Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-07-10
WORDS OF WARNING TO
AMERICAN FARMERS
Report on Pure Seed investigation
Submitted to Secretary
Wilson.
IMPORTATION OF VILE WEEDS
Most OF Our Weed Pests Brought
From Foreign Countries--
Careful Investigations
Being Made.

Washington, July 3.-Some interest
ing statements and words of warning
to American farmers are given in o
report on pure seed Investigations
submitted TO Secretary Wilson. IL
says thousands Of pounds, probably
tons, of grass and clover seed are
shipped annually into the United
States, which contain all sorts of vile
weed seeds. In this way such pests
ms the Russian thistle, Canada thistle
wild mustard. chess, wild daisy, trefolI
and plantain were introduced here.
Nearly every year witnesses the advent
of additional pests of this character
which are brought TO America in inns
manner. The difficulties in the way
Of e%radicating such seeds, when once
established i'm a community. are wen
nigh iusupcrable. Wind, stock ana
railroads, il is cited. scatter them iaf
and wide. A large amount OF cheap
seed. il is said, is now being sold as
novelties AT fancy prices through the
manipulation of the name, and the ~.
port says the German coffee berry,
which many sccdsmen are now adNcr-
Using as a cheap substitute for cot
fee, is really the common SOFA bean,
which can be bought oheaply almost
anywhere. The lack OF suitable places
for impartial tests by both e dealer
and buyer has been met i'm Europe Tor
nearly thirty years by the establish
ment os seed control stations, now
numbering about 100, n on who's
tests guarantees are based. Several cN-
pertinent stations i'm this country have
taken this matter up and recently a
committee from them had the consent
Of the agricultural department con
corning methods and use of apparatus.
For three years the department has
been investigating the quality of agri-
cultural seeds. Testing is itself an
immense task, and already this year
over u half million individual seeds
have been counted out and tested, and
a small trial ground started mt Ken
sington. Md. Prominent scedsmcn. 1t
is stated, frequently sell five or SIX al
legged different varieties of an article
out of the same bin. The collection OF
$1,000 Walls Of seeds from nearly All
parts Of the world has been made at
the department as m assistant in iden-
tifying foreign seeds found in com
mcrcial use and the department viii
thus bc able 10 give warning against
new or dangerous pests.
The report urges "A careful selection
bv purchasers and says if good seed
cannot hc obtained otherwise, lcglS-
lation may be necessary 10 shut ont
seed varcs filled with bad seeds. The
report says il is moro important that
seed should bee successfully raised here.
pprning new venue of profit TO
American husbandmen, and il particu-
larIv points out sugar beet, the raising
Of which is capable of being developed
into an important industry.
Secretary Wilson expects TO bring n
ramie machine from France for expert
mcut i'm course of the contemplated
development Of the ramic industry.
The machine is TO be tested here and
opportunity given 10 study in actual
field the operation and compare the
principles of construction involved in
This and American machines. Specla.
ngent Dodge. in charge Of the fibre in
yestigations. i'm the agricultural de"
partmcnt, submitted a report in which
he states that there is hardly II ma
chine that will not turn out fibre
when the stalks are fed two or three
at a time, but under the rigid depart
mcnt rules in a test for quality with
paying quantity all so far observed
nave failed utterly. As there has been
steady improvement in the machines
since the belgian trials of 1855, the
hope is expressed that we may yet
awe machinery which will give a quail
~ of fibre approaching the China
grass of commerce, with a quantity
sufficient to dcfray expenses and leave
4 mnroin of profit.