Alma record., 1913-09-25
LABELED
Important Provision to New Seed
Law Passed Last Year
MUST ANALYzE SEED SOLD
Can Have Analysis Made by State Board OF
Agriculture on Payment of rs Cents.

the new seed law passed by the last
legislature is that it provides that all
packages of more than eight ounces
offered for sale must be labeled
Such label shall be marked as fol-
lows:
O Name Of agricultural seed.
(2) Name and address of person
selling or offering for sale such seed
CD The approximate percentage
by weight of purity or freedom OF
such seed from foreign matter or
from other seed distinguishable by
their appearance.
(4) The approximate percentage
by weight of contamination, specify
ing by name each kind present in
greater proportion by weight than
one per cent of the whole
The seeds of quack grass, Canada
thistle, clover and alfalfa, dodder
and field dodder, are defined as nox-
ious weeds. 1t shall be a misde-
meanor to offer for sale, sow or
sause to be sown, agricultural seed
containing more than one to two
thousand of the variety of agricul-
tural seed sown.
, Section OF the law reads as fol-
lows: Whoever buys or sells or
sows agricultural seeds, defined in
section 1 of this act for use in this
state, may submit his samples of such
seed to the state board of agricul-
ture for examination, to be made as
promptly as possible and reported
to the sender. For tests of purity,
the board shall charge a fee of 25
cents for the examination Of each
sample, which fee shall be payable in
advance. All moneys received as such
fees shall be paid to the state board
of agriculture.
DR.. Ernest A. Bessey, botanical de-
partment of Michigan Agricultural
college, under whose direction the
seed analysis will be carried out,
writes as follows: "The features of
this law that will require the greatest
care are those that require the ap-
proXimate percentages by weight of
contaminates, specifying the kinds
that are present in quantities greater
than one per cent and also the pro-
vision that no seeds may be sold or
offered for sale that contain more
than one seed in two thousand of
quack grass, Canada thistle, and the
two dodders mentioned. This point
will make it necessary that the seed
dealers or the wholesaler from whom
the smaller dealers purchase their
seed, must analyze their seed. In
case this is done by the wholesalers
or by the larger seed firms, these
analyses will naturally be furnished
to the retail dealers either on printed
reports furnished by the wholesalers
or on the label itself that is attached
to the lot, so that the retail dealer
will be able to obtain his analysis in
that way However where the re-
tail dealer buys his seed from the
growers, it will be necessary that he
make an analysis before he can sell
that seed. If it is not possible for
lim to make the analysis himself, he
IAN have this made by another per-
son who is competent to do the work, |
Or, on payment of 25 cents for each |
sample analyzed, can have it made |
oy the state board Of agriculture or
more accurately, by the seed analyst
appointed by the state board of agri-
culture and placed under the super !
,ision of the department of botany
IF the college. In case the dealers
make their own analyses, these should
conform in general to the regulations
md methods of testing used by the
United States department Of agri-
ulture
The act does not apply to growers
elling seeds to seed merchants or
growers shipping seed to be cleaned
nd graded before being sold or to
eed which is held in storage for the
purpose of being cleaned or seed
marked mot cleaned" and held or
old for shipment outside of the
tate. The latter, however, must con-
orm to the government regulation
governing shipment of seed in inter-
tate commerce.