6 THE SEED-GROWER. 



ties of seeds. And, besides these who handle nothing 

 but seeds, there are thousands of merchants in smaller 

 towns who combine seeds with their other lines, all of 

 which constitututes a broad field for exploitation by the 

 seed-grower. 



The Store-house or Barn of a seed-grower should 

 be a well-constructed, dry, properly ventilated building, 

 containing plenty of loft-room for the drying of seeds, 

 and an apartment for thrashing and cleaning; and this 

 building must be kept free from rats, mice, and vermin, 

 for these will do serious damage to seeds, if allowed to 

 exist where seeds are stored. 



Stock Seeds. The preparation of the soil for grow- 

 ing a seed-crop, sowing of seed, and method of cultiva- 

 tion are much the same as in ordinary garden practice. 

 But what is of particular importance at the start, as 

 being very much essential to success, is that the grower 

 should be provided with an ample supply of pure stock, 

 planting, or breeding-seed, of the varieties which are 

 purposed to be grown. This stock-seed should have 

 been grown carefully by the operator or grower him- 

 self, obviously the better plan, or it may sometimes be 

 procured from the seed dealer for whom the crop is to 

 be grown. It must, however, be remembered that by 

 stock-seed is not meant commercial seed, as it is 

 termed, or that seed which is sold by the dealer to 

 his general trade. Stock seed, if the dealer should 

 happen to have it, is seed which has been specially 

 grown for him in the usual course prescribed for raising- 

 stock seed, by careful selection, etc., and is kept on 

 hand to supply to growers with whom he makes con- 

 tracts for commercial seed; not every seedsman, though, 

 makes a practice of carrying stock-seeds. 



Harvesting, etc. The operations for harvesting 



