172 The Nomenclature of Agricultural Plants. [May, 



it only requires a short investigation into the action being taken 

 in foreign countries to convince us of the seriousness with which 

 they view the present situation. In every case where any atten- 

 tion has been paid to the matter, it has been decided that the 

 facts have justified the adoption of some scheme by which the 

 trouble may be diminished. 



Germany. — For the general system of seed improvement, the 

 reader is referred to the Journal of the Board of Agriculture for 

 June, 1909. Crop nomenclature is controlled by a Committee 

 of the German Agricultural Society, whose main activities consist 

 of the Registration of Pure Bred Seeds, the " Recognition " of 

 stocks of superior varieties, variety trials, &c. 



Registration of all plants of agricultural importance in the 

 Official Register is permitted on submission of satisfactory evi- 

 dence, derived from independent trials, that an improved variety 

 has been produced, but proof must also be given that this 

 improvement is the result of conscious efforts carried out through 

 a series of years on the stock in question. A sub-committee of 

 experts decides the eligibility of stocks, and admission gives the 

 producer the exclusive right to describe his seed as " entered 

 in the Pure-Bred Seed Register of the German Agricultural 

 Society " and to use a legally protected trade-mark. Mr. E. S. 

 Beaven* has already pointed out of what great value such a 

 system would be in England, but so far no steps have been taken 

 in this direction. 



" Recognition " is granted to the seed-crops of Members of 

 the German Agricultural Society after the growing crop has been 

 inspected by experts of the Society, who must satisfy themselves 

 that it is a pure sample of a variety of proved worth, that it is 

 being grown under favourable conditions, and that harvesting 

 arrangements are satisfactory. Recognition only applies to the 

 actual crop inspected. 



All registered seed has also to be " recognised," but recogni- 

 tion is also open to growers (who are not the actual breeders) of 

 seed of first-class varieties, and to breeders whose varieties have 

 not gained admission to the register. 



It is obvious that fictitious novelties are excluded, by the above 

 conditions, from both registration and " recognition." 



Variety Trials are carried out on an extensive scale all over 

 Germany, not only by the Society itself , but also in conjunction 

 with other Agricultural bodies. The trials are conducted on a 



* Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Vol. 70, pp. 119— 

 139. 



