The Truth About Seed Breeding 
ReCll Seed There is a vast difference be- 
n tween seed breeding and seed 
Breeding saving. Seed breeding, like stock 
breeding, is an art and is almast 
entirely in the hands of a few persons who 
have a genius for it, some of whom confine their 
efforts to a single product, finding therein scope 
for all their ideas and ingenuity. Every seed 
or plant specialist has learned that seed breed¬ 
ing and commercial seed production are directly 
antagonistic. The enthusiastic breeder of a 
fruit, grain or vegetable puts all his energy and 
genius into the production of a superior type, 
having for his aim a type that exists in his 
mind which makes it a personal matter, and in 
the course of time he fixes a type that is his 
ideal while perhaps another party far away 
and under different environment is developing 
quite a different type of the same product. 
The Why and How 
of Cheap Seeds 
When a type sat¬ 
isfies the public so 
well that there is an 
urgent demand for 
it, commercialism steps in and dealers begin a 
systematic hunt for the cheapest source of 
supply, knowing full well that the average buyer 
is looking for something cheap and seed pro¬ 
ducers know several ways to accommodate the 
cheap trade. Catalogs offering seed as Hoodoo 
or Hearts of Gold will doubtless send Hoodoo. 
Climate and Growing Conditions 
a Great Factor 
Seed breeding has taught us many lessons 
valuable to the farmer when once understood. 
For instance, the northern limit of successful 
production of any vegetable, grain, fruit or ani¬ 
mal will produce the highest type and quality. 
Seeds or plants for best results should always 
move from the North to the South. 
The difference would not be noticeable in a 
few miles but take seed corn, potatoes or canta¬ 
loupes moved from Michigan, New York or 
Maine, into Georgia or Florida and they will 
produce a better crop of higher quality and 
ripen a week or two weeks earlier than the 
same variety grown at home. That week or 
two means all the difference between profit and 
loss. Again, Western growers have learned 
that grain, vine crops and potatoes grown with¬ 
out irrigation make much better seed than that 
grown under irrigation. The writer has had 
some valuable experience along that line in 
Idaho and Utah with potatoes and cantaloupes. 
For These Reasons We Warn 
Against Cheap Seed 
“Pink Meat” type of cantaloupe has com¬ 
pletely captured the best trade with the Hearts 
of Gold far in the lead where introduced. 
Already we hear with regret of plans to cheapen 
it by methods known to 1 seedsmen but we shall 
continue to improve the variety by selection 
of perfect specimens from perfect vines. 
From an Illinois Grower 
Though an amateur in growing melons, my crop of 
Hearts of Gold was fine. I had a melon patch like your 
picture, no end to the melons and of the best. They had 
the sweetest and finest flavor. I never ate anything like 
them and the trade especially liked them. Please say this 
for me that anyone wanting a fine melon for table or for 
sale that there is nothing like the Hearts of Gold. I had 
poor success when I tried to save my own seed and also 
when I bought cheap seed called Hearts of Gold or 
Hoodoo. It surely was Hoodoo to my sorrow. 
Spraying Melon Field. We spare no expense to keep our vines free from disease. 
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