294 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



instance California seed produced as good onions as that they had 

 been using before. From that time on California onion seed has 

 constantly grown in favor, and this state has become almost the 

 only source of supplies, though there are places in Connecticut and 

 Pennsylvania where a considerable amount is still grown. This 

 popularity secured a price which was quite profitable, and many 

 grew onion seed too many in fact, for there was in some years a 

 disastrous overproduction. Since then, however, better selection 

 and culture have enabled favoring natural conditions to produce dis- 

 tinctive results. In 1915 Mr. Lester A. Morse wrote as follows: 



Onion seed as produced in California has met and overcome a very 

 decided and persistent prejudice. As a rule the onion reproduces itself better 

 in its immediate environment and Eastern grown or foreign grown onion 

 seed is very likely to run largely, if not entirely, to scallions or stiff-necks 

 when used here. The same result is likely with the onion seed taken from 

 any one climate to another, but California seed will make a well ripened, 

 merchantable bulb in any locality where onions are grown. It is remarkable 

 to be able to pick out a plot of onions grown from California seed in Eng- 

 land, or France, or Germany, and find them invariably all uniformly ripe and 

 well matured, free from stiff-necks, and all varieties usually ripen earlier than 

 the same variety from other sources. 



Lettuce. Lettuce seed is a leading crop with California seed 

 growers. The climate of some parts of the coast valleys is admir- 

 ably adapted to it. It requires careful, painstaking work to main- 

 tain choice varieties. Unfortunately, the plant seeds most freely 

 in a semi-wild condition and some of the less critical growers have 

 allowed it to grow in this way, thereby increasing yield and profit. 

 The careful grower proceeds with cultivation fitted to retain the 

 characters of the variety, thins out the plants so that each will form 

 a perfect head and be true to the type, and then the heading or cab- 

 bage varieties must have the head cut open with a knife to allow 

 the seed stem to come through ; otherwise the plant will rot without 

 running to seed. This method of growing is not conducive to a 

 large seed product, but it improves the strain, while the work of the 

 careless grower tends to reversion. 



California lettuce seed is now recognized to be superior. We 

 have the best possible climate for developing, curing, threshing, and 

 cleaning seed. Lettuce requires a semi-arid climate for ripening, 

 and here it receives full share of dry summer weather, so that the 

 sample of seed is immeasurably superior to foreign grown. It is 

 quite impossible to grow lettuce seed in countries where summer 

 rains are frequent. 



Other Plants. But for other seeds than onion and lettuce Cali- 

 fornia seed farms are also famous all over the world and practically 

 all seed dealers know us, but what are commonly known as Cali- 

 fornia vegetable seeds are carrot, celery, endive, leek, lettuce, onion, 

 parsley, parsnip, radish, salsify, and tomato. All of these items are' 

 produced on a large scale, and the California crops practically set 

 the growers' prices for the world. All are grown in great variety 

 and all are sold to dealers everywhere. 



