28 
EIGHTY YEARS OF GROWING 
are known to approximate the ideal. Seed crops are grown from this "stock seed" on the 
company’s own properties or by growers under the company’s supervision. Ninety-seven per 
cent of all the vegetable and flower seeds sold by the Ferry-Morse Seed Co. are produced 
directly by them on their own seed farms or under their direct supervision from their own 
pedigreed strains. 
The Ferry-Morse seed-breeding stations at Oakview, Salinas, and San Juan Bautista have 
three major objectives—to keep the standard varieties of vegetables and flowers true to type, 
to improve them when possible, and to develop new strains of outstanding value. 
Threshing sweet peas at Salinas 
Cleaning lettuce seed in the field at the San Juan Ranch. As much 
cleaning as possible is done before the lettuce seed is taken to the main 
cleaning plant 
Harvesting carrot seed at the Sacramento River Ranch 
Grinding tomatoes at Oakview. Seed and pulp are emptied into 
waiting barrels 
