VEGETABLE SEEDS 



BeckerVs Seed Store, 101 and 103 Federal St., N. S., Pittsburgh, Pa. 



Why You Should Grow More Root-Crops 



In wars ^oik- by, root-crops formed a far more important part of people's diet than they do today. This is much to be 

 regretted, not only because Beets, Carrots, Turnips, etc., are valuable in that they help to keep the human body in good order, 

 but also because they afford a chance to put a most wholesome variation into our winter diet. 



Beets, Girrots, Kohlrabi, Parsnips, Salsify, Rutabagas, etc., are all easily grown. It requires no expert knowledge to make 

 a g< K >d garden of ro< >1 -en ips, because all have seeds that are coarse, of strongest vitality, and the seedlings thrive \ igorously. 

 The grow ing plants arc not subject to attacks by insects, so that, everything considered, root-crops arc among the easiest 

 ot all vegetables to grow and to take care of during the w inter, since they may be stored in boxes or barrels with some sand. 



Under the various headings, throughout the catalogue will be found additional cultural directions as to how to handle 

 the different crops. And to encourage you to make a special root-crop garden, the products of which will help you live well 

 next winter, we offer the following collection, containing sorts of proven reliability and dependable quality. 



Special 

 Root-Crop" 

 Collection 



6 Splendid 

 Varieties for 25 Cents 

 Postpaid 



Beet, Crosby's Improved 

 Celeriac (Turnip-rooted Celery) 

 Carrot, Danvers Half-long 

 Kohlrabi, White Vienna 

 Parsnip, Hollow Crown 

 Turnip, White Milan 



For complete descriptions of these 

 splendid sorts, please consult their 

 respective headings on the following 

 pages. 



P. S. Both the "Root- 

 Crop " and " Salad '* 



A Few Salad 

 Suggestions 



Because we arc so strenuously advocat- 

 ing the growing of more crops that furnish 

 solid food and t hat can be canned or stored, 

 do not think that it would be wise to neg- 

 lect the garden*s delicacies. Lettuce, En- 

 dive, Chard, etc., are the tonics which pre- 

 vent us from eating too much of the heav- 

 ier foods. Several rows of them are needed 

 in every garden. They can never be 

 bought as fresh on the market as you can 

 pick them in your own garden. Besides 

 being easily grown, they occupy very little 

 space, and even the smallest garden should 

 have a Lettuce-row. 



The beginner will do well to pin his faith 

 to the looseleaf Lettuces, for instance, 

 Black-seeded Simpson. The man with 

 more experience will prefer Allheart Let- 

 tuce, as shown in picture below and de- 

 scribed on page 22. Moss Curled Endive, 

 as shown in the foreground below, is one 

 of the easiest of all vegetables to grow 

 and one of the most appetizing to eat, 

 mixed with the milder Lettuce. Grow 

 more salad plants — they are Nature's great- 

 est tonic in the garden. 



Make More Gardens, Grozv More 

 Food, and Here Is Why, as Ex- 

 pressed in a Recent Editorial in the 

 New York Evening Sun: 



In normal times before the war the imports of 

 wheat and wheat flour by England, Holland, 

 Italy, France, Germany, Belgium and Austria- 

 Hungary amounted to over 414,000,000 bushels a 

 year. Much of it came from Russia, some from 

 Argentina and Australia, but most of it from 

 North America. Of these importing nations 

 Germany, France, Hungary, and to some extent 

 England also produced a good deal of wheat at 

 home. The war has inevitably decreased pro- 

 duction in all these nations except England. 

 They demand more wheat than ever from us, and 

 when peace comes the needs of our enemies must 

 also be met. No one intends to starve a defeated 

 Germany. Thus the peace time demand will be 

 enormous. 



It will be accentuated, too, by the disorganiza- 

 tion of Russia and the Balkans. It will be several 

 years before full crops can be hoped for from those 

 stricken nations. The food must be supplied by 

 North and South America and Australia. 



But even more serious than the instant call for 

 food will be the demand for seed. Not one of 

 these European nations can possibly have any- 

 thing like seed grain enough to replant its own 

 fields when war is over. They will ask it of us. 

 Even Russia, Siberia, Rumania and Hungary will 

 need to draw upen our seed supply. 



Beckert's Special Collection of Salads 



6 Splendid Sorts, 

 Large Packets, 25 Cents 

 Postpaid 



Cress, Extra Curled 

 Endive, Moss Curled 

 Lettuce, Black-seeded Simpson 

 Lettuce, Allheart Butterhead 

 Chinese Cabbage, Pe-Tsai 



(Shown on page 7) 

 Swiss Chard, Spinach Greens 



All of these, excepting Swiss Chard, 

 may be eaten raw or cooked. We think 

 so much of the Spinach Greens, how- 

 ever, that we include it in this collec- 

 tion. A dozen well-developed plants, 

 a foot apart in the row, will provide an 

 abundance of tasty greens for a family 

 of five from August until frost. The 

 seeds in packets we supply will sow 30 

 feet of row. 



Collections would be 

 fine for the children's 

 garden. The veg- 

 etables shown here 

 were grown by the little 

 girl in her own war 

 garden last year. 



Vegetables you Can't Buy on market. You may, but they won't be like these in 

 quality. Vegetables shown: foreground, Endive; in basket, head Lettuce; in background, 

 Swiss Chard or Spinach Beet. 



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