22 
EIGHTY YEARS OF GROWING 
THE SEED-BREEDING ACTIVITIES OF 
FERRY-MORSE SEED CO. 
W HEN Mark Twain called a cauliflower ”a cabbage with a college education,” he 
unconsciously paid tribute to the achievements of seed breeders. 
From the beginning of their activities in the seed business, D. M. Ferry and 
C. C. Morse recognized that careful breeding work was essential if the confidence of planters 
was to be maintained. They established trial grounds and worked painstakingly to improve 
existing strains. A number of improved strains and new types of vegetables and flowers were 
developed by the two companies in the early years of their activities, but it was from 1900 on 
that greatest progress was made. 
An Augustinian monk, Mendel, at Brunn, Austria, had been breeding a few vegetables 
The natural color of Heavenly Blue Morning Glory is rosy- 
purple. Continued breeding work is necessary to maintain the 
beautiful sky-blue color 
Measuring a typical plant of beauty of Nice stock, at Salinas. This 
plant will not go to seed, as only single stocks set seed. Breeding a 
strain of stock that will produce a high percentage of double flowers 
when seed comes only from single flowers is one of the many problems 
the seed breeder faces in developing new and more perfect strains 
Crystal Apple Cucumbers grown at Salinas. This is a variety popular 
for many years in Australia. Seed breeders at Oakview and Salinas 
place varieties from every part of the world in trial 
