110 TIPTREE, ESSEX 



no building is absolutely necessary, although many 

 put up sheds for dressing. 



It is, of course, impossible to give exact figures 

 as to the returns per acre. The men admit an 

 average of from 15 to 20 ; probably in a good 

 season it would be very much higher than this. 



ORIGIN OF THE SEED TRADE AT TIPTREE. 



Sutton and Sons tell us that 100 years ago there 

 was no such thing as a definite seed trade. Even 

 up to a few years ago seed-growing was a secret 

 trade, and was confined to a few districts chiefly in 

 the Eastern Counties which are dry and sunshiny, 

 generally speaking, and therefore promote good 

 germination of the seed. In Coggeshall, a small 

 town some miles from Tiptree, seed-growing has 

 been established longer than elsewhere in Essex. 



In 1865 Mr. Wilkin, who was then farming and 

 finding it unprofitable, imported a Coggeshall man 

 as foreman in the seed-growing business, to which 

 he was turning his attention. After some years of 

 faithful service this man hired an acre for himself 

 at 3, and grew carrot, mangel, and turnip seed, 

 etc., with such profit that he hired more land. In 

 three years he had created capital sufficient to hire 

 a farm of 100 acres, at which he remained for the 

 rest of his life. One of his sons now farms about 

 900 acres. He taught his fellow-workmen the art 

 of growing and dressing the seeds, and, beginning in 

 the same way as himself, some of these men are 

 now farming 100, 200, and 400 acres. One hundred 



