Sked Business from the Dealers' Standpoint 1 ; '>1 I 



French-grown celery seed commands the very highest price in 

 the American market. (I take the following ((notations from 

 to-day's list: " Golden Self Blanching Celery, true French stock, 

 $18.00 per pound. American-grown Golden Self Blanching seed 

 $5.00 per pound.") From England we receive various seed 

 crops, especially mangels, turnips, parsnips and herbs, together 

 with special varieties of sweet peas. From Belgium we get 

 the sugar beets and special sorts of mangel-wurzel. This list 

 is by no means complete, but I simply site these particular vari- 

 eties to show that the whole world contributes its share of seed 

 for American growers. 



Cannot we produce all these seeds in this country ? We can ; 

 but why don't w r e ? It is simply a question of expert labor. We 

 buy these vegetable seeds in Europe and devote our time to the 

 cultivation of wheat, corn, cotton and various other crops. 



HOW THE SEED IS BOUGHT 



The seed business is also unique in its uncertainty. We never 

 know what quantity of seed we shall receive, for contracts are 

 made one, two, three and four years in advance of the harvest. 

 Our contracts always read that we must stand the shortage on any 

 failure of the crop, but the contractor agrees to plant the neces- 

 sary acreage to produce the quantity for which we contract. To- 

 day I contracted with an English house for the growing of 4,000 

 pounds of Xorbitan Giant Mangel to be delivered after 1917. 

 I need just this amount for my normal trade. How much will 

 this house deliver ? I have not the least idea. 



There is a very limited open market for the big seedsman of 

 the country. If contracts are not delivered in full it means an 

 almost universal shortage in that particular variety. As an in- 

 stance of this I site a personal case which occurred this year. 

 I had a contract with a French house for Golden Self Blanching 

 celery, but the crop was a failure and it was absolutely impossible 

 for me to buy more than a tenth of what I needed for my normal 

 trade, and this was purchased in the open market at an advance 

 of 270 per cent, over the price at which the seed had been 

 contracted. 



