§ 53. Mr. WEDGWOODasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether the Board or the Board's inspectors have recently recommended, by circular or otherwise, certain seed merchants for the supply of certain brands of potato as likely to be free of disease; and, if so, which were the firms recommended and what were their special qualifications for the supply of these brands of potato?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of AGRICULTURE (Mr. Runciman)In order to prevent the spread of wart disease the Board sometimes require growers to plant one or other of the varieties of potato known to resist the disease. The Board and their inspectors are frequently asked by growers where such varieties can be obtained. It would be clearly impossible to name every reliable seed potato merchant and unreasonable to refuse to give the information asked for. The practice has therefore been to give the names of a few firms who are known to sell the varieties required. The list of such firms is variable to suit different cases, and may be altered or extended from time to time, the object of the Board being to supply information in each case suitable to the particular district. No good purpose would be served by publishing the names of firms that have been recommended in this way, but I shall be happy to send my hon. Friend a list of them for his own information, if he so desires.
§ 54. Mr. WEDGWOODasked how many seed-testing stations in Great Britain are at present in receipt of assistance out of public funds; whether they all supply analyses of seeds sent in the same form and for the same price; whether any and, if so, what steps have been taken by the Board to test the accuracy of the analyses of samples supplied by comparison of similar samples sent to different stations; and what are the qualifications generally of those officials in charge of the stations?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANNo Grants are made out of public funds for the special purpose of providing seed-testing stations in Great Britain. Facilities for seed-testing are offered in the botanical laboratories of most of the agricultural colleges and similar institutions receiving Grants-in-Aid, but the tests are in no sense official, and the accuracy of the analyses is not tested by the Board. I understand that the analyses are not always in the same form, and that the fees charged vary, no charge being made in some cases. The tests are presumably carried out by the trained botanists on the college staffs.
§ Mr. WEDGWOODIs it not desirable that these institutions which are in receipt of public funds should have some uniformity and that their analyses should carry a certain official cachet of accuracy with them?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI do not think it would be possible for us to give a guarantee that the analyses were correct unless the analyses were arrived at by our own servants. It has been usual to leave the tests to the college staff, but I am considering the whole question and will shortly receive a deputation on the subject.