The Association of Official Seed Analysts was established in Washington, D.C. in 1908. The establishment of the organization grew out of a meeting at the United States Department of Agriculture. The meeting's participants were representatives of experiment stations, agricultural colleges, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Canada Department of Agriculture. The organization was formed with the goal of "the perfecting and promulgating of uniform methods for seed testing." Committees were established to revise regulations for seed testing and to develop a model seed law. This collection contains the correspondence, minutes, reports, constitution and by-laws of the Association of Official Seed Analysts, several photographs of past presidents, and material pertaining to the Association's annual meetings including programs, minutes, a photo scrapbook, and reports and publications presented at the annual meeting.

The Association of Official Seed Analysts was established in Washington, D.C. in 1908. The establishment of the organization grew out of a meeting at the United States Department of Agriculture. The meeting's participants were representatives of experiment stations, agricultural colleges, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Canada Department of Agriculture. The organization was formed with the goal of "the perfecting and promulgating of uniform methods for seed testing." Committees were established to revise regulations for seed testing and to develop a model seed law.

A constitution was adopted at the Association's third meeting in 1910. The Association's purpose was set out as follows: "to secure uniformity and accuracy in methods, results, and reports" and "to afford opportunity for discussion of matters of interest to seed analysts." A recent constitution lists similar, though expanded goals:

The object of this Association shall be to improve seed testing in all its branches and to make it more useful to agriculture and society. The object shall be obtained through cooperative effort by:

1. Promoting uniform laboratory methods and practices through seed research.
2. Conducting referee tests among seed analysts of the Association for the purpose of developing uniform techniques,
3. Furthering the exchange of ideas among laboratories and among individual workers,
4. Fostering effective workable seed control legislation and regulation,
5. Promoting a more general appreciation of the benefits of seed testing to farmers and seedsmen.

This collection (1937-2001, undated) contains the correspondence, minutes, reports, and constitution and by-laws of the Association of Official Seed Analysts. Also included is material pertaining to the Association's annual meeting including programs, minutes, a photo scrapbook, and reports and publications presented at the annual meetings. There are three photographs of past presidents included in the collection, as well as contracts made with several airlines nationwide.

For more about the history of the organization, see History of the Association of Official Seed Analysts, available here in the Department. The Association's Proceedings are available in the Library's General Collection (call number SB114.AS78p). The Association's Newsletter is available here in the Department of Special Collections (call number SB114.A1.N48x). The newsletter's latest five years can be found in the General Collection.

The collection is organized chronologically with publications at the end.