XII 



A REVIEW OF THE AMERICAN 

 SEED CATALOGUE* 



" T TERE come the annual catalogues," writes 

 -*• •*■ the editor of that good little Boston weekly 

 called "Horticulture." "The long fall labors of 

 the seedsman have come to fruition, and here 

 are his children, arriving by every post delivery. 

 Each one, even the most unpretentious, represents 

 effort to surpass in one direction or another, and 

 in the voluminous total we don't believe there is 

 one page deliberately inserted to deceive. If the 

 public were only half as intelligent and attentive 

 in their use of the seedsman's wares as the seeds- 

 man is anxious to excel in the quality provided, 

 we shouldn't hear so much about unsatisfactory 

 results. The best remedy ever applied for 'poor 

 seed' is horticultural education." 



From its ethical standpoint the foregoing is my 

 own platform with regard to the American seed 

 lists. Who could enjoy that in which he could 



* Written in 1916: a few personal reflections. 

 213 



