Section 230.90  Sampling in the Administration of the Act

a)         General Procedure.

1)         In order to secure a representative sample, equal portions shall be taken from evenly distributed parts of the quantity of seed to be sampled. Access shall be had to all parts of that quantity.  When more than one trierful of seed is drawn from a bag, different paths shall be followed.  When more than one handful shall be taken from a bag, the handfuls shall be taken from well-separated points.

2)         Free-flowing seed.

A)        For free-flowing seed in bags or bulk, a probe or trier shall be used.

B)        For small free-flowing seed in bags a probe or trier long enough to sample all portions of the bag should be used.

3)         Non-free flowing seed, such as certain grass seed or uncleaned seed, difficult to sample with a probe or trier, shall be sampled by thrusting the hand into the bulk and withdrawing representative portions.  The hand is inserted in an open position and the fingers are held closely together while the hand is being inserted and the portion withdrawn.

4)         As the seed is sampled, each portion shall be examined.  If there appears to be lack of uniformity, the portions shall not be combined into a composite sample but shall be retained as separate samples or combined as to form individual-container samples to determine such lack of uniformity as may exist.

5)         When the portions appear to be uniform, they shall be combined to form a composite sample.

b)         Bulk. Bulk seeds shall be sampled by inserting a long probe or thrusting the hand into the bulk as circumstances require in at least seven uniformly distributed parts of the quantity being sampled.  At least as many trierfuls or handfuls shall be taken as the minimum which would be required for the same quantity of seed in bags of a size customarily used for such seed.

c)         Bags.

1)         For lots of six bags or less, each bag shall be sampled.  A total of at least five trierfuls shall be taken.

2)         For lots of more than six bags, five bags plus at least 10 percent of the number of bags in the lot shall be sampled.  (Round off numbers with decimals to the nearest whole number, raising 0.5 to the next whole number.) Regardless of the lot size, it is not necessary to sample more than thirty bags. Example:

3)         Samples shall be drawn from unopened bags, when available.  Samples may be drawn from open bags if unopened bags are not available and the identity of seed has been preserved.  When sampling open bags, probe the lower portion of the bag if possible.  The seed near the opening of the bag may be contaminated by customers and others.  Check the name of the kind and the lot number of each bag before probing to avoid mixing lots.

d)         Small Containers.  In sampling seed in small containers which it is not practical to sample as required in subsection (c), entire unopened containers may be taken in sufficient number to supply a minimum size sample as required in subsection (e) of this Section.  The sample may consist of the contents of one container, or two or more containers when combined.

e)         Size of Sample.  The following are minimum sizes of samples of agricultural seed to be submitted for purity analysis and germination test.  For germination test only submit one-half the following required quantities:

1)         Two ounces (56 grams) of grass seed such as timothy, redtop, bluegrass, or seeds not larger than these.

2)         Five ounces (140 grams) of red clover, sweetclover, alsike, alfalfa or seeds of similar size.

3)         Eight ounces (224 grams) of fescue, ryegrass or seeds of similar size, except 12 ounces (336 grams) of smooth brome.

4)         Thirty-six ounces (1000 grams) of wheat, rye, barley, soybeans, corn, or seeds of similar or larger size.

5)         Vegetable seed samples shall consist of at least 400 seeds per sample for germination purposes.

f)         Information to be Given on Sample for Testing.

1)         Name and address of owner.

2)         Kind of seed.

3)         Variety (if known).

4)         Lot number or other stock identification.

5)         Year grown, month of harvest (if known), and where grown.

6)         Type test desired (whether purity only, germination only, or both.

7)         Information as to year grown, month of harvest (if known), and where grown must accompany each sample of seed sent for testing.  If the seed is old and only a check of germination is desired, the analyst will not waste time and delay your laboratory report, in retesting if first germination percentage is low.  The State Seed Laboratory also needs this information on new seed since some must be prechilled for germination.

g)         Forwarding Samples to Seed Laboratory.

1)         Samples of seed on which tests are desired should be sent to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industries and Consumer Services, Bureau of Laboratories, State Fairgrounds, P.O. Box 19281, Springfield, Illinois 62794-9281. Each sample should be carefully identified with the kind, variety, and lot number of the seed it represents and the name and address of the person submitting the sample.  Be sure your seed packets are break-proof and sift-proof. Send your samples by first class mail or parcel post.

2)         Specific instructions must be provided concerning the type of test or analysis desired.  Also if there are any special instructions for billing, providing extra copies of the report, "Rush" test, etc., they should be indicated either on the sample container or in the covering letter.

3)         The time required for testing depends upon two factors.  One is the number of other samples being received by the laboratory at the time the sample arrives and the other is the time required to complete the test requested. Usually tests can be started within 1 to 3 days after the sample is received. However, during the heavy testing period, January – February – March – April, this may be extended to a week or more before samples can be tested.  The time required for germination tests may be as long as a month or more for some kinds of seed.  The average germination testing period is between 7 to 10 days.

(Source:  Amended at 12 Ill. Reg. 10437, effective July 1, 1988)