EXPERIMENT WITH SEEDS. 27 



like it. I don't know why it is, but it is no use : you have 

 got to do it yourself. If you want to make any improve- 

 ments, gentlemen, in my judgment you have got to find the 

 brains. You cannot hire an Irishman and find brains for 

 him ; or, if you do, the brains are not worth having. You 

 must do it yourself. 



Mr. HadwejST. I have heard of the brain impression in 

 breeding animals, and I have just begun to see where the 

 brain impression in growing seed comes in. 



Capt. MoOEE. I can say something more in regard to the 

 importance of pure and good seed. I grow onions pretty 

 largely. This year I wanted to sow an acre more than I had 

 done before ; and as I had grown seed sufficient for my own 

 use only, as I did not care much about growing any more 

 than I wanted, I found, when I came to plant that acre, that 

 I had not seed enough. I went to Boston, and bought the 

 best seed I could find. I bought the Buxton seed, which 

 stands as high in the market as any other seed. The quality 

 of the onions that grew was good ; but either because the 

 seed had been tampered with, or for some other reason, 

 although it was sowed at the same time, with the same 

 machine, the same quantity per acre, and on land of the 

 same character, I did not get more than quarter as many 

 onions on that acre as I did from my own seed. Something 

 was the matter. Perhaps the seed had been badly cured. A 

 seedsman told me the other day that it was pretty hard to 

 throw seed away that they had paid seventy-five cents a 

 pound for. Perhaps they gave me all good seed ; but it in- 

 volved a very heavy loss to me not to have that seed come 

 up. That is one reason why I say, if you have a good vari- 

 ety of any vegetable, use your own brains, and raise seed 

 enough for your own use, and be independent of the seeds- 

 men, as far as you can. 



Mr. Slade. Was that seed sown on land that had been 

 planted to onions before ? 



Capt. Moore. Yes, sir ; but there was a marked differ- 

 ence. I do not know why that seed, if it was grown last 

 year, should not have vegetated just as well as m}^ own. I 

 could see no reason. The seed looked well enough ; but it 

 didn't grow. That was all there was about that. 



Mr. Peterson (of Marshfield). Is not onion-seed more 



