
This past Fall we journeyed to the Tonawanda Reservation to 
share with Russell Hill and his family in the celebration of the 
harvesting of the first ‘‘Seneca Chief’? Sweet Corn to be grown on 
the Reservation. Here we see Orson Robson being presented 
with the first ear as a token of appreciation. 
SENECA CHIEF 
It was very special seed corn that we had 
given to Russell Hill. This hybrid represented 
ten full years of the most careful breeding on 
Robson Seed Farms and has been named in 
honor of his tribe—Seneca Chief. Here is a 
sweet corn that has all of the good qualities of 
the old varieties combined into one hybrid. It 
is vigorous, productive, and widely adapted. 
The deep yellow kernels are tender and sweet— 
truly a great sweet corn named after a great 
people of our Finger Lakes region. 
One hundred and seventy years ago General 
Sullivan led his army into the land of the 
Senecas. Here, within a few miles of the 
present Robson Seed Farms, his soldiers found 
fields of a new kind of corn. The green ears, 
when roasted on a ramrod, tasted sweet. This 
sweet corn had been developed and grown by 
the Indians for hundreds of years. Many of 
these soldiers were from New England; here 
and there one carried an ear or two home for 
seed. ‘This is how sweet corn was introduced 
to the settlers. 
Everyone enjoys sweet corn, and as we owe 
its origin to the Seneca Indians, it seems only 
proper that our new and better hybrid be 
named in honor of the people who gave us this 
outstanding vegetable, and that Russell Hill 
of the Senecas should be the first of his tribe 
to grow Seneca Chief. For further description 
of Seneca Chief see page 17. Pkt. 25¢; % lb. 
Goc; Ib. 95c¢; 2 Ibs. $1.85 5 bss $3,459 1oulbs: 
$6.45; 25 lbs. $15.50; 50 Ibs. $30.25: 100 lbs. 
$58.00. 

SENECA BENDER 
We remember a day many years ago, sitting 
on the porch of Mr. Bender's home near AI- 
bany, and hearing the old gentleman describe 
the original Bender Surprise muskmelon as 
he had bred and grown it. Each melon weigh- 
ed from five to seven pounds and was well 
covered with a heavy netting. The orange- 
yellow flesh was thick, sweet and free from 
stringiness; the seed cavity was small. 
This was the muskmelon that made Mr. 
Bender the most widely known grower of his 
time. Eventually, Bender Surprise passed to 
those who had different ideas as to what was 
the perfect melon. The size increased and 
quality went down until this once famous 
melon lost much of its public appeal. 
At this point our plant breeders stepped in 
and taking Mr. Bender's specifications, as a 
pattern, developed the now very popular 
Seneca Bender. 
For further description of Seneca Bender 
see page 25) Pkt) 20c 702) Soc a17 sllomone5. 
VY lor $3.50; lb, S0100s 5 lose 32050 mien bs 
$58.50. Special Selected Stock Seed $10.00 
per pound. 
A modern seed firm not only grows seed but continually, by 
breeding, aims to improve present varieties and create better ones. 
This requires careful testing and comparing of strains and varie- 
ties. The field testing of Seneca Bender Muskmelon is one of 
Gordon Jones’ jobs. 
(See below) 
