Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-02-26
FACTS FOR FARMERS
PURE SEEDS AND SUCCESSFUL FARMING
GO TOGETHER.
THE IOWA PURE SEEDLAW
What is Being Done to Save Iowa Farms
Important Facts to Consider Now
Dealers Must Sell Seeds
Of Quality.

| the tact that successful farming Is I'M
possible without the use of PURE
SEEDS.
Owing TO the methods of unscrupu-
lous dealers many of the best farms
have been ruined. The farmer not be-
| ing as good judge of the seed as the
scotsman often takes what is offered
at the lowest price, but in reality
pays more for seeds that will grow than
if he had bought the best.
The greatest evil however is not
that the farmer pays more for his
seed than he should but that in buy
ing low grade seeds he not only gets
"a poor stand but his crop is smothered
by weeds which continue to foul the
land for many years.
For number of years past Euro
pean countries Lave recognized not
only the Importance but the necessity
of testing the different farm seeds
sold, until now with the exception OF
Spain and Turkey every nation on
the Continent has Seed Testing Sta
tions. As a result the farmers now
realize the Importance of good, clean
seed and the greater part of the seed
sown in Europe is sold on the basis
of accurate tests for Purity and
termination.
Canada has for some time had "a
strict law governing the sale of seeds
for seeding purposes. The United
States however, up to the present
time, has no general law covering
this branch of business. Only few
of the states have made any attempt
to restrict the sale of poor and foul
seed and i'll many cases the laws do
not "hit the nail on the head" As
result the United States has become
the dumping ground for about all the
poor seed of Europe and Canada.
INSCRIPTIONS seed importers and
dealers have bought large amounts of
refuse seed which other countries would
not allow to be sown and have been able
TO sell it mixed with other seeds be-
cause our farmers wanted to buy cheap
seed. As "a result thousands of our best
farms have been overrun with the
weed pests of other countries which
our farmers have bought and sown
just because the seed which contained
it was sold "a little cheaper.
For some time past the wholesale
seedsmen of Iowa have been facing
grave situation. The supply of good
home grown clover seed has for some
years past been steadily growing
smaller while the shipments into the
state of low grade clover have steadily
increased.
To prevent further damage to the
farmers of Iowa the last state legisla-
ture passed the IOWA PURE SEED
LAW. This law establishes "a very
high standard of purity and germina-
tion for farm seeds, and exacts
penalty from INSCRIPTIONS dealers
who either SELL expose for sale. or
give away for seeding purposes, seeds
which do not come up to the require
ments of the law
The leading wholesale seed dealers
of the state, realizing the benefits
that this law would confer upon the
legitimate seed trade and wishing to
cooperate with State Dairy Commits
81 A rieh in no
ment of this law, met at Des Moines
on June 9TH, 1907, and organized the
IOWA SEED DEALERS ASSOCIA-
TlON. The express object of this or
ganization as shown in the constitu-
tion Is united effort to improve
the quality and purity of all seeds
sold, " and Ito give all possible aid
TO the enforcement of the law. "
The firms forming this Association
are:
Iowa Seed Co., Des Moines.
Henry Field Seed Co., Shenandoah.
Ratekin Seed House. Shenandoah.
.. A. Talbot & Co., keokuk.
A. a. Berry Seed 90. Clarinda
Shugsrt. Owen Seed Co, Council
Bluffs
Younkerman Seed Co., Council
Bluffs.
L. j. Hohberger. Des Moines.
Mel l.. Webster Co., Independence.
Hamilton Bros. Cedar Rapids.
Sioux City Seed & Nursery Co.,
Sioux City.
The Adams Seed Co. DEBORAH.
The following officers were elected
Pres. Chas. n. Page, of Iowa Seed
Co.
Vice Pres. Henry Field, of Henry
Field Seed Go.
Treas. j. T. Hamilton, of Hamilton
Bros
Sec'y. W. @. Adams of the Adams
Seed 90.
This article ana others which will
appear in these columns from now un-
til seeding time will attempt to show
in "a plain, straightforward way, the