
Slate Seed Co., Seedsmen Since 1866, South Boston, Virginia 
Graded Tobacco Seed 
The Key To 
Larger Profits 
It has been proven that a good seed produces 
a strong healthy plant—an inferior seed a 
plant of like quality. This is true of all plant 
life. Every farmer is careful to have his wheat 
recleaned, his corn nubbed, tipped, and graded. 
Because he does not want inferior seed in his 
plantings. 
Yet, because tobacco seed are so small that 
we cannot see their qualities with the naked 
eye, we have overlooked the greatest factor in a 
profitable tobacco crop—graded seed. We have 
been sowing the good and the inferior seed to- 
gether, setting strong and weak plants in the 
field together, and harvesting a crop of leaf 
that lacked uniformity. 
Lack of uniformity in ripening habits and 
curing qualities has caused the tobacco grower 
more loss than anything 
else. His low grade to- 
bacco takes the profits 
from his whole crop. 
WHAT ARE 
GRADED SEED? 
Every farmer has his 
tobacco seed recleaned be- 
fore he sows them. But is 
this sufficient? No. The 
average recleaning job 
does not take out many 
of the objectionable seed. 
With the aid of a power- 
ful microscope, we have 
studied this problem and 
worked for years perfec- 
ting a means of sorting 
the big, plump, healthy 
seeds from the inferior 
ones, 
At last we have a pro- 
cess which gives you only 

Is Your Tobacco Crop Worth 15c per Acre? 
One ounce of our best graded tobacco seed will produce sufficient plants to set 
the biggest and best seed to sow in your beds. 
Separated by our special process. This means 
that we must throw away a large percentage of 
the seed we grow thus increasing the cost of 
production, But it also means that Slate’s Seeds 
are far superior to any other tobacco seed you 
can obtain and what matter it if you pay a 
dollar more for them and receive a hundred 
dollars more for your crop? 
WHAT ARE THEY WORTH? 
The cost to you of Graded seed is only a 
little above our normal price. Their value to 
you will be seen in the next crop. Study the 
photograph of the graded and ungraded tobacco 
seed. Notice the uniformly large plump seed to 
be found in the graded seed. Then see the varia- 
tion in the ungraded. 
Just as you see them 
here so they will produce 
in the fields. 
A weak seed produces 
a weak plant, slow to 
start growth, slow to 
ripen, and hard to cure, 
because it lacks the es- 
sential oils and gum, 
90% of the low grade to- 
bacco comes from these 
under - developed plants. 
Think what it will mean 
to your crop and your 
profits if you can elimin- 
ate this loss from low 
grade tobacco. Graded to- 
bacco seed will produce 
good strong plants, quick 
growth in the fields, uni- 
form ripening, better cur- 
ing qualities, and a more 
profitable tobacco crop. 
five acres of tobacco. The average cost to you is only 15c per acre for the best seed 
obtainable. Then why risk any other? 
Slate’s tobacco seed are produced right here under our direct supervision. Hach 
year the fields are carefully inspected for mixtures or plants that do not bear true 
characteristics. The seed are cleaned and handled by men who have had a lifetime 
experience in this work. Our breeding schedule, rigid inspection, and expert hand- 
ling cannot fail to give you better seed than you or anyone else can grow. Proof of 
this fact is to be found in the history of our business. From a small beginning in 
1866, when an old southern Major just out of the Confederate Army grew his first 
crop of tobacco seed, the business has steadily grown through three generations of 
our family. Today we are the largest growers of tobacco seed in the world, because 
we have grown better tobacco seed than anybody else in the world. 





