BULLETINS OF THE ELEVENTH CENSUS. 475 



HORTICULTURE.— SEED FARMS. 



Bulletin No. 111. 



The production of seeds as an industry has been for the first time made 

 a subject of census investigation. This report is prepared by Mr. J. H. 

 Hale, special agent, under the direction of Mr. Moktimee Whitehead, 

 special agent in charge of horticulture. The material from which these 

 statistics are compiled was obtained directly from the seed growers upon 

 schedules prepared for that purpose and by personal visits of special 

 agents to seed farms and dealers in all parts of the country. The figures 

 are subject to revision before publication in the final report. 



This investigation included only such farms as were devoted to seed 

 growing as a business, and did not consider the large amount of field and 

 garden seeds grown as side crops on thousands of farms, which would 

 greatly swell the aggregate yield of seeds, but would not fairly estimate 

 seed growing as a special industry. It will be noted that seed growing has 

 been carried on as a business in this country for more than a century, but 

 that only within the past 30 years has it assumed large proportions. 

 More than one half the total number of establishments reported were 

 started between 1870 and 1890. This report shows that there were in the 

 United States in the census year 596 farms, with a total of 169,851 acres, 

 devoted exclusively to seed growing, of which 96.567^ acres were reported 

 as producing seeds. Of these, 12,905 acres were devoted to beans, 1,268 

 to cabbage, 919 to beets, 10,219 to cucumbers. 71 to celery, 15,004 to sweet 

 corn, 16,322 to field corn, 4,663 to squashes, 7,971 to peas, 5,149 to musk- 

 melons, 662 to radishes, and 4,356 to tomatoes. The 596 seed farms 

 reported represent a total value of farms, implements, and buildings of 

 $18,325,935.86, and employed in the census year 13,500 men and 1,541 

 women; 258 of these farms are in the North Atlantic division, with an 

 average of 185 acres per farm. In the North Central division there are 

 157 seed farms, with an average of 555 acres per farm. The seed farms in 

 Iowa and Nebraska average 695 acres, several being nearly 3,000 acres in 

 extent. 



Robert P. Porter, 



Superintendent of Census. 



SEED FARMS. 

 BY J. H. HALE. 



Seeds of all staple garden and farm grains, fruits, and vegetables have 

 been in steady demand since the first settlement of the country. In early 

 times families preserved seed supplies from their own productions from 

 year to year, in most cases from whatever might be left on the farm, while 

 in other cases a careful selection was made and purer and better seeds 

 obtained, which not only furnished the home supply, but were eagerly 

 sought by friends and neighbors. For many years little was known of 

 seeds as a commercial product, and even at the present time in many rural 



