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Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2809, 14 February 1878, Page 2

In a late number of The Times there appeared a letter signed " Henry Bessomer" on the adulteration of agricultural seeds. This question has been considered of so much importance as to form the subject of at least one leading article and considerable correspondence in the leading journal of the world. If it be of so much importance at home, it is infinitely more so here, where the major portion of the seeds used are imported, and therefore have to stand the test of a long sea voyage as well as the chance of adulteration before shipment. We have therefore thought it of sufficient interest to deserve the prominence we now give to it. The mode of testing seed described below* the writer says, was found by his father to be "an infallible test of the germinating power of all agricultural seed." It may be added, that if the test is valuab'e in relation to agricultural seeds, it should be equally dependable for garden seeds, and much time lost in waiting for inferior seed to germinate may be saved by adhering to the directions given. The test is thus explained : Before sowing a field of turnips the seed was Invariably tested in the following s" lplo nrraer:—An ordinary dinner

plate was taken, and a circular piece cf One.flannel just large enough to cover tho lower part was liiid up'-ti it. Tho plate was then placed on a tabie at a window on the sunny side of tho house. The whole mass of seed to bo tested was then thoroughly mixed by hand, so that a fair bntuple could be taken from it by a small spoon. The seeds so taken were laid on a piece of paper and carefully counted, but without selection for quality, and a number, say 200 set ds, were then spread evenly on tho p:ece of flannel before named, after which a little cold water was gently poured over the flanuel until it was saturated, but not quite covered ; in this way it was allowed to stand for a few days exposed to the influence of light and air, when, the swollen seeds were seen to have germinated and thrown up long and slender white shoots of hulf an inch or more in height. All that was then necessary was simply to count the number of dead s-eds that lie exposed on the fiannnel in the same condition in which they were placed there, and hence the precise percentage of live and dead seeds were accurately ascertained. ,- When this percentage was unsatisfactory, my father invariably returned the seed to the merchant and bought some other in its place, *;u' he never l.r.t a crop of turnips from using dead seeds. '