16 Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture. 



considerably less than even the 1916 acreage of each of 

 these seed crops. 



While the war stimulated the production of most kinds 

 of vegetable and field seed, it had a deterrent effect upon the 

 production of other kinds commonly exported from this 

 country, such as timothy, redtop, meadow fescue, and Ken- 

 tucky bluegrass. High hay prices, increased acreages of 

 food crops, and limited demand for seeds of grass crops 

 from European countries, among other factors, resulted in 

 the cutting of a smaller acreage of the grasses for seed pur- 

 poses during the war. Since the close of the war, however, 

 an increasing demand for grass seeds is apparent because 

 of the approach of more normal conditions in European 

 countries which permit of more diversified farming. 



SEED STOCKS. 



Larger stocks of most of the field and vegetable seeds were 

 held by seedsmen during the war than were held before the 

 Avar. There were many reasons for this. The demand for 

 them was greater and on account of the uncertainties attend- 

 ant upon domestic production of kinds that formerly were 

 imported, larger growing contracts were placed with the 

 commercial seed growers, with the result that when larger 

 deliveries were made than were anticipated, larger stocks had 

 to be carried. Furthermore, the ever-increasing high prices 

 for seed, which will be discussed later, also had a tendency 

 to cause tHe larger seedsmen to buy more than they had been 

 accustomed to do in the past. A larger percentage of the 

 stocks of vegetable seed was grown in the United States 

 during the war than before the war, which meant inferior 

 quality with some kinds and possibly superior quality with 

 other kinds. In the opinion of some seedsmen, quantity 

 rather than quality seed production was so uppermost in 

 the minds of growers that quality was thereby sacrificed. 

 On the other hand, the small country merchant handling 

 field or vegetable seeds in bulk often was loath to buy heavily 

 much in advance of the planting season because of the 

 high prices prevailing on most kinds; hence increased stocks 

 had to be carried by the larger seedsmen during the war. 



There was a pronounced tendency on the part of many 

 seedsmen to reduce the number of varieties of vegetable 



