, and the horse labour added £2 9s. 5d. per acre Or 

 10s. 6d. per qr. to the cost of growing wheat. 



* , * * #' 



SEED CONTROL, 1920-21. 



The results of last year's administration of the Testing of 

 Seeds Order, 19l8, are interesting from many points of view. 

 In spite of the difficulties caused by th - coal strike, occurring, 

 as it did during the busiest period of the seed trade, no fewer 

 than 632 seed establishments were visit - ": by the Ministry's 

 Inspectors for the first time, and a large pr .portion of the 3,250 

 firms already called upon were revisited. The principal objects, 

 pf these visits were to ascertain wheth ? sell* rs of seeds were 

 complying strictly with the requirements of the Order, and to 

 draw control samples, where necessary, for the purpose of having 

 check tests carried out at the Official See I Testing Station. At 

 the same time the opportunity was take:, t acquaint seedsmen 

 and farmers with the main provisions of the Seeds Act, 1920, 

 which was passed to regulate the sale of seeds in the interests, 

 of British agriculture. 



Control Samples. — The number of conti 3amples, apart from 

 packets of garden seeds, taken during the 1920-21 season, was 

 1.757, and included 364 samples of clov ■ , 273 of grasses, 19 of 

 field seeds, 25 of cereals, 432 of roots and 644 of vegetables. 

 The check tests carried out at the Offici <• Seed Testing Station 

 showed that in 146 cases, or about 8 per c of the total number 

 of samples taken, the declaration m= ' by the seller wis 

 inaccurate in certain particulars. These discrepancies were 

 mainly in respect of clover, grasses and field seeds; 15.9 per 

 cent, of the tofaj number of clover sampl *s, 3.2 per cent, grass 

 samples and 15.8 per cent, field seed samples proving to be 

 inaccurately described. During the 1919-2C season, of the total 

 number of 1.206 samples drawn, there we:? 109 cases (about 

 9 per cent.^ in which the declaration made by the seller was 

 not confirmed by the official test. Here agai i, as was also found 



