The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-08-18

Cart Selbenmdnn, Basic: Ours IS a
wholesale house under a control con-
tract with the Zurich station. We
sell cheap nOn-guaranteed seeds to
these who want them, but the ma Orlty
of our customers, which are aSSOcIa-
tiOns of farmers, demand controlled
seeds. 1t is indisputable that the CON
troll system is of great Importance, and
has done immense good, especially in
the trade in agricultural seeds. 1t is
known to us that formerly many mer-
chants sold seeds with very little vital
itv, and clover seed which was adul.
terated with spurious kinds and with
stained quartz grains. By such means
these merchants were able to undersell
honest houses. to the detriment Of az
ri~culture."
Kent d Bryden, Darlington, Eng-
land: we have q private contract
with the Zurich station. The advan-
tage is that in purchasing seeds IN
bulk which may be of doubtful quality
we are able to send a sample to Zurich,
and quickly get a reply stating the
purity of the sample, and later we get
the full report of the test. The seeds
sold in this market have greatly inn
proved in quality since purchasers
have demanded guaranteed seeds, We
believe it to beOf very great Importance
to have q standard of quality. If such
were established, seeds could be bought
and sold by it."
DUUjd AUister, London, England: Il
have q private contract with the station
at Zurich. The advantages of such an
establishment to agriculture and to
seedsmen IS very great. Many kinds
Of seeds have improved since the eStab-
Iishment of the testing stations. Espe-
cially is this noticed in grass seeds,
such as meadow fox tail, meadow fes-
cue, cocks foot, sweet vernal, rough
Ftalked meadow grass, etc, which
formerly were either greatly adulter-
ated or had other seeds wholly Substl-
tuted for them. Seedsmen now vie
with each other in procuring the finest
and truest qualities Of seeds, and the
percentage of purity and vitality being
a~scertained through the testing sta
tons, they guarantee them to their
customers"
The above are but a few of the many
communications Of like tenor on file at
the North Carolina Experiment Station.
The OtficiaI and scientific control of
seeds which the North Carolina Station
has been working to n8ugurate is 10
novelty. 1t has had 20 years trial i'll
Europe, and, as the extracts above
quoted show, is satisfactory alike to
honest seed dealers and intelligent seed
purchasers. Shall not this highly bene
fetal system be introduced into the
United Statest
No one will pretend that the Ameri-
can seedSmen r 0 honest than
their European brethren. While we
have in all branches Of trade individual
men and firms of the strictest integrity,
it IS a matter Of public nOtOriety that
in no nation under the sun is adultera-
ton of commodities so common, so
barefaced and so luminous as in the
United Sta eS. The official control Of
fertilizers has been found necessary
and profitable wherever these goods
are sold in any quantity, and the whole
some restriction the control places
upon INSCRIPTIONS and careless manu-
facturers is equally advantageous to
honest manufacturers and good farm
ers. 1t will afford a protection also in
the matter of the quality Of seeds as
has been proved in Europe.
Even were no ~adulterated or stale
seeds put upon the market, the neceS-
Sity for knowing the exact per cent. of
purity and vitality of any sample
would still remain. Unless the farmer
knows these facts he cannot nationally
prepare q mixture Of different species
so desirable in grass-farming, and the
application of scientific methods be
comes impossible. Agriculture is truly
called the basis of national prosperity.
1t IS no less true that good seed is the
basis of a prosperous harvest, for the
stream never rises higher than it's
source.
The establishment of government
supported Experiment Stations in
nearly every State and Territory in
the Union has placed at the service Of
agriculture Over 400 scientific special
lists trained in the methods of exact
science. This departure has inaugu-
rated a new epoch in farming. Scien-
tiic methods are fast taking the place
of the old rule of thumb methods and
guess work. Scientific and rational
agriculture can not tolerate guess
work; it requires definite and known
material to work with and upon.
Among other things it demands seeds
of a definite and known per Centage of
of purity and vitality. This demand
is a rock and whose falleth upon this
rock shall be broken, but upon whom
this rock falleth it shall grind
him to powder"
l have spoken at length of the neces-
sity and value Of a seed control in this
country. | will say a few words upon
the way in which this may be effected.
Two years ago the botanical committee
of the Association of Experiment Sta
ton Officers appointed a sub-commit-
tee to consider and devise ways and
means for introducing the guarantee
system. Since then much has been
done, both in making known the true
state Of the retail seed-trade and in de-
wishing apparatus and methods for test
ing seeds.