308 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



For the past ten years all my time has been given to the raising of seeds 

 . . . striving to get the best seeds from all parts of the world. During 

 the past three years I have sent collections of seeds to be tested at the east 

 and the results in size and quality over the same varieties grown at the east 

 have been so marked that several parties have ordered from me, thus show- 

 ing that California can compete with the world for garden seeds. There is 

 no State in the Union so well adapted to the raising of seeds as California. 

 During five years past I have sent samples of my product to Japan, China, 

 Sandwich Islands, Mexico, and to Europe. 2 



Probably this statement of Mr. Perkins was the first formal 

 prophecy of the eminence which California would ere long com- 

 mand in the seed markets of the world. It found an echo in the 

 words of Peter Henderson, the veteran seedsman and florist, who 

 wrote in 1882: "California will, I am certain, fifty years from now, 

 grow seeds for the world. It has all the conditions of soil and cli- 

 mate for seed growing." The progress attained during the last few 

 years justifies Mr. Perkins' enthusiastic declaration and indicates 

 that Mr. Henderson's time limit was certainly conservative and safe, 

 for in certain lines surely such a position has already been realized 

 and in less than a third of his period. 



A New Start. Mr. Perkins did not continue to the demonstra- 

 tion of his problem. His attention was diverted to other matters, 

 and it remained for others to actually work the mine of which he 

 was only the prospector. Theirs have been the labors and the bur- 

 dens, and it is gratifying to add that, through carrying them intelli- 

 gently and devotedly, they have attained reward and have, in part at 

 least, realized for the state the prominence which was prophesied 

 by the pioneers. 



In 1875 Mr. R. W. Wilson, previously a seed grower at Ro- 

 chester, New York, began seed growing near Santa Clara, and is 

 regarded as the pioneer of the present era of California seed grow- 

 ing. He began on about fifty acres of land, growing principally 

 onion, lettuce, carrot, and beet seed. Two years later he was suc- 

 ceeded by Kellogg & Morse, who continued together, increasing the 

 dimensions of their business until 1889, when Mr. Kellogg retired 

 and C. C. Morse & Co. became the successors to the business. They 

 have extended and developed their enterprise to dimensions which 

 few Californians realize, and are not only leaders in seed growing, 

 but in the seed trade as well. Aside from this large firm there are 



2 Condensed from Rep. Cal. Agr. Society, 1866-7, pp. 228 and 229. 



