§ HENRY FIELD'S SEED SENSE FOR MARCH, 1947—Henry Field Seed & Nursery ©o., Shenandoah, 
HENRY FIELD’S SEED SENSE 
“FOR THE MAN BEHIND THE HOE” 
Published by Henry Field Seed & Nursery Co. 
Field No. 1 Building Shenandoah, Iowa 
Henry Field, Editor 
Contributors 
“Alfalfa” John Nicolson (Seed) Helen Field Fischer (Flowers) 
Pate Simmons (Seed & Nursery) LeOna Nicolson (Nursery) 
Geo. Rose (Nursery) Irving Steurer (Garden Seed) 
Deane Schneider (Field Seed) —& all my friends and customers 
Subscription Price—A Garden Seed, Field Seed 
or Nursery Order : 
Seed Sense Every Month? 
Now don’t take me too seriously, but I’ve been thinking lately 
of sending out a Seed Sense every month. Some of you old cus- 
tomers will remember the days, umpteen years ago, when I sent 
out Seed Sense 12 times a year. It was favorite reading then, and 
might be again. Don’t know. Want you to tell me what you 
think—all of you. , 
Only thing I don’t like about it is the expense. The way print- 
ing and paper prices are these days, I just couldn’t send it out 
for nothing. Would have to charge something. Fifty cents a 
year, maybe. 
Write and tell me what you think. Would you read 12 Seed 
Sense a year? Would 50c be too much? Now’s your chance to 
speak up. Write me and say just what you think, H.F, 
The Truth About the Chicken Business 
I think there’s money in the chicken business—good money— 
provided you don’t go to too awful much expense, and don’t start 
in plunging on a big scale before you know how it should be done. 
Yes, I’ve seen people lose money on chickens, and I’ve seen 
them lose money too on hogs, and on cattle, and on lots of other 
things but it was genefally the same way in each case—trying to 
do too much with too little—plunging too fast—hiring too much 
help—and buying all the feed. 
But if you will raise chickens on a moderate reasonable scale, 
do the work yourself, and raise most of your own feed, chickens 
are a safe and profitable business year after year. And a pleasant 
business, too, and a lot of fun. I think Mrs. Field gets most as 
much pleasure out of her bunch of chickens she has down at our 
cabin as she does out of her flowers—and that’s saying a lot. 
And we get a world of good eating too, and a little handy ready 
money. We don’t grow chickens on a big commercial scale with 
fancy chicken houses, nor pay a fortune for feed but I don’t 
suppose you do either. : 
The big thing is to grow most of your own feed. Ordinary farm 
grains such as corn and wheat, alfalfa or clover hay and pasture, 
and maybe some green growing young oats for quick spring 
pasture, all make the best chicken feed in the world. And‘ they 
cost very little. 
And grow some Mangel Beets for winter feed and some extra 
earrots and turnips. Store them in a cave or pit and feed them 
all winter. Maybe grind the grains into meal and sprinkle over 
the chopped alfalfa hay and the beets and watch the hens go 
after it. 



Grow Your Own Fruit 
Nothing new about this heading. Have been saying it for 
years, and am going on saying it. Because it makes good sense. 
It’s the right thing to do, and the wise thing. 
This year it’s more true than ever. All you have to do is look 
at the prices on store bought fruit. I don’t have anything against 
store fruit. We need it badly, especially oranges and grapefruit 
and bananas. But for most of us, the prices are too high on the 
fruit that we could and should grow at home, 
Anybody can grow apples and peaches and plums and rasp- 
berries and most any fruit. Some of it, like strawberries, will 
bear the first year. Most of it doesn’t require a lot of Gare, al- 
though the better care you give it, like anything else, the better 
harvest you get. } 
Mrs. Field and I are still setting fruit, both here and at our 
cabin in the Ozarks. Our plants bear from early to late, and we 
make good use of the fruit, too. We can part of it and freeze 
the rest. And sell some, too. 
So can you. 
Come See Me in Shenandoah 
Don’t know how many hundreds of thousands of friends have 
come to visit here at Henry Fields in the last 60 years. Maybe 
it’s millions. But they were all welcome, and I think they went 
home a little bit more garden minded than when they came. 
Just want to extend another invitation. Come see us. We’re 
ordinary, friendly people here in Shenandoah, We like company 


i %% 
This is Mrs. Field in our pea patch down at the Ozark cabin. 
You can see how we grow peas there—tallern’ your head. And ~ 
we usually grow sweet peas along with the regulars. They do — 
well together and are really pretty. Try it and see. H.F. q 

just like you do. And if you can’t come, write us a letter, or by 
send us a snapshot of the garden and the kids. = 

- Grow Something New This Year i 
Nothing will add spice to your garden more than something 
new. Don’t mean to say you should quit growing Little Marvel — 
Peas for the new Early Giants listed on the front page of my | 
catalog. But a packet of Early Giants, along with your Little 
Marvels will give you a chance to compare growth and taste. ~ 
It’s fun to grow new things. I plant almost every new plant 
I can find. That’s how I’m able to list so many better varieties. 
And the same holds true for you. . 
Take my new Field’s Giant Strawberry, for instance. You’ll 
get a big thrill out of these super-big, super-sweet berries. 
Wouldn’t want you to give up Belmar, but a few Giants sure 
have a glace. 4 : 
So, grow something new. Even if it’s only a new radish. 
Moon Sign Planting Dates for 1947 
Here are the planting dates for 1947 according to the moon signs, 
as I figure them. Don’t guarantee they’re right so use your own 
judgment about using them. If you want more details better get the ~ 
Llewellyn Moon Sign Book advertised on page 8 of our catalog, 
which is probably the best known authority. It sells at $1.00 and 
we can supply you. ; : Ly 
Potatoes (early—Mar. 10-11 and also 20-21), or in a real early 
season, Mar. 1, 2, and 3. : es 
Beets, radishes, carrots, onions, and other root crops, same dates — 
as early potatoes. > : ss 
Corn—(including field corn, sweet corn, and popcorn)—May 3-4-5- 
oe and May 31. Or in the south or in a very early season, April — 
Beans, melons, cucumbers, squashes, same dates as corn. eS 
Tomatoes (outside)—May 3, also 22-28, or in south or early sea- 
son, April 25-26. Ma veg 
“qian cabbage, etc., in hotbeds or in house—Feb. 20-21-22, 
ar. -2-0. ay 
Cabbage (outside)—Mar. 1-2-3 and 29, and April 25-26. ee 
Peas (also mustard, Kale, and chard)—same dates as cabbage 












outside. 
Late Cabbage—June 1, and for real late, June 27-28. 
Late Potatoes—June. 10-11. By 
. Butchering dates—Mar. 1-2-3. <3 
Weeds and Briars. The Missourians say that if you chop yo 
sprouts and briars and big weeds in the sign of the heart (Leo) 
the dark of the moon in Aug, (Aug. 15-16 this year) they will not 
sprout up again, but will die. Beko 
Please Help Me 
If you are one of my customers getting 2 each of my cata’ 
or Seed Sense right along, es f ; 
drop me a card or tell me 
Si 
body out of getting their catalog, I lean the other way and so 
1 This costs me a lot of mo 
and with your help I can stop the waste. Will you help? Thar 
Here’s a form you could pin on your order or paste on a card. 
I'd sure appreciate it. rn 
(1 I receive more than one catalog, 
MYA MAING A toca sce t cicia™ conane terete icine Stor Rise ens 
tee ee ee rene 

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