if ' v I - 3:
- ci
Broadly speaking, the growing of farm
and garden seeds may bty considered the
.most important of agricultural indus
tries, tor unless tne quality ot tne seea
:1s maintained, the succeeding crop is
greatly diminished in volume and deter
iorated in quality, so that if applied to
. the country as a whole, the loss would
be enormous. ... - -
The great magnitude of the American
teed business is little appreciated," said
a prominent seed dealer in describing
the car-loads of field and garden seeds
' which he handles each spring. The
producing capacity of the seeds quickly
.' deteriorates, in most instances, and the
most successful farmers buy large quan
. tities of seeds. The farmer is a some
what cautious individual, and although
be buys, on ' an average, double the
' amount of seeds he did ten years ago,
be has sot, in every instance, reached
the point where he recognizes that the
greatest economy lies in getting the best
and patronizing only those houses whose
reputation forbids them to sell poor and
adulterated seeds."
Seeds Apt to Retrograde
The deterioration in many seeds is
very marked, and large seedmen go to
great lengths to produce the best pos
sible seed and to have various establish
ments in different parts of the country
where the conditions are the best for
production. It is not possible that the
best results can be attained in produc
ing a great number of seeds on any one
farm or in any' one locality, however
favored. The soil and climate which
may be the best adapted for producing
one kind ef seed may result only in a
yery inferior seed from some other kind
CevrteqrA. 1. PMm, Dtpertment ef AgrtoiltBie.
of plaat So that seeds, as they are
handled by the big seedsmen, are gath
ered in by them from all parts of the
country from Maine to California, - In
the latter state some of the vastest seed
fields of the world are found, where the
eye ranges over unbroken rows, miles in
cxtent at least as far as the eye can
reach. If all this industry should cease
for a year and" the farmer and gardener
became dependent for the succeeding
CMp the seeds which he would him
self save daring the year, the shrinkage
in production throughout the country
would amount to tens of millions ef
.dollars.
In the Olden Times. 1
Of coarse, in the early days each
farmer saved his own seed ; possibly he
exchanged seeds with one or two neigh
bors or friends. At that time there was
little competition in farming, the produc
tion of the farm was used mainly for
the support ef the family, and the farm
supplied practically all the necessities
and even the luxuries ot life.
The earliest seed-farm in the United
States it believed to have been started
by David Landreth, the originator of
the present big seed house. This was
before the '.Revolutionary war, on a
small farm, now included in the city
of Philadelphia. It is estimated that
' over 350,000 acres, including land in
1 probably every state in the Union, are
now devoted solely to growing teed
- crops, and tome of the largest growers
plant annually as high as 2,000 acres.
' Get Good Clover Seed.
The advantage of securing good gcr
m mating seed Is manifest Take lor
instance clover teed which is sown on
wheat-stubble in the spring. It is al
ways possible to secure it at 50 cents or
91.00 per bushel below the market price
quoted by the reputable seedsmen.
What is the resuh of using such seed?
It must be considered a foregone con'
elusion that such seed is poor, worth
even less than the reduced price at
which it is offered. The land has been
prepared for pasture or hay, some of the
' fertilizer used on the wheat crop still
remaining in the toil for the use of the
' clover and timothy, and the grass and
clover seed is sown to become the de
pendence of the farmer for his hay
crop., us buys cneap seea; no, 40, 00
r eb per cent of it it an adulteration
of seed which has been killed or is old,
dead or weak clover teed. The re-
.. mainder is good, fresh seed. If he buys
this teed, likely putting off purchase
until the eleventh hour, and uses it
-without testing its terminating qual
ities, he may be lucky if he gets half a
stand. In other words, half bit land
;rv " 'vs-' 111
5 if"- m
AMERICAN SEED GROWING
Cheap Seeds the Most Expensive.
GUV ELLIOTT MITCHELL ;
lies idle and he curses bis luck which'
hat thus shown itself against him,
whereas the fault was his own, and he
was simply, penny wise and pound
toolish.
This can be said of many different
kinds ot seed. r - , . -
Or suppose he buys expensive early
cabbage or radish seed, it as an easy
matter for the unscrupulous dealer to
mix this seed half and half with very
cheap late cabbage or radish seeds, pre
viously killed (so that they will - not
come untrue to name), and unless the
buyer is particularly observant it may
never occur to him that he has been
buncoed,"""-
Tricks ef Some Dealer
Another method of defrauding the
seed buyer, practiced by cheap seedsmen
who never expect to do business a sec
ond time with the customer, is to sell
him outright the cheap seeds of some
plant such as a muskmelon, for instance,
under a label of some new or high
priced variety. He puts in a bard sea
son's work trying to raise good musk
melons, and at the end he finds he has
a heterogeneous collection of inferior
sorts. Still another practice which the
reputable seedsmen will not counten
ance is to sell seeds which may be true
to name and which will also germinate,
but which are weak and poor. An ex
ample of this was noticed by the writer
m the Colorado muskmelon- fields. The
Rocky Ford cantaloupes had for some
years attained a country-wide fame
through their sweetness and fine flavor.
They were shinned all ever the United
States, Then came a great demand for
A Field of Seed
Lettuce.
Parsnip Growing
Fr Seed.
California Scenes.
Rocky Ford teed. At the end of the
cantaloupe season various individuals
could be seea gomg over the Rocky
Ford cantaloupe patches and disem
boweling immature and frosted canta
loupes for their seed. This seed, it is
true, was genuine Rocky Ford canta
loupe seed, aad it would probably ger
minate 95 or 98 per cent, but it is ob
vious, its sale as first-class seed was an
imposition. Nevertheless thousands of
packages were annually foisted upon
teed buyers.
So if yon ere going to boy seed, and
buying seed to a greater or less extent
is advisable, not to say necessary, it
becomes a foregone conclusion that k
pays to boy good seed and therefore to
know from whom you are buying.
The) Government Seed Business.
The Agricultural Department it busier
than usual sending out millions of pack
ages of free seeds for Congressmen. It
should be understood that this free seed
distribution, while carried out by the
Secretary t Agriculture. 11 no sobeme
of bis, but is-a Congressional affair, pure
and simple. In every session there
one or more bills introduced abolishing
what hat been termed by mors than one
AN OCEAN OP SwTCT PTA3.
lower Soed Crow-ng Is on Extensive Indnstre.
Congressman the free seed force, and
speeches have been made annually de
riding the practice, thawing that it it
unnecessary ' and unprofitable and a
waste of pubiie money; yet when It
comes to voting for a measure which
abolishes a system whereby the Con
gressmen who wants to keep in .touch
with his constituents has an opportunity
to mail out a little package of garden
seeds to his entire list of voters, he
cheerfully votes against the measure and
instead votes for an appropriation of
c .er a' quarter of a million of dollars
a year for free garden and flower seeds.
If somebody would introduce a bill, even
with this big appropriation, but speci
fying that the Secretary of Agriculture
should extend the money in procuring
and distributing only such seeds and
SEED LETTUCE AND
plants as may be of real value to the
farmer in a Congressional district, new
and improved varieties, even though
only one package could be sent out
where now a score or two are sent, the
expenditure would be defensible. This
would be building up our agriculture,
and there would be cases where the
entire agricultural output would be
changed, greatly to the advantage of
the farm. The Secretary is, in fact,
employing this idea, as far as he is left
any discretion in the matter of seed
distribution. He is allowed by Congress
a small appropriation of this free seed
money, and where his explorers in the
old countries of the world have brought
in new plants and seeds which it is be
lieved will be an improvement on those
already grown by American farmers, he
sends these out in sufficient amount to
admit of a rational test by a farmer.
Time to Abolish the System.
A it is now carried out, the free seed
distribution should be stopped, and the
work of supplying the ordinary farm and
garden seeds, the results of which are'
known to everybody, should be left to
the regular seedmen. .
The seed business of the United States
is one of great magnitude. While there
are, of course, unscrupulous and fake
seed houses who do not hesitate to
adulterate the seeds they supply, the re
putable firms take great care in seeing
that their seeds are not only fresh, with
good germinating powers, but true to
name. The old-fashioned way was for
each grower to save his own seed, but
in maay of our priacioal crops it is
found that the seeds grown in certain lo
calities produce heavier yields, and while
if the planting it done a little out ef the
original habitat of the plant the first
crop may not appreciably deteriorate the
second year, the crop from that . teed
will show a marked, falling off in yield.
It is for this reason that some of the
wisest farmers and planters tend regu
larly-considerable distances for seed.
The seed catalogues always carry a
number of pages of novelties and new
varieties which are described in an ex
tremely attractive form. It is well
enough to try these novelties, but it it
good advice to consider them as such
and have the main crop to fall back
upon from the standard or well-trie
varieties which have stood the test of
years.
An examination of many of the seeds
of common vegetable aad forage re
veals the fact that an immense amount
of poor seed it sold t American fann
ers and gardeners. Farmers as a rule
tre responsible for this condition, since,
at hat been taia, many of them buy the
cheapest seed in the market and trust
entirely to hick for it to produce the en
tire crop. Such seed is dear at any
price, and is withal one of the principal
source of the hosts of bad weeds which
are to be teen upon many farms. '
For the last few years there has been
a constantly increasing outcry against
the seeds told by unscrupulous dealers
and with it s demand for legislation.
Congress and S few states have pas.
laws regulating tue trace in seeaa. me
Secretary of Aericulture under an Act
of Congress hat authority to, aad does,
purchase in open market samples of
seeds of grazing and forage plants, test
tne same and publish tne names ot per
sons selling adulterated seeds. v
So extensive is the seed business m
the United States that many seedmen go
to' an enormous expense in publishing
each year catalogues giving the many
varieties offered for sale by them.
Home Tests of Seeds
The Department of Agriculture in or
der to aid farmers to determine for
themselves without much trouble the
germinating qualities of seeds purchased
by them, has issued a number of bulle
tins -upon the subject .A very simple
apparatus lor sprouting seeds is describ
ed in the bulletin. It consists of a shal
low tin basin or one of granite ware.
the bottom ot the basin is covered with
water and a email flat bottom of porous
clay is placed inside. : The seeds after
having ..been soaked are laid between
two layers of moist blotting paper or
flannel cloth. A pane of glass covers the
dish, which is to be kept in a tempera
ture of about 70 degrees. The atmosphere
.of an ordinary living room is suitable if
care is taken to set the apparatus near a
J stove at night. The basin may be left
ONIONS IN HEAD
partly open from time to time to admit
the exchange of air and gases, using a
good-sized dish with small saucers and
renewing the water occasionally. . Sev
eral kinds of seed may be tested at once
at a trifling cost The Department cau
tions the fan. r against - extremes of
temperature and excessive moisture dur
ing the experiments. In some of the
larger and more reliable seed houses of
this country there is a well-equipped
and appointed incubator room in which
tests are made by the seedmen in
order to ascertain whether or not the
seeus will really grow. This is done
with every lot of seed that comes in
the warehouse - and before distribu
tion through the country. Results ot
A HUNDRED ACRE RADISH FIELD. -
.. - -. ... ,, .
these growths are recorded in a book
and kept for ready reference in the
event of complaints. The busiest times
in the American seed warehouse is from
November to March, and often April,
when enormous quantities of seeds and
bulbs past through the buildings first in
large sacks and later in smaller pack
ages by mail and express on their way
to the progressive American agricul
turist ' . - -
: f.eerring Strict Silence
la Korea the women, on their wed-
(lag day. will net epen their mouths
A 1 1 ,L. A. .
tioh or provocation.
Sometimes this alienee is continued
through the first week of married life.
Although no such custom exists In
the Western world, extraordinary cases
art not wanting. In the early forties
New York lady undertook, for -a
wager of 1150, to remain mute during
the month ot her married life.
Her new-made h-sband, who, natur
ally, waa not in the secret, wss so much
Incensed at his bride s behavior, that
he left her before her tasa waa com
pleted, only to return later when ap
prised of the real reason for this tin-
natural silence.
On one anniversary of their wedding
day a Brussels couple quarrelled so
bitterly that the wife. In a passion,
vowed that her husband should never
again hear the sound of her voice. She
would there and then have left the
house, but her. now penitent husband
implored ber not to desert him. To
that extent only did his entreaties pre
vail, for she kept the letter of her oath
and never in her spouse's presence
did she unloose her tongue.
An Austrian woman, whose husband
was In hiding from the authorities, in
advertently betrayed his whereabouts
to a neighbor, who waa secretly in the
pay of the police. As a result, he was
taken, and received a term of Imprison
ment , . , ;
So much did bis wife take to heart
this misfortune, which had been
brought about by ber gossip, that she
resolved for the remainder of her life
to remain mute. She would not make
an exception even In-her husband's
favor, for, althoneh she rcelved him
on bis release with the utmost affec
tion, she maintained an obdurate
silence till her death, three years later.
Cordial Foreign Relations.
Mrs. OTRlley And are yes on spakln'
terms wld Mrs, Zylonskl.
Vra urnmhv Av course I am. Ehs
called me a thaXa an' I told her she
waa aao'.Lsr.
"JO
'' O-
Sw a . I - 1 y If yon
flowers yoa should reed EURFEE'8 FARM ANNUAL FOR i eC3,-eoweU known
m the "lKlinj Amaricao Seed Catalogue." IttenudledFREE to all. Better send your !
address TQ-PSY. W. ATLKE
iTT p r.C;7 T0 C:;:LQ ..j
i pltS ljMidfnatoxl lasAIWf
J Q(J brooder plant -
f -S, tlOWlflff hOW tO --N---MMbL-K-'
v vDii(j yoor owi nohi&M ftt
Also fln ilhistnted oatalor of
mm east. AnrOBm am do it.
1 muu bettor ttad Brooder Bap-
eft, wnte ror ooui.
W noy. ill.
A MOST IALUABLE BOOK
on fertilizers and how to use them, entitled
"Food Foa Plakts," is being distributed
by the Nitrate Propaganda, New York.
ApmtmH wfta yoariMnm wHt
bring wvaaeqprfiw. .
mtrtterrtcazaada,AadsesBe1Uiab HewYork
OfT
A fa the title of Our New
ful and instructive horticultural publication of the day
186 pages 700 engravings 7 superb colored plates
7 duotone plates of vegetables and flowers. -
1 1 ihe ftli amitf oa lugeil poeAU dlBifbrtiw. t.thfcUowllflmliieVI
Eveiy Empty Envelope
. 'r ConU u Csth
Teerwry eMSffl u wktcedib eSreRlMBml in s uiho .
cedem Tea Cent! (1 rup., v. wUl mtU she caulogitt, anS tin wtU tree
1 el eherae, er hmmm SO-Ceat " Hendenea " CeUectiea ef Mite,cenuie.
li packet cS ef Cl'.f UlmU tamt tf GUM ttj tmuUi, inW
W WTUf ftrf Itmrltt
FAT PEOPLE
I Will SeiidYouaTrialTrealmantFree
laawatyrjar wdgat Hfm
laaa a Wat u4 tare
ill lml lb lata nM aaltk, ana
tel thmiiliaie lata Mtl.ity, ana
wUm tbMMlaiof falla.uul
t ay arMMiiif araiuy
Aran
pill, ttol nUi Um
(knMM
eUUM to tt. mm
Id redaction of u
pwfnomM. MyMw
uA cttifiodly pr
tnd mubIm 70a to i la. maOf, ud quickly nam.
elil.,lwi. Hi.i. awl fcl hifc rrontMot pbrricteMMlTi..
their pMlaati to tot. mj tommat ud UMIb enter. Uner
wry BJ Writ, hu-tmf for In. trfel trtolmiel. I will .uo
mn mj PWto I M.W pwiim mmmmm ib
ontu el tay twt ; H will h. wfrt yw. f rro. iiinm
trHiTOEra.avMwMoriUbMlty. It win kit, to .mm.
S7S SnOMaeUetaev MleaBMStowit, aWlert
J i 11 eaa warM Tlffm tmrin a..ti.y in evuMiue ev
Uv ' " rataraea, wlU k aoceetedcoa 25-cent
A J amuau.gt. Sl.oaaaaaawua,
ij-vims'
- I 3" 7 aUluUM
HOW TO MAKE SCHOOL GARDENS. ;
- By H. D. Ecmenway. t
- This sucrcrestlve little booh is a nractical manual of school rardenlnr for iioth
teacher and pupil, and supplies the first
1 ms volume is Dasea on actual experience
of the Hartford School of Horticulture).
' CONTENTS : Introduction: How to
in Garden Work May to September; Bibliography; Lessons in Greenhouse Work; .
Planting seea, rotting, etc; Koot uniting; ieseonam euaaing. -
- Site, 5 x 7; rAges, 107; binding, cloth; ulustrations,2.
' By special arrangement with Doubleday, Pago & Co., Tajn able fothepreaent
to make the foUowiag - . . . .
SPECIAL OFFER.
The new Garden Maganine, months, and How to Make School
-'.v, Gardens,l.QQ edition, postpaid, both forfl.00. . . . .
' The GARDEN MAGAZINE is finely fllustratea, and is the finest magazine ef
its kind published in America. To take advantage of this special offer, orders
should bo sent at once to H. D. Hemonway, Hartford, Connecticut. .
- Thia offer near bo withdrawn at navy tlnae.
ONLY ONE LIFE TO LIVE
TEat's the
should get the nost out of life
, get it is in the
.. comes every month in the year and tells you
How to Build a'Home
. How to Make a Garden Around It
, . , How to Live In It :
s " How to Entertain In It
- . i How to Enjoy Life In It
"Some of the regular departments ot the magazine are
The Home Garden Music in the Home , Hints to Homcrrcrs
The Home Study Health In the Home Home Etiquette ,
Home Cooking
eVHD BBBtEMBEB
It isnt made with a scissors and a paste pot. There's good "grey matter
goes into every page of it There's human sympathy in every line of it. There's
originality and genuine good hard common tense all through it It dont under
take to tell you how to be happy on a million a year, but it does tell you how
to be happy on the modest income that so many millions live on who con t
have a million a year to spend. Ad magatino os .
10c. for Ons 7I:c!d Yc-r-Ti::.i'c
And ft'a worth ton donahs for Its
homemaking. . '
Send your dirceor five two-cent t'airt to
MA::vEura iio::2::ai:er iiagazki.
"
went Uw choicest vegoutbiMor most beaautu
BURFEB CO., rBiLADKLPHIA.
J
0 BULC3, 5 Ccr.tc.
Mile, Tubwoese, JooqDili, Deffodllfc Oiiuls t imil . . ;
lullpt, HjrwlntiM, Crootu. JapenTlly, SiwwrlroS; . ....
, AUlnm, ChlMmUn, rtwnnlik .r n?
Mniptixeolii.wewllltrthiainuniricmlMll'Mina ' "
el bulb, end lr u premium e in l t t
oUeoUoo of Hit miMi, BO TmrtstlM, r I i 1 1 i .
Ord'-rto-ilaynd b. tor. to ir.ttriere inclme for piAii rt t.
WOODLAWN NURSERY, MAIM tJi ' '
Catalogue for 1 906 the most beauti
.iliy la ecoapoa earalope, whick, whuempuoa
Hi'
THEY ALL WANT IT!
Rave yoa icea the
Imp Bottle?" Very :
perplexing trick, bat
-eay when yoa know '
how. We'll tell yoa
' how and eead eaeipLa
for 10 cents.
Patent Hg-g Separa
tor, Every Honae
liold, Hotel, Rest a a
rant, Bakery, Drug
Htore, in fact any
place where eg are
ueed needs one or
more. .
' Instantly separates
yolk snd white, not a :
particle of the latter
remaining in the
Separator. Does not
break yolk. Made
from solid piece of
metal Always bright
snd ready for use.
Sample 10 cents.
KANCY SUPPLY CO.. '
Box21S. ,- WasUattea, D. GL,
Ascnta wanted for these and other roods.
write lor circulars ana
adequate work of the sort in this country.
tao suunr is aui aauioriLj snu unevwr
Make a Garden: Twentv-One Lessons
Reason "Why
that they can. The place to
Kome, and
Little Folto in the Home Home Cheer
Entertaining In the Home
swd toesticnMaboutrreaiia tc - i n i
' I aM
.Ft
!