234 



Seed-Testing Stations Abroad. 



The export of Danish eggs amounted in 1900 to 14,750,000 

 score; in 1899 it was 13,600,000 score. The value of the 

 eggs exported in 1900 was ^931,000. 



Seed-Testing Stations Abroad. 



Seed-testing stations have been established in most of the 

 leading Continental countries. Such stations usually form a 

 branch of the agricultural experiment stations, but in a few 

 cases separate establishments have been started solely for 

 the purpose of seed-testing. 



An important feature of the work of many of the stations 

 is the so-called " seed-control," which consists in an arrange- 

 ment whereby seedsmen enter into an undertaking with the 

 authorities of the station to sell their goods with certain 

 guarantees of purity and germination, based on the results 

 of analytical tests made at the station of the samples sub- 

 mitted by them prior to the sale of the seeds, and agree to 

 accept the results of examinations made at the stations of 

 samples taken by the buyers from the goods as sold, as 

 the determinant of any question which may arise as to the 

 correspondence of the goods with the guarantees. Some of 

 the Swedish, Finnish, and Austrian stations also certify as 

 to the quality of seeds in bulk by drawing samples on the 

 seedsmen's premises, and furnishing tags to be attached to 

 sacks containing seeds which come up to certain standards 

 of purity and germination ; but this practice has not made 

 much progress outside the countries named. In addition to 

 the testing of seeds for seedsmen and agriculturists, experi- 

 mental and research work in agricultural botany is also carried 

 out at a number of the stations. 



The permanent staff of a station usually consists of a 

 director (except in cases where seed-testing forms part of the 

 work of an agricultural experiment station) with one or two 

 male or female assistants, and a fluctuating staff of girls for 

 eed-counting and germination work. Ihe cost is defrayed 



