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

which they sell attached a clause
which acts as O disclaimer for all re-
sponsibiliry with regard to the seed,
even whether 1T would grow the kind
of a plant which the seed sold was sup
posed to do.
The writer. as botanist OF the expert
ment station, as early as 1890, began To
do what he could to introduce an edu-
cational campaign with regard to seeds.
He believed that If every farmer was
allowed to have his seed analysed, test
ed and reports made and If numerous
bulletins circulars, ETC., were issued,
telling farmers how to test and examine
seeds that the quality of the seed plac-
ed on the market would be materially
improved. In lectures before farmers
institutes the writer invariably advised
the farmers that since all weed seeds
of Importance are large enough to be
seen, and since any seed that he has
cause to buy is of very definite form
and color that 1T is not necessary for
any one to buy lot of foul seed with
forage seed or grains. All one need TO
do Is to hold a sample in their hand
and look at 1t, and If 1t contains any
other seed than the kind of seed which
they wish to SOW, then it is a simple
matter. He has only to refuse to make
the purchase and look for another
sample. However, we gradually awoke
to the fact that 1t was doubtful if such
advice was ever good. Under the cam
paign Of education the type of seeds
offered for sale on the market by the
retail dealer became always of a lower
type, both as to purity and viability.
The average records OF the station for
purity and viability ran lower rather
than higher year by year. Farmers who
in earlier years sent in seed of high
class for examination were each year
sending in seed Of poorer and poorer
uality, until the writer began to doubt
whether they actually knew a clover
seed or a fax seed. In 1907 the grain
growers convention and various farm
ers Institutes advocated the adoption
of a pure seed law. One was drafted
and placed before the legislature. and
while it seemed to meet with the favor
of almost every legislator the efforts
of its friends could not get it out of
the legislative committees. 1t was
amended and re-amended, and finally
died of old age because OF opposition
in committees. In 1909 effort was re-
newed and in that case the friends of
the bill, instead of allowing those who
were opposed to any seed legislation
to amend it at every point made per-
sistent fight to maintain we'll worded
law As in the previous case the diff
Guilty in passing the bill originated in
the opposition brought by members of
the Seed Trade association. who though
they professed that they wished a good
seed law, apparently had little use for
any sort Of legislation along that line.
Approximatelyttwo weeks were occupied
by each one of the committees before
reporting the bill. 1t was discussed
| thoroughly on the floor of both houses
and passed with two opposing votes in
the senate and four in the house. In
opposition 1t was usually urged that
there should be uniform national law
and that the law as proposed would
be very destructive to local seed houses
and the amendments offered were all
ways of the nature which would either
make the law unavoidable or unconsti-
| tutional in it's dealings. This opposi-
ton Of course did not seem to bear well
| in mind the past history of the at
| tempts of the department of agriculture
VI,
or it's inability TO procure even the very
essential right to bar the importation
of dead seeds and seed known to be
used for adulteration purposes. 1t is
the opinion of the writer that 1t will
be, as in the case of the pure food cam
paign, necessary for a number of states
to place seed control acts in operation
1t may then be hoped that the good
work done by these control laboratories
may have their educational value and
that we can eventually procure a ma
tional law which win In large part do
away with some of the difficulties ex-
| perienced by many retail statesmen in
procuring good seed to sell to citi-
/ zens
Effect on Local Seed Houses: The
North Dakota law has allowed the es-
adjustment Of an effective working
laboratory and the seedsmen represent
| ed within the state, though originally
opposing the establishment of such a
| laboratory, are making use of It's facil-
| tiles to aid them in the purchase of
their stock. 1t is too early, as prev
| iously indicated, to suggest what will
| be their final conclusions as to the mer-
| its of the law as affecting their bus
mess, but from the opportunities which
the writer has had to observe the re-
suits which he has been able to report
/ 1t would seem that the seedsmen could
come to no other conclusion than that
the law must eventually work greatly
to the benefit of every firm that is in
position to do pure seed business.
1t is but to be expected that those
who have been in the habit of selling
carloads of common elevator grain for
seed purposes will find that sort of
| business somewhat interfered with,
while those who have been particularly
interested in building up pure seed
business which in reality represents
pure types of seed of high quality must
eventually find that the law will work
out to their advantage. In a large
measure the difficulties in the seed
business come because few Of the
smaller seed houses, regardless of the
| fact that they claim to sell home grown
seed. ever know where their seed is
grown. They are at the mercy of the
seed jobbers and large wholesale firms.
| It is unfortunate that any OF these
have no conception of seed varieties
when IL comes to handling varieties of
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