16-16 



SEEDAGE 



David Landreth, of Philadelphia, seem to have been the 

 largest dealers atthattime. Thorburu's was perhaps the 

 first business of importance devoted entirely to stock 

 seeds, though this honor is disputed by the descendants 

 of David Landreth. Thorburn, in his autobiography, 

 says that he began his business by buying out the stock 

 of one George Inglis for fifteen dollars, Inglis agreeing 

 to give up the market and to devote himself to the rais- 

 ing of seeds for Thorburn. This is but one of many 

 small beginnings from which has grown a trade which 

 now amounts to many millions, and this relation between 

 seedsmen and growers is largely typical of relations 

 which have obtained in the trade ever since. 



Eailway and I'„stiil .S', ;c("r,.-\Vitli the (ievelopnient 

 of the railway iui'l il:- i-. i:il -ri\i>. ili. i.n .im -- -ri-w 

 by leaps and V)"in, i i i i , i li- tor 



different varieti.- : i I , i . . , , nry to 



the countrymiui ih' l:m i. i -i > ' . ■•.iti> •■■.n- 

 sumption. Then- i^ |.i.ilr,,;, - ,ii.li lia.-. been 



more widely benefited \>\ ! ^md improved 



mail facilities, but of liif XI i , ..f their privi- 



leges by members of ('..hlm i . i -ily tended to 

 negative this benefit. Tin 'iijii ii[ Im fn-ticent distri- 

 bution of free seeds to pi(.ii. . r- ,,n.| ii. . .h srttliTs was a 



form of agricultural encour;m'i- nt a^'ainst wliic-l) there 



could be no adverse criti.-i-m, l.ut it has .1. -.nerated 



2302. Mirror box for testine Brass seeds. 



into an abuse, which is estimated to have taken a trade of 

 some $4,000,000 during the past two or three decades out 

 of the hands of the men who have built up the business. 



Cataloqiies. — Gra.ni Thorburn'.s catalogue of 1822 was 

 the first to be issued in pamphlet form, and it was the 

 pioneer of the many finely and carefully illustrated 

 catalogues with which we are familiar to-day. These 

 catalogues have been largely instrumental in facilitat- 

 ing the specialization of the industry and its subdivi- 

 sion in the hands of the country dealer, who buys seeds 

 at wholesale, combining as they do the most complete 

 lists and illustrations of varieties with directions as to 

 methods, conditions, and seasons for planting. They 

 are distributed literally in hundreds of thousands. 

 It is of interest to remember that up to 1844 the word- 

 ing on the bags was written by hand, a laborious and 

 expensive process, which of itself is an indication of 

 tho smnll v-liime of The trad.' nt tli.at date. 



I ni I'^'rf^ '< in! I:'.r i>'nL< .s'/.f// v//<'x. — With regard to the 

 ,\|.Mit Mf -...Iv. A. I. ri.1,1-' a. Iniirable report for 1899 

 in I 111- ^i-arlii.iiix uf tin- I )i|i:irt iin-nt of Agriculture may 

 111- taki-ii as ilii- lai. si iiili.i-niatiiin. He says in part: 

 ''The statistics of exports date from 1855, and no sepa- 

 rate records of imports of seeds were kept before 1873. 

 Clover and grass seeds, especially timothy, have always 

 taken the lead in the seed export trado. and until recent 



years garden seeds have i-- i n a i nn-iclerable factor 



in the total values. In l ■ 1 iniio bushels of 



clover seed were exporii i > I u -I within a few 

 months. How long this n ..i. i.i.i . ii.-d we do not 

 know. From 1855 to 18(i4 il.. n i, m. n , ..id of any seeds 

 exported except clover, but tin- value of exports increased 

 from $13,570 in 18.35 to $2,185,706 in 1863, the war ap- 

 pjirently having no effect on the trade. The total value 

 of the clover seed exported during this period aggre- 



SEEDAGE 



gates $5,393,663. During the decade ending with 1880 

 clover seed was not separately entered except in the 

 last year, but the total exports of seeds amounted dur- 

 ing that period to $20,739,277. The aggregate was in- 

 creased by more than $3,000,000 before the end of 1890. 

 Prom 1891 to 1898 there has been a slight reduction in 

 the average annual value of seed exports and also in 

 the amount of clover and timothy seed sent abroad." 



Development of Home Jntliislry,— The importation of 

 staple garden seeds had largely decreased by 1870, and 

 with the exception of a few staples in agricultural and 

 flower seeds, America may be said to have become to a 

 great extent .self-supplying. The greatest development 

 of this industry has taken place since the close of the 

 war. In 1878 J. J. H. Gregory estimated that there 

 were in all 7,000 acres devoted to garden seeds, while 

 the census of 1890 showed that there were 596 seed 

 farms, containing 169.850 acres. Of these farms, 200 

 were established betw-'-r- isuo mtm) 1h90, and it is likely 

 that about 150 nmr. ..-. -i..i,,| during the same 



period. The censu- i ■ . ir, do not give the 



actual acreage devni. ! ; i; seeds. As many 



seeds are grown by ili — not i. Lularly in the business, 

 it is probable that census returns as to acreage are un- 

 der rather than over the mark. The statistics available 

 in the United States Census are very imperfect, partly 

 owing to the lai-k of a continuous system in presenta- 

 tion, botli iti tliM ti turn- nf home industry and also in 

 custom li.Mi . it .-hiefly to the reluctance of 



seedsmen ;i' I : r . make public the results of 

 their bnsiin - n. n.a;. ,,, , vi-n the methods themselves. 

 fonfru't .s./^t, ,,! ../ (>,..*(■</*(/.— The contract system of 

 suiiply lias In .11 the general method pursued by the 

 lai-i,n I- sif.Niii' ti. farmers in those locations best suited 



t( i-tain s. I lis i-.intraeting to grow supplies from stock 



siiiK I.Hiiiil by tlie seedsmen. As a rule, one farmer 

 Will jrnv only one or two varieties. A saving in the 

 . ■. [11 n .■ nf supervisions has been made by the growth 

 ni 111. xstnra of subletting a contract. The middleman 

 111 Mil: 1. 1. still on tlie abilities of his neighbors and the 



the farmers of a large district. Excepting in California, 

 where the growers as a rule devote their whole capital 

 to the business, it is a frequent custom throughout the 

 country for seedsmen to make cash advances against 

 crops. Few seed houses grow their own seeds. 



Values of Staples, Home-grown and Imported. — The 

 following table will give as close an estimate as can be 

 made of the annual cost of the chief staple garden 

 seeds handled in America: 



Garden peas $1,000,000 



Garden beans 300,000 



Onion seed 300,000 



Lettuce seed 250.000 



Cabbage seed 100,000 



Sweet corn 100.000 



Tomato seed 50,000 



Radish seed 30,000 



Turnip seed 25,000 



Beet seed 15,000 



Celery seed 5.000 



Total growers' value $4,025,000 



An estimate recently made by one of the largest 

 seedsmen in the country gives the capital invested in 

 the business at about $12,000,000, and the actual acreage 

 under seed at the present time as about 150,000 acres. 



Staphs (iii.l Lncalities of Production. -The following 

 nia\ 111 fall I! as the present principal garden seed 

 slai'' I I' ' "tilities where they are most profitably 



ra i ! , r.tiiley, "Principles of Vegetable Gar- 



Si;;;,. II. ai; ; Xi-w York, Michigan, Wisconsin. 

 r.iii ,: Iniportrd chiefly from Prance, owing to bet- 

 ti 1- i!iiilH..i i.f selection in practice there, but would 

 :iil;iiit it-i ir t" almost any of the older st,ates of the 



