Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-03-28

Strictly Observe Law.
eff you must buy your seed corn
this year, do so early" is the advise
of w B. Barney, State Dairy & Food
Commissioner.
Buying seed is one of the most
important pieces of work that the
planter has to do. 1t is not so easy
to buy the kind of seed you want as
some suppose. Take your time to
it and see that you get exactly the
kind of seed you want to plant.
OF the various reasons for a good
or poor crop, there is none so COM
pletely under the control Of the far
mer as the seed. Soil. rain, heat
and cold, and seasonal conditions
must be accepted as they are; but
the seed is selected by the farmer
himself.
The Dairy and Food Commission
er enforces the agricultural seed
laws of this state, and his inspectors
are now at work sampling the vari-
Gus seeds being offered for sale by
the Iowa seed dealers. The Iowa
seed law applies only to seed sold in
Iowa, and we would recommend that
farmers deal with Iowa seedsmen,
only, unless they are experts on the
particular kind of seed that they are
buying.
Corn is by far the most important
seed planted by the Iowa farmer and
on it's kind the quality depends the
prosperity of all our citizens; Manu-
facturer, dealer, banker, laborer.
and farmer are alike dependent on
a successful corn crop for their sue
cess; and, successful crop can new
er be grown from poor seed.
Records Of the Iowa State College
show that home grown seed corn
will produce from 8 to 10 bushels
more per acre than imported seed
Commissioner Barney is urging
the farmer who must buy his seed
corn to select the best seed corn
grown in his own neighborhood and
known to be of a successful variety
for his locality.
Do not depend on the germina-
tion test entirely. The termination
test tells whether or not the seed
will grow, but tell nothing about the
variety or the yield to be expected
| from it. These facts must be OBJ
tanned from the seller. Seed corn
is now being offered for sale at pri-
ces ranging from $500 to $500 per
bushel. Good seed is well worth
$500 per bushel, but it should be
$500 corn if it is offered for sale at
that price. An Iowa citizen recently
paid 10000 per bushel for selected
strains of seed corn. The best corn
growers are those who plant the
best seed: One grower has recently
increased his yield per acre from 65
to IS bushels by more careful selec.
ton of his seed alone
This year Dairy & Food Commits
sioner Barney has instructed his in
spectors to prosecute all dealers not
complying with the requirements of
the law. Most of our Iowa seed
merchants conduct an honest bust
ness but each year a few dishonest
and incompetent dealers sell entirely
too much poor and worthless seed
The law requires that all Agricul-
tural Seeds offered for sale in this
state be labeled with the following
statements:
Name of the seed.
2.-Name and address of seeds
man.
statement of the locality
where grown, when known.
Commissioner Barney has ruled
that where the dealer does not know
the locality where the seed was
grown, he shall so state thus:
THE locality where this seed was
grown is not known to me Cor us.) "
All purchasers of seeds should
have copy of the Iowa law per
tanning to Agricultural seeds; if
you do not, send postal card to w.
B. Barney, State Dairy G. Food Com