Some Minor Farm Crops. 
151 
fence, and it sometimes happens that one man cannot grow 
York cabbage seed on his land because his neighbour has taken 
a contract for Drumhead seed on his. A case recently occurred 
where one farmer planted a field of swedes unaware that a 
crop of giant rape was growing on the other side of a large 
hedge. Inoculation followed, and the swede seed was useless. 
The farmer lost his reputation as a seed-grower and the costs of 
a legal action with the damages awarded amounted to 400/. 
The strict necessity for honesty and care in the treatment of 
both plants and seeds led to the statement by a seed merchant : 
“ I do not buy seeds, I buy men.” And to ensure that the 
stocks of seeds are kept pure most of the merchants who have 
contracts with the buyers send out their own men to take the 
“ rogues ” (that is, plants not true to type) from the beds and 
the fields. 
The main crops in something like their order of importance 
are mangold, swede, all varieties of cabbage, white and yellow 
turnip, parsnip, broad and runner beans, peas, parsley, celery, 
and other vegetable seeds in small quantities. Lettuce seed 
used to be grown in the district, but is now largely grown in 
Italy and California. Birds proved to be a great enemy to the 
crop, and it is stated that the rapidly increasing number of 
linnets may so reduce the profit on swede seed that the growth 
of this crop will have to be transferred to other districts. 
During last winter over 2,000 linnets were shot on one farm of 
200 acres. Carrot and onion seeds are no longer grown in this 
neighbourhood as a general crop, though one or two patches of 
each were to be seen this summer. These, however, were 
special stocks sent out in small quantities by particular seed 
merchants. Onion seed is no A grown on the sandy soils of 
Bedfordshire, where the crops are much heavier than in Essex, 
and a large quantity for the English market is grown in Italy. 
Carrot seed used to be grown in the Kelvedon district, but the 
growing demand for clean or “ bearded ” seed favoured 
Continental, especially French growers. It is difficult to 
remove the beard from English grown seed, whilst it is 
difficult to keep it on that of French origin. Radish seed is 
grown near the marshes on the Essex coast. Crops of swede, 
turnip and cabbage seed are also grown in the Fens of Lincoln- 
shire where the yield is heavier than in the Kelvedon area. 
But the Lincolnshire crops are “frothy,” and the seeds are 
not equal in keeping qualities to those of Essex. 
Flower seeds are grown by allotment holders and large 
farmers alike. Amongst these are to be found in varying 
quantities, sweet peas, nasturtiums, wallflowers, larkspurs, 
godetias, candytuft, sweet-williams, single carnations, antirrhi- 
nums, Canterbury bells, mignonette, thyme, pansies, and 
