174 The Nomenclature of Agricultural Plants. [May, 



For guarantee, the points gained must exceed 80, and the 

 crop must earn 3/5 of the maximum under each heading. 

 The finding of the Committee must be unanimous. Before 

 the guarantee is actually given, the Society must be informed 

 of date of harvest, of thrashing and of cleaning, each of 

 which must be done in such a manner that admixture is 

 precluded. The harvested seed is examined critically by the 

 inspector, and if the result is favourable, the bulk is placed 

 in bags and sealed with the initials of the Dutch Society, and 

 with a number corresponding to that in the Society's register. 

 A sample is taken and retained for reference after a small quan- 

 tity has been sent for test at the Official Seed-Testing Station, 

 the report of which is published in the journal of the Society. 

 After this the seed can be sold as " Guaranteed." 



Other European Countries. — As far as can be ascertained, the 

 remainder of the European countries have devoted but little 

 attention to the problem, and have so far confined their 

 activities to an attempt to crowd out inferior varieties by 

 propaganda in favour of those of proved worth, and by 

 organising seed-growing societies among farmers through the 

 agency of which seed of good varieties is disseminated through- 

 out the country. These activities, though valuable, do not' 

 touch the root of the evil, and can only be regarded as auxiliary 

 measures. 



Australia. — A Seed Improvement Committee of the Common- 

 wealth Advisory Council of Science and Industry was set up 

 in 1917. Its chief terms of reference are: — 



" To deal with (1) the nomenclature of cultivated varieties 

 of farm crops, (2) the elimination of undesirable varieties of 

 crops." 



Wheat is the first crop to receive attention, and it was decided 

 that the first thing to be done was " to publish a detailed 

 description of every variety (of wheat grown in Australia) 

 which can be taken as a standard, and to which any grower 

 or breeder can refer in case of doubt." As a result of this, 

 a bulletin containing a provisional classification and key has 

 now appeared, and it is proposed to add to this from time 

 to time. Other measures will follow in due course, but their 

 nature and scope have not been published. Classifications or 

 descriptions of wheat varieties have also been produced in 

 South Africa and India. 



United States of America. — In America, though it is widely 

 recognised that the nomenclature both of agricultural and garden 



