GROWING SEEDS FOR THE MARKET. 175 



as lacking vitality, perhaps the followlDg incident, well known 

 among seedsmen, may help to throw some light on the matter: A 

 certain Avell-kuown seed grower got on the right side of a former 

 Commissioner of Agriculture through his skill in handling cards, and 

 so secured from him a very large seed order for the government. 

 Calling on one of the largest seed-firms in the United States, he 

 asked them for their very lowest quotations, quality not to be 

 considered. They quoted accordingly, with the mutual under- 

 standing that the seeds were mere refuse, deficient in vitality and 

 therefore worthless for planting. He bought the entire lot — a 

 large one — and directed them to pack in large sacks and deliver 

 without any address at the freight depot. The head of the firm, 

 gifted with a fair share of curiosity, inherited from mother Eve, 

 and desiring to learn where such trash could be disposed of, sent a 

 clerk down to make note of the address given to the lot. On 

 his return he reported that all the sacks were addressed to the 

 Agricultural Department, Washington, D. C. ! Let it not be 

 inferred from this that equal rascality and carelessness has entered 

 into all the purchases of seed by the Agricultural Department, for 

 I know that in many instances thorough honesty has been exercised 

 and as much care as could be reasonably expected from men who 

 were better politicians than seedsmen. 



About forty years ago a movement began to introduce new and 

 better vaiieties of vegetables. This was for the most part done 

 by advertising in the agricultural papers, and was the starting 

 point of the vast express and mail business of our day. At that 

 date, and for many years later, the West sent East to procure her 

 seed, as it did for nearly everything else except raw material. 

 Now in seeds as in manufactured goods, she is largely self-supply- 

 ing. 



In seed raising, all vegetables are classified into annuals and 

 biennials, as they bear seed the first or second year. The vines 

 are all annuals; the garden vegetables about all biennials. To 

 raise seed of biennials, the roots must be kept over winter and set 

 out again in the spring. In this respect, seed-growing in the 

 Middle States has an advantage over that in New England, for 

 some of the kinds can there be left out over winter where they 

 grew, with but slight protection, and there is, therefore, much less 

 cost in the handlins; of them. 



