TECHNICAL BULLETIN No. 1. 
5 
expense of preparing and fertilizing the ground, and if the seed 
sown proves to be worthless, or of a different species from that 
claimed, by the time the fact becomes apparent the season for sow¬ 
ing has passed, and the defrauded purchaser loses, not only all he 
has invested in seeds, fertilizer, land and labor, but also the value 
of his prospective crop. In Europe all respectable seedsmen give a 
positive and definite guarantee of the purity and vitality of their 
seeds, and there is no reason why American seedsmen should not 
do the same. So long, however, as seedsmen think they can force 
their wares, on their own terms, upon the consumer, no advance 
of this kind need be expected, and just so long will the long-suffer¬ 
ing public be annoyed and defrauded by stale and weed-infested 
seeds. Seedsmen, when asked to give a definite guarantee of their 
goods, reply that their reputation is the only guarantee they can 
otter, and that is sufficient for the protection of the purchaser ! But 
this claim is utterly fallacious There are in all trades rascals who, 
under pretense of honest trading, fleece all whom they can inveigle 
into their power, and these same rascals may be among the ones who 
most loudly prate of their reputation. Reputation is a good thing, 
but business is business, and should be conducted upon business¬ 
like principles. The purchaser of seeds may have an unblemished 
reputation for honesty, but if he were to go into the store of any of 
these same seedsmen who demand that purchasers shall accept their 
goods upon the guarantee of their reputation, and offer a piece of 
unstamped metal in payment for seeds, he would be very likely 
to discover that the rule of “reputation” does network both ways. 
Moreover, nearlv all American seedsmen sell the title to their seeds 
to the retailer, without any real and practicable restriction upon the 
latter. The retailer naturally thinks he is at liberty to do as he 
likes with his own seeds, and he generally likes to sell them with¬ 
out inquiring too closely into their quality. 
The art of seed-testing upon scientific principles was instituted 
in 1870, by Dr. Frederick Nobbe, Tharand, Germany, and it has now 
in European countries reached such perfection as to give entire satis¬ 
faction to all concerned. The custom is, in Europe, for seedsmen to 
sell seeds under a specific guarantee of purity and vitality. The 
purchaser is at liberty to have the seeds tested by certain public 
seed-control stations, or by botanists employed by agricultural socie¬ 
ties. If the seeds fail to come up to the quality guaranteed, the 
purchaser has the right to demand a commensurate reduction in 
price, or he may, if he prefers, return the seeds to the seller and get 
his money back, the seller being required to pay the cost of freight 
orfcthe seeds. This fair and business-like arrangement has resulted 
in driving out of the markets adulterated seeds, while the freedom 
of commercial seeds from noxious weed-seeds has become greatly 
increased. Before 1870, when Prof. Nobbe began his useful work, 
there were several establishments in Europe engaged in the maim- 
