Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-05-04
Montana Takes Steps for
Protection from Poor Seed

agronomist at Montana State college,
that Montana farmers h produce GER
tain seeds of as high q quality as can
be found in the United States have q
vital interest in all efforts which are
designed TO protect such seed against
fraudulent substitution. And it is for
this reason. he says. that systems OF veri-
dcation and ce%rtihcation have developed
in this country.
The value OF seed. particularly the seed
of alfalfa and clover. is based primarily
upon the variety and upon the place
where it is grown, in addition, OF course
to the very obvious factors of purity and
termination, says the agronomist. The
middle western farmer has come to know
that northern grown alfalfa seed, partic-
ularly that grown in Montana, will give
better results than that grown in the
south. Therefore, there is a demand for
seed of certain varieties of alfalfa that
has been produced in Montana. Seed
grown in one part Of the country cannot
be distinguished from seed grown some
where else. Therefore, unless means OF
identification are devised, substitution
becomes easy. 1t is a comparatively sim
pie matter to send a carload OF southern
grown alfalfa seed to Montana, have 1t
shipped from here to some middle west
ern point so that it will be billed from
Montana" n mark the product Mon
tana Alfalfa Seed"
without safeguarding machinery, seed
often loses its identity when 1t enters
the channels Of trade. This was recog-
nized, says Mr.. Kurtz. when the seed
staining law was passed by congress, re-
quiring that certain seeds. from coun-
tries which are known to produce seed
which is not adapted to conditions In
the United States, must be stained a
distinguishing color SO that 1t may be
easily identified.
The nation and certain individual
states, of which Montana is one, have
taken still further steps to protect the
interests of seed producers and seed
users. The nation has started q system
of seed verification, under which seed is
identified as to its origin. In Montana a
certilcation system has been established
which not only provides a means of
checking up the origin of seed but upon
the variety as we'll. Also. before the fed
eral system of seed veriioation was es-
tablished, the state Of Montana, through
the state department of agriculture took
steps to protect growers here from fraud
ulent substitution by starting a system
Of state sealing to identify n-on-registered
alfalfa seed grown in the state. Such
seed is known as affidavit" seed. The
national veri1cation system is very SINH
lar to the state sealing plan used in Mon
tana for affidavit seed. except that it is
on a nation wide instead Of a state wide
basis, the Montana agronomist explains
The seed v%eriication system started
with a conference of seed dealers. repre-
sentatiVes of state and federal aoricul-
,.xa1 o~DYcfor o,l D~rr1~to+ty1 %f ranr
growers associations at Chicago in 1926
The coming seasons crop will be the first
to which the veriication system will ap.
ply.
The veriication system is purely a vol.
untary one, says Mr.. Kurtz. The book!
of dealers who handle verified seed art
open to inspection by United States in,
spectors so that every pound Of verified
seed, sold or in stock, may be traced
back to it's origin. Dealers enrolled IL
the plan are entitled to use an emblem
with the words Verified Origin Seed
upon it. A dealer entitled to the priv,
leges Of being recognized as a verified
seed dealer must guarantee that at leas'
20 per cent Of the seed sold by him II
verified seed. A dealer violating any O.
the agreements is dropped from the lis
and is deprived Of UGH privileges as tn,
system assures.
How the plan will work remains to b,
seen but 1t is certain that an importan
step has been taken to protect the hon
est growers, dealers and users Of seet
from fraud. As such, say MIR. Kurtz, 1
deserves earnest support, particular,
from seed dealers and growers in Mon
tana who because >of the excellent prod
uct produced here are most in need O
protection.