SPECIAL NOTICE. 
Seeds of the best quality will often fail through improper treatment. Thus, a smalk 
seed may be sown so deeply that the young plant cannot reach the surface. More failures 
result from disregard of the conditions necessary to germination than from inferiority of the 
seeds used. These conditions are: a proper temperature, sufficient moisture, and free access 
of air. Besides these, the soil must be in proper condition, and present no physical obsta- 
cle to the growth of the young plant. If heavy rains have compacted the surface of the soil, 
and the sun has baked it toa hard crust, it willbe impossible, even if all other conditions 
are favorable, for the seedling plants to force their way through it, and many perish from 
this cause alone. Seeds differ greatly as to the temperature required for germination. Beets, 
Cress, Peas, etc., germinate rapidly at a temperature of 45°; but if Melons and other seeds 
of that family, bush or pole Beans, and other plants of subtropical origin, are sown under 
the same conditions, they will be apt to decay, as for their prompt germination they require 
a heat of at least 60°. For this reason many seeds fail yearly from too early sowing. The 
second condition, proper moisture, is likely to be violated by an excess rather than by too 
small a portion. The proper amount is that which a well-drained soil will naturally hold 
Free access of air is all important, and this is interfered with by an excess of water in the 
soil. In germination complex chemical changes take place in the seeds, in which the air 
performs an important part. A portion of the seed is consumed, carbonic acid gas being 
given off in changing the starch and other constituents of the seed into nutriment to for- 
ward the growth of the germ or embryo plant, which depends upon the contents of the seed: 
until it has formed roots below the ground and leaves above, and is able to sustain itself. 
Besides these conditions affecting the germination of the seed, the young plants, after they 
have made their way to the surface, are liable to various accidents; a sudden current of very 
cold air, or a continuous drying wind, may check their growth, or destroy them altogether. 
In addition, there are numerous insects, both below and above ground, that may attack the 
plants, some of them being so small that they often destroy a crop before they are discoy- 
ered. We may also mention the well-known tendency of many vegetables to revert to their 
original types, notwithstanding the care of the seed-grower; the yellow-podded wax Beans 
becoming green, the yellow and white Celery becoming more or less green, dwarf Peas be- 
coming running sorts, etc. 
The vitality (that is, percentage of growth) can be tested easily before planting, but 
no one can tell from an examination of the seeds themselves whether they are of a high grade 
pedigree strain or the veriest rubbish. 
It is necessary, therefore, that every planter must trust some seedsman. The fact that 
more planters order direct from us,—year after year,—shows that STECKLER’s SEEDS have 
been proven trustworthy. Mistakes, however, may occur sometimes, and no honest seedsman 
can assume responsibility for more than the price actually paid by the purchaser. The fact 
that we have always plainly stated, where failure is due to any fault of the seed, we would 
promptly refund the full price paid, should convince even new customers that we have 
absolute confidence both in the quality of STECKLER’s SEEDS and in the thorough system 
of safeguards with which we surround their selecting, cleaning and packing. 
