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 
