PURITY OF SEEDS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 987, 30 November 1910, Page 10

PURITY OF SEEDS.

;;\ ''. ,v v FREE; TESTING. . /Onerof the farmer's troubles is that he ', cannot, always.rely on the seed.he buys tiding- unadulterated and otherwise, good.' ■ At several imnortant conferences of farmers of late this matter has been discussed, but, according to the farmers themselves, unsatisfactory seed continues to be sold. It may not be generally, known; that the biology section of the Department ■ af Agriculture is prepared to test agricultural seeds, botli for germination and "piirity, free of charge to the farmers and the seed merchants. Farmers who take advantage of this facility should, however; bear in mind that the reports .which■ thev. will ■ receive from .the- -Department refer only to ■ the particular .einrple sent. The Department does not send it as a .guarantee of the farmers' bulk purchase of seed, because the samples may not in all cases bo. a true index of the whole. -Full reports covering the matters of germination-and 1 purity- cannot, be sent out under twenty-one days.from the receipt of the sample, but in cases in 'which a purity tost only is requested advice can he forwarded within two or throe days. The purity test will give the percentage of impurities and the. names of. any. foreign seed present;, and.

the germination test, will giyo the percentage, of, germination jyithiii a stated and is cnlculatetY on tho pure seed contained in the sample. ■ The Department hopes that seed merchants and farmers will make use of tho opportunity of testing tho seed they propose to sell, and that a livelier intcrcst.'..ih\the.sowing of high-class seed may be'awakened.

Last year the Department"examined and reported on four hundred samples.., •-•■■■ • ■■:..■'■