The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-01-31
The North Dakota Seed Control Act

Can address delivered by Prof. III. L.
Bolley at recent meeting Of the Amer
lean Association of Official Seed An
alysts in Boston.)
The North Dakota legislature during
the session of 1909, enacted Pure Seed
Law and established a laboratory for
seed control studies at the North Da-
kota experiment station. The general
requirements of the law may be stated
about as follows:
i. 1t includes in it's provisions the
seeds Of all varieties of field, forest and
garden plants.
2. 1t prohibits the sale OF seeds
containing the seeds of quack grass,
sow thistle, Canada thistle and dodder,
and makes the sale of seeds containing
more than a reasonable trace of the
seeds of any noxious weeds unlaw-
full.
8. 1t provides for inspection of seeds
offered or exposed for sale or of seeds
sold or delivered in the state. In order
that this inspection may be effective
the law demands that all seeds sold,
offered or exposed for sale be plainly
labeled upon the exterior of the con-
tainer with the proper common names
of the seeds contained and the name of
the person, or persons, firm or corpor-
alton responsible for the sale or ex-
posure for sale.
4. 1t is also required that "unclean-
ed seed" must be labeled "uncleaned
Seed" 1t is unlawful to deliver in the
state "uncleaned seed" without procur-
ing the consent Of the purchaser.
5. 1t is unlawful to sell, offer or ex-
pose for sale, or deliver within the state
any seeds which are misbranded or
falsely labeled in any respect.
.. The penalty provided for viola
tons of the law is a fine of not less
than ten dollars $4,000 nor more than
Ave hundred dollars ($500.00).
z. Any citizen of the state may have
samples analysed, tested and reported
upon free of charge when submitted
according to the regulations prescribed
by the state seed commissioner.
8. Facts regarding violations of the
law may be brought before the attorney
general and states attorney whose duty
1t Is to prosecute all persons violating
any provisions of the act.
8. The North Dakota experiment
station Is authorized to publish an an
nual report and bulletins or press re-
ports setting forth the results of in
spections, examinations, analyses or
test conducted under the provisions of
the act, in which may be included the
names Of persons, firms or corpora
tons having seeds under such inspec-
ton, examination, analyses or test.
10. The law aside from the prohibit
AN~Yn 10 L. re lea tot al nEp
quack grass SOW thistle, Canada this
tie and dodder, does not attempt to
set standards of purity or viability, as
it was thought best not to legalize any
grades Of seed of less quality than the
best attaina'ble. ANY fixed standards
below the best attainable must of ne
cessity work towards lowering the
quality that would otherwise be at
tanned by the careful, the able and the
conscientious dealers.
It is of course too early to speak
definitely with regard to the workings
and effectiveness of the law. 1t is now
more dependent upon those who have
been instrumental in having the law
enacted to see that it works out as a
beneflt TO both scotsman and farmer
rather than as a burden to either. 1t
may be well a. this time to indicate
some of the reasons for the enactment
of the law and for the special features
contained in it. At first thought 1T
would seem that these would be the
same in all states. at least those who
demanded uniform seed laws would
seem to favor this feature. However,
upon closely investigating the matter IL
will probably be seen that comparative
ly local regions each have their own
seed problems. For number of years
North Dakota has suffered from num-
Der of conditions which are quite pecul-
lar to It's own agricultural interest.
Introduction of Seeds of Cereal Pests:
The state a comparatively few years
since had vast areas of fertile lands,
comparatively free from weeds which
may be characterized as having the
cultivation habir--lovers of cultivation.
It was soon learned that these lands
represented part of the greatest GER
cal growing lands in the world. Wheat,
oats, flax and barley especially of
spring crops were at once seeded ex-
tensively At first the crops were quite
| free from weeds but soon the yields
were largely interferred with by the
| pESSGLlCe I'll NAlC A0S-
i've weeds of the region giving no trou-
BILE under cultivation as they had not
attained the cultivated land habit and
could not compete with wheat or other
cereals on their own grounds. The In
troduced weeds, however, had no such
| Limitations. There, thus was a period
| in which the legislature of North Da-
kota each year passed a new noxious
weed law, looking towards the elimin-
alton of noxious weeds. all of which
laws were quite Intellectual in accom-
plishing their purpose. The source OF
rapid distribution of such weeds was
| by the use of large volumes of seed TAX
en- directly from elevators without
cleaning. Some seedsmen, though ad-
vertising as dealers in clean seeds. got
the habit of quick sales and low profits
and distributed to the settlers in the
new counties carloads of seed which
should have been sold only as common
grain. Such seed was often not only
| f1lled with weed seed but represented
various and sundry kinds, strains or
varieties of the particular grain sold
North Dakota farmers thus rapidly rec
ognize what has been the origin OF the
weeds which infest the grain crops OF
North Dakota.
The Forage Crop Problem: The in
PRODUCTION of stock and more intensive
types OF farming has also brought at
/ = $500.