Effects of th* 3 Wni' V ' l>&K.tty?Svf&ed\l ft/jf^^r^r/^ : //- 7 



The increased acreage of food crops was generally at the 

 expense of grass or forage crops, a condition similar to that 

 which existed in European countries. The demand for these 

 seeds, therefore, appears with certain exceptions to have 

 been less than usual. The demand for clover seed, sown in 

 many localities more for improving the soil than for the 

 revenue it brings as a hay or seed crop, has been exceedingly 

 good during the war. 



INFLUENCE OF WAR ON SEED PRODUCTION. 



The production of vegetable seed in the United States has 

 been revolutionized by the war. Previously, most of the 

 beet, carrot, radish, and spinach seed planted in this country 

 was imported from Great Britain and France, and to a less 

 extent from other countries. Instead of an importer of 

 these and other seeds, the United States became an exporter, 

 and the gains made in exports have already been shown in 

 Table 2. In 1916, European countries began placing large 

 contracts with commercial seed growers in the United 

 States for the production of many crops which in the past 

 had not been grown here on a commercial scale. 



In order to take care of the increasing domestic and for- 

 eign demand and the falling off of imports, the acreage 

 planted in old, proven localities was increased and new areas 

 of production were sought, particularly with reference to 

 vegetable seeds, but to a much less degree with reference to 

 field seeds. While some new areas were found to give better 

 yields or seeds of better quality than did old areas, the ex- 

 pense of pioneering was often such a drawback as to dis- 

 courage further increased production in many of the new 

 areas. However, it is apparent to many growers that cer- 

 tain kinds of seed may be produced in a number of places in 

 this country, and that one of the best assurances against 

 total failure of seed crops is the diversification of acreages as 

 much as possible. At the same time it is realized that cer- 

 tain localities are better adapted for the production of a few 

 kinds of seed than are other localities. 



Figures 1 to 6 show the location of the counties in the 

 United States in which many of the most important vege- 

 table seeds are grown. Table 3 shows the commercial 



