730 First Year's Working of the Seeds Act, 1920. [Nov., 



which countries wished to retain their own official stations. 

 Nevertheless, the Seeds Act is so worded that the establishment 

 of a central official station is still possible. 



Once it had been decided to have an official seed testing sta- 

 tion for each part of the United Kingdom, it was difficult to 

 withstand the claims of those old established seed firms who 

 had for many years tested their own seed in an efficient manner 

 to be allowed to continue these operations. It was therefore 

 agreed that tests for the purpose of the Act (except in the case 

 of garden seeds) should be allowed at private testing stations, 

 provided that they were licensed for that purpose by the Ministry. 



Judging by the experience gained during the past twelve 

 months, the system of having licensed stations is not likely 

 to prove unsatisfactory. Variations in the results of tests occur 

 from time to time, but their number and seriousness have been 

 very considerably reduced. 



Sixty-eight private stations in England and Wales have so far 

 been licensed to test, as follows : — All kinds of seeds covered by 

 the Act, 28 ; all kinds of seed except grass seed, 3 ; clover, rye- 

 grass, cereal and field seeds only, 1 ; field and cereal seeds only, 

 5 ; field seeds only, 5 ; cereal seeds only, 2G. Except in one case, 

 the carrying out of tests for fees is not allowed in the case of 

 these licensed premises, the privileges being limited to tests for 

 the purpose of the purchase or sale of seeds in connection with 

 the licensee's own business. 



Among the conditions affecting these licences is one which 

 requires a portion of every sample tested to be preserved with 

 the necessary marks of identification for a period of three 

 months. A selection of these reserved samples is taken from 

 time to time by inspectors of the Ministry, for check tests at 

 the Official Seed Testing Station. So far, however, remarkably 

 few cases of serious discrepancy have occurred between the 

 results obtained at a licensed Station and the check tests 

 carried out at the Official Station. 



A number of analysts from these licensed stations, and others 

 who hope to qualify for similar posts, have attended a special 

 instructional course during the past summer at the Official Seed 

 Testing Station, Cambridge. 



Inspection of Seedsmen's Premises. — Visits to seedsmen's 

 premises are carried out by the Ministry's outdoor staff. The 

 total number of visits paid during the twelve months ended 

 July, 1922, was 11,000, including nearly 5,000 establishments 

 that had not been visited before in connection with the Seeds 



