The Commercial Raising o? Seeds. 297 



There is no inherent difllculty in raising good seeds, but it 

 is impossible to raise them foi the same price as poor seeds can 

 be raised. The keenness of competition and the tendency of 

 many dealers to buy where they can bi.y the cheapest has a de- 

 pressing effect on the quality. The fact that the quality of 

 vegetable seeds is not what it should be is the fault of the letail 

 dealer. Theie is a good margin of profit in the retailing of 

 seeds, and there is no reason why the retailer should not pay a 

 fair price for his seed. If instead of paying the low'est possible 

 price for a pound of lettuce seed he paid five cents a pound more 

 he could get the best seed that is produced. If this seed is sold 

 by the packet 100 of them will be filled from this pound, making 

 the increased cost of the seed to him, all other items of cost 

 remaining the same, l-20th of a cent per packet. If the seed is 

 sold in ounces and fractions, as is usual in the market garden 

 trade, the added cost will be about 1-3 of a cent pei ounce. 

 These examples will serve to show that there is no excuse for 

 the practice of many dealers who place their orders with a grow- 

 er who will contract at the lowest price, rather than with one of 

 the best growers. 



This is the real problem of the giower. While experience 

 and a good knowledge of horticulture are necessary to raise 

 good seeds, there is nothing about this that could not be under- 

 taken by most good gardners. In the growing of crops there are 

 always local problems to be sohed, soil and water conditions 

 and labor, but these matters are incidental to all lines of agri- 

 culture. The special problem of the seed grower is keeping his 

 stocks true. The types of our vegetables and sweet peas are not 

 as a rule well fixed. This is due to the fact that there is no uni- 

 form method of describing new varieties, and but little efi"ort is 

 made to describe them at all. Many of the older sorts are 

 pretty well fixed as to their main features, but the leading seeds- 

 men are not agreed as to the details of the type. For instance, 

 some claim that ' ' New \'ork ' ' lettuce should have a pointed 

 head and others claim that the head should be spherical. Some 

 sell white seeded 'Tennis Ball' lettuce and "'Boston Market" 

 for the same thing, \^ hile otheis point to certain differences in 

 shade of color and firmness of the head and claim that they are 

 distinct. 



