Regulatory Series, Bulletin 45 . October, 1945
Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
THOMAS P. COOPER, Director
SEED INSPECTION IN KENTUCKY, 1944-45
. W. A. PRICE, MARY L. DIDLAKE, E. C. VAUGHN, ENCIL DEEN,
· HOWARD TILSON, ALICE McDANIEL, MARGARET MORTON,
MARY LEE LITTELL, LUCY BAUGH,
AND CHARLOTTE CUNDIFF
Abnormal weather during the summer and tall of 1944 brought
· about new ])1'OlJlG1l1S tor producers of seed. The premature ripening
’ of such seeds as corn kllld tobacco caused by the unusually dry sum-
mer, was suddenly checked by a 1·ainy season beginning August 15
and lasting until October. The irregular ripening and the new
g1·owth caused by the rains, together with thc high moisture content
4 ’ ot' the seed at the time of harvest, may have caused the lowered vitality
which was indicated by extreme variations in germination tests.
irregularities in the preliminary cleaning of tobacco seed con- -,
tinued to cause trouble. Seed producers are learning that tl1e
harsher methods of breaking up pods do damage by crushing or
cracking seed, and that curing seed while still in the pods is just as
important in seed production as the curing ot plants in production
of high-quality tobacco. Greater care in handling, especially in
{ harvesting, curing, cleaning and storage, will eliminate many of the
difficulties in the production of seed.
Aside from the conditions mentioned the seed situation in
I Kentucky, as shown by analyses of official samples. is slightly better
than usual.
Educational work with county agents, farmers. teachers, and 4-ll
groups has bee11 continued Hlld inspectors have increased their work
by inspecting a larger number of seed lots a11d by taking more official
samples than in the preceding year. During the fiscal year, July 1.
1944 to June 30. 1945, 5,415 lots of seed were inspected and 542 ot't?i-
cial samples taken. Analysts spent about 1,120 hours making 1.439