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NOTEMBEB 19, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



37 



SAN JOSE MEBGUBY AND HERALD : SUNDAY MORNING. NOVEMBER 8, 1908. 



SEED GROWING IS IN 



INFANCY IN THIS STATE. 



Docription of a Recent Visit to the Largest 

 Seed Farm in the World. 



Only One of the Several Big Ranches Owned 

 by Braslan Seed Growers' G>. 



By Geoegb H. Stipp. 



FEW people in San Jose and the 

 -Santa Clara Valley — indeed, few 

 people in the State of California 

 realize that in their midst is an enter- 

 prise of such magnitude that the results 

 of its operations .reach practically the 

 four corners of the earth. In a small 

 and unpretentious building in a modest 

 part of the business section of the city 

 of San Jose is located the mainspring 

 and governor that keeps the mighty ma- 

 chine steadily moving. In other words, 

 the general office of the owner and man- 

 ager may be found at 360 South First 

 street in this city. Reference is made to 

 the Braslan Seed Growers' Company, 

 which is under the able management and 

 control of Major Charles P. Braslan. 



Here I found a half dozen stenog- 

 raphers and clerks busily engaged in han- 

 dling the immense correspondence of the 

 seed company, and from this point is con- 

 trolled and regulated the details of sev- 

 eral monster seed ranches located in dif- 

 ferent parts of the Santa Clara Valley. 

 Through J^he courtesy of Major Braslan, 

 I was given an opportunity to inspect one 

 of these big ranches which served as an 

 index to the conditions prevailing at the 

 others. 



The Sweeney Ranch. 



The one under consideration is known 

 as the Sweeney Ranch, adjoining the 

 Flood estate at Menlo Park, and consists 

 of 835 acres. Here was found work of 

 enormous detail and great magnitude. 

 On this ranch Major Braslan has what 

 he jocularly calls "Tait's Restaurant of 

 San Francisco." It is a building sev- 

 eral hundred feet long and 40 feet wide 

 in which are fed the several hundred 

 hands employed on the farm. It was 

 stated that the men are all served with 

 their meals inside of twenty minutes 

 after they sit down to the table, so per- 

 fect is the culinary and dining-room 

 service. 



Across the road are the bunkhouses 

 which accommodate 500 men. Each man 

 has separate bunk quarters and is prac- 

 tically in his own castle. These are occu- 

 pied by the Orientals — Japanese and Chi- 

 nese. The white employees, of whom 

 there are also many, have separate living 

 and eating houses. The dining rooms 

 and kitchens are in all cases immaculate. 



The next thing that attracts the atten- 

 tion is the blacksmith shop, which is fully 



equipped for all necessary farming pur- 

 poses and at which several men are em- 

 ployed. 



Office Management. 



In the office management at this ranch 

 one white nx.an is employed as manager. 

 There are also one Japanese and two 

 Chinese managers. Each of these has a 

 separate office and telephones connecting 

 with the general ranch and outside sys- 

 tems. 



In the barns, several stablemen have 

 nothing to do but care for the seventy- 

 five head of horses. They must see that 

 they are properly fed, watered and 

 groomed and ready for business by 6 

 o'clock in the morning. 



Systematic Operation. 



Each department of this ranch has its 

 head and that man is held responsible for 

 the conduct of business under his care. 

 Major Braslan does not know any of the 

 men of the rank and file, but he is in con- 

 stant touch with the managers and super- 

 intendents at all of his ranches and looks 

 to them strictly for results. The per- 

 sonnel, equipment, system and discipline 

 on one of these big seed farms may be 

 compared with the conduct of affairs on 

 a big battleship, so methodically is every 

 effort directed. Everybody is working 

 and everything moves on the moment. 



Wandering out into the field one is 

 astonished at the great expanse of land 

 under cultivation, extending as it does 

 from Menlo Park to Redwood City, two 

 and one-half miles in length. There may 

 be seen an enormous traction engine of 

 sixty-five horse-power, dragging sixteen 

 plows which break the «oil to a depth of 

 twelve inches. From morning to night 

 this big engine covers five miles every 

 trip it makes around the field. After it 

 does its work, another force of men fol- 

 low with harrow and discs which pulver- 

 ize and smooth the ground. After this 

 comes still another force with markers 

 and they mark the rows to receive the 

 seed. This crew again is followed by 200 

 to 300 men who do the planting by hand. 

 They are accompanied by superintendents 

 who oversee the work that it may not be 

 done amiss and that no man shirks his 

 duties. 



Extensive Effort. 



The public little appreciates what all 

 this extensive effort means and mere fig- 

 ures convey but indefinite meanings, yet 

 something of the volume of the work may 

 be understood when it is explained that 

 2,600,000 pounds of onion bulbs must be 

 planted by the human hand to produce 

 the enormous quantity of onion seed 

 which is raised on this ranch alone. This, 

 too, means indefinite detail. As each bag 

 is opened and the contents are spread on 

 the ground, careful selection is made so 

 that no mixture can take place in the 



Gladiolus America 



FOR FORCING 



StroniTf extra size bnlbs, $5.00 per 100. 



THOMAS J. CBERLIN. Sinking Spring, Pa. 



^ways Mention tbe.... 



Florists' Review 



When Writing Advartlawr* 



propagating of the seed. Each onion is 

 handled inSvidually. It is interesting to 

 note the number of bulbs that are han- 

 dled and it is safe to say 100,000,000 are 

 annually placed in the ground on this 

 ranch, each bulb being planted by hand. 

 In one part of the farm several men 

 with horses were observed operating seed 

 sowers. They were planting lettuce. At 

 some distance, perhaps a mile or two 

 away, another crew of men was planting 

 sweet peas. In other fields other crops 

 were being sown. 



Many Men Employed. 



Upon reaching Major Braslan 's pri- 

 vate residence it was found to be sur- 

 rounded by twenty-one acres devoted to 

 home planting. Among this vegetation 

 were many rare specimens of flowering 

 plants and bulbs intended to beautify the 

 home surroundings and feast the eye of 

 the visitor with plant life out of the or- 

 dinary. 



At the present time over 600 men are 

 employed on the various ranches owned 

 and operated by the Braslan Seed Grow- 

 ers* Company, and, at some seasons, this 

 number increases to 1,400 and 1,500. All 

 soon learn and must know their places 

 and each man fits into his respective du- 

 ties like the cogs in a great wheel. Of 

 course, large numbers of white men are 

 employed, as many as Mr. Braslan can 

 find able to do the work. 



On the return to San Jose a short stop 

 was made at the ranch in Sunnyvale, 

 where Major Braslan was in consultation 

 with the chiefs of the several depart- 

 ments and instructing them with refer- 

 ence to new work to be undertaken. 



As many be imagined, many thousands 

 of dollars are paid out in wages to the 

 hands employed on these big seed farms. 

 This money is spent by the men for 

 things to wear and eat. In the enjoy- 

 ment of the trade from these people 

 every merchant in San Jose and the val- 

 ley towns participates in the prosperity 

 of this big enterprise. 



Larsfest Seed Farm in World. 



Major Braslan stated yesterday that 

 the company owns large ranches at Cen- 

 terville, Newark, Sunnyvale, Edenvale, 

 Coyote and in other places. He said fur- 

 ther that the products of these ranches 

 reach every hamlet and town in the 

 United States and Canada and outlets 

 for the trade are found in Havana, New 

 Zealand, China, England and in all for- 

 eign countries. Yet he considers that 

 seed growing in the Santa Clara valley is 

 still in its infancy. 



It is said that the Sweeney ranch is 

 the largest and best conducted seed farm 

 in the world at the present time; and, 

 when it is in bloom, it is unquestionably 

 the show place of California for beauty 

 in floral culture and display. 



GLADIOLI 



Not the largest stock, but as good as any. 



Iris Germanlca. Madeira and Cinna- 

 mon Vines, the largest and best stock in the 

 country. 



Lilies, Hyacintbs, Spotted Callas, 

 Oxaiis, Mlllas, Besseras, etc., in fine bulbs. 



Iris Kaempferl, and other EEardy 

 Plants, price list on application. 



L S. MILLER, Wading River, Long Island, N. Y. 



Mways Mention the Florists' Review when 

 writing advertisers. 



WINTER FLOWERING 



SWEET PEA SEED 



All colors. Send for list. 



A. C. ZVOUNEK, Bound Brook, N. J. 



Always Mention the.... 



Florists' Review 



When Wrlttnc Advertlsera 



