GROWING FLOWER SEEDS 295 



Peas, beans, except Limas, and vine seeds have not reached large 

 production because of competition with growers in the middle- 

 western states. Eggplant, in spite of the excellence of the vegetable 

 as noted in an 'earlier chapter, has disappointed the seed growers, 

 and okra has done likewise. Turnip and Brussels sprouts have not 

 prospered as seed crops, while cabbage does excellently. Cauli- 

 flower also seeds well some years, but in others it completely fails, 

 which renders its average below the profit line. Lima beans for 

 seed have failed, except in the southern coast district described in 

 the chapter on beans, but in that district growers have enjoyed some 

 very profitable contracts with eastern dealers. 



Until about 1910 California grown corn was not supposed to 

 produce good seed, and most of the seed used was imported from 

 the Middle West. It was found that the reason for failure was 

 simply lack of knowledge. When the same intelligence was ap- 

 plied in selection, cultivation, and choice of location as is applied 

 to other kinds of seeds, it was found that our California grown 

 corn seed does better on the Pacific Coast than eastern grown, and 

 the future of corn growing for seed is bound to show a greatly ex- 

 panding acreage. 



Flower Seeds. Various flowers have been grown for seed, in 

 fact, a great assortment of varieties, and, while nearly all kinds 

 flourish, there is so much hand work and close application neces- 

 sary, that we have not been able to successfully compete with 

 Europe on most things. Sweet peas, nasturtiums, cosmos, verbenas, 

 petunias, and asters are quite successfully grown, and the seed trade 

 now looks to California for most of the sweet peas and a great 

 many of the nasturtiums. Southern California has several very 

 prominent growers of fine double petunias and other plants. Of 

 standard varieties of candytuft, cosmos, stocks, asters, poppy, etc., 

 there were three growers in southern California in 1915 who 

 cropped fully five hundred acres. 



The rapid advance of the California sweet pea seed in popu- 

 larity is most marvelous. A beginning was made in this line in a 

 moderate way about 1885, when there were not over a dozen varie- 

 ties listed. At first about a quarter of an acre was grown, but since 

 1912 the total acreage has been about 2500 acres annually. So im- 

 portant a factor have the California sweet pea growers become to 

 the seed trade that some dealers come from the East annually to 

 inspect the growing crops and to hunt for novelties in the sweet 

 pea line. One will know California sweet pea wherever grown by 

 its wonderful vigor and the flowers are now grown from California 

 seed in all parts of the world. 



Sweet peas are planted in November and December to secure 

 the flowers at their very best about the middle of May. They grow 

 slowly throughout the winter, but just as soon as the days lengthen 

 and the weather grows warm, they fairly spring into bloom, while 

 later sown seed will mature blossoms correspondingly late. 



