The greater portion of the farm seeds, except small grains, entering consumption is handled by the seed trade. According to figures collected in 1919 by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, U.S. Department of Agricul ture, the proportion of clover and alfalfa seed handled by the trade varied from 52 per cent in the central to 91 per cent in the eastern states. In the same territory the proportions of grass seed handled by the trade are 65 and 93 while comparable figures for small grains are 9 and 44. The trade in grass and clover seed is international in character, prices being affected by available sup plies abroad as well as by those in the United States. There is consequently a more or less constant movement back and forth and a given lot of clover seed, for example, may be exported and later imported, depending on price fluctuations.
The movement for the co-opera tive marketing of farm seeds has attained some size, but the methods of handling and distributing used by the co-operative organizations are much the same as those employed by the wholesale trade.
A service providing for the verifi cation of origin of alfalfa seed has been inaugurated by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, U.S. Department of Agricul ture. In this service the dealer gives the state of production of alfalfa seed offered and keeps certain records which may serve as evidence of the correctness of the claim. Officials of the Bureau check these records from time to time. If defective records are found the dealer may be removed from the list of dealers to whom the service is extended. This service derives its importance from the fact that alfalfa seed from sections with mild winters is unsuited for seeding in sections with severe winters. A similar service covers the trade in red clover seed.
Most states have laws regulating the sale of seed but there is no uniform seed law. In general these laws require the giving of certain information covering percentage of purity and germination and the percentage of weed seeds present. In some states the sale by the trade of seed containing more than a specified number per unit of weight of certain noxious weed seeds as dodder, is prohibited. Owing to the fact that seed laws are not uniform in the various states, large dealers are compelled to use various tags to be attached to ship ments in accordance with the laws of the state to which the seed is consigned. In most cases these laws do not apply to the sale of
seed by farmers and, although they apply to the sale of vegetable as well as field seeds, their effect is felt more strongly by the field seed than by the vegetable seed dealers.
also national seed legislation covering the importation of seed. Under this law percentages of purity and germination are fixed for specified kinds of field seeds and any lot of such seed falling below these percentages may be refused entry. Adul teration of seed is prohibited. This law also requires the staining of red clover and alfalfa seed to indicate, so far as practicable, the country of origin of such seed and prohibits misbranding of seed in interstate commerce. Similar legislation is in force in Canada.
In order to comply with the various seed laws the larger dealers have established seed testing laboratories and employ competent seed analysts. All lots of seed entering the warehouses of such a firm are tested for purity and germination.
While the wholesale dealers in field seeds issue periodic or regular price lists, these are simple and contain little descriptive matter. The vegetable and flower seed trade, however, is built up largely on the catalogue, which in some cases is elaborate and richly illustrated. In it are given descriptions of the varieties offered and a special feature of the catalogue is commonly the "novelty" section, in which new or especially recommended varieties are described.
Those engaged in the vegetable and flower seed trade may be roughly grouped into professional seed growers, growers and dealers, dealers, wholesale or retail or both, and the small local retailer. In many cases the functions performed overstep these designations, some of the largest dealers being at the same time growers, wholesalers and retailers.
A special feature of the vegetable and flower seed business is the box trade. In this the dealer prepares boxes designed for holding and displaying assorted varieties of vegetable seeds or of flower seeds. These boxes are placed with local merchants, usually in drug stores or hardware stores, in every city and village. The packets are sold at a fixed price and the local dealer receives a commission on the total sales. This trade is very extensive and is in the hands of a relatively small number of dealers. Boxes offering seeds from more than one dealer are commonly found in the same store even in small cities.