Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-02-09
AGRICULTURE
Live Stock Sanitary Dept.-Impor'
lance Of Seed Potato Inspection

-
lance Of Seed Potato Inspection
poyden Bearce OF East Eddington.
state live stock sanitary commission
er, appeared Thursday afternoon before
the committee on agriculture upon the
resolve appropriating $4,000 for 1917
and a like amount for 1918 to be used
under the direction of the live stock
sanitary commissioner for the control
OF contagious diseases among domestic
animals.
Mr. Bearce urged the need OF this
amount 10 carry out the provisions or
the statute. The members of the COM
rnittee asked many questions and Mr..
Bearce explained fully the system OF his
department and what had been done In
relation TO the control of contagious dis
eases.
The next matter taken up was the
bill which provides that all local seal
ers of weights and measures and their
deputy sealers in cities and towns shall
have the same power that is given the
state sealer of weights and measures
and the deputy State seale-.
Levi 8 Penneli OF Portland. the pres
ent State deputy seale- of weights and
measures, app AIRED for the bill and
the local sealers.
Commissioner OF Agriculture John A.
Roberts OF Norway conducted the hear
ing IN behalf OF the act providing for
the improvement and certficaton of
seed produced in the State, which asks
for an appropriation of $4,000 for that
purpose
Frank Lowell Of Gardiner, large
grower Of seed potatoes. said that State
Certifcation of seed had accomplished a
great work. had taught people to real
iZe the value OF certified seed and had
put Maine right in the business.
Commissioner Roberts said that the
money asked would be expended for n
man in the department to have charge
Of the work as the cost Of the field work
in connection with the certification was
paid for by the fees.
Rep. Clarence A. Powers Of Fort
Fairfield. "a large Aroostook county po-
tato grower. spoke briefly in favor of
the appropriation. Rep. Cummings of
Hebron Of the committee asked If those
buying seed were obliged to pay for in
spection and Commissioner Roberts ex-
planned that the buyer was not obliged
20 have his seed inspected
Y. A. Rogers Of Brunswick, who had
the department of agriculture for the
past two years. explained in detail the
method of doing the work. Two field
Inspections were made under certain
rules As result Of raising the stand
ard OF Maine seed It was becoming fa-
vnrably known abroad and maintained a
certain standard where few years ago
there were from three 70 six varieties
In every bag OF Maine potatoes Mr.
Rogers gave the committee copies of
letters In praise of Maine certified seed
The field work was self-sustaining but
he thought that the new commissioner
was very modest in asking only $4,000
for the administrative end of the work.
Rep. Bowman Of Detroit of the COM
mittee asked what percentage of an in
epec;ed field produced certified seed Mr.
Rogers replied that In one case where
no care was taken in selecting the seed
out of 100 acres only two acres were
passed on the first inspection and these
were rejected on the second inspection,
but where certified seed was used al
most every acre OF the fields were
passed
should YOU favor requirement that
only certified seed should be used n.
planting fields entered for inspection ~
asked Commissioner Roberts
Not yet. but perhaps later" replied
Mr.. Rogers.
Rep. Leander T. futile of Caribou
said that the farmers of Aroostook
county had learned to plant better seed
and that thcy would not accept as a
gift now seed that they used to use for
planting.
Comm missioner Roberts said that the
certihcatton of Maine seed potatoes was
OF particular value at this time, when
northern New York was trying to GU.
into the market for Maine potatoes on
Long Island.