Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-05-07
ABOUT SEEDS.

"GooD seed in a good soil' has long
been significant Of the best kind Of
farming; for it has been an assurance of
good culture, while holding the promise
of good harvest. The manure pile
may be large and well supplied, the cul-
tivation may be excel sc, the seasons
favorable, but II the seed planted or
sown is old, worthless, adulterated, or
not true TO name, what will come but
vexatious disappointment, and a loss
from which abundant manuring and
good weather, can not, by any possibili-
ty, insure oneP First of all, then, we
say, use good seed. IL is of more i'm
portance than all other farm operations
or practices put together; although sim
gular rs it may appear il is generally
looked upon as of slight consequence.
This is no way better illustrated than
by the Indifference shown by most farm
ers in the matter of saving and i'm
proving the farm grains and seeds by
judicious selection and hybridizing
thing which hundreds of farmers think
they have no business TO meddle with,
but which must be left wholly to the
seed merchant and the scientific expert
menter. If farmers did but give a
greater share of their attention TO this
matter, they would be more sure of re-
suits, and there would be fewer occa-
sions for disappointment and loss in the
growing of field and garden crops, than
is now the case.
Out of the great variety of cultivated
grains and vegetables, only very few
are grown as what may be called stand
ard or leading crops. There are seven
ty different species of vegetables, for
instance, grown in the gardens and on
the farms of the United States; and
the catalogues of seedsmen show as
many as 400 varieties of these, to say
nothing of the potato, of which the
varieties are almost endless. Of the
above there are more than forty varie-
ties of beans, corn, peas and tomatoes,
each; fifteen OF squashes, twenty of
cucumbers, and thirty-fve of melons; !;
and yet we seldom see growing upon
our farms more than three or four of
beans, two or three of corn, and one of
tomatoes, squashes, cucumbers, and
melons each; while of the field grains,
such as wheat, barley and oats, there is
never but a single variety grown,
except in very few instances for ex-
perimental purposes. Wespeak now of
the sowing of seeds as field and garden
crops, and have no reference to the
commercial features of the business.
These have increased to q very great
extent in recent years, especially in
connection with the growing and i'm
proyement OF seeds for the vegetable
garden; and in addition to those grown
in our own country, immense quantities
are imported from England, Germany,
France, Belgium, Holland, and other
foreign countries.
One well known seed-grower IN this
State says he has paid as high as three
hundred dollars an ounce for choice
cucumber seed for propagation. 1t is
estimated that 5000 acres of land in the
state of New York are devoted to the
growing of peas and beans for seed pur-
poses alone; 80 acres to flower seed,
and 25O acres to vegetable seed. In
Michigan and Illinois 900 acres are in
garden seeds, 1000 in Pennsylvania and
New Jersey, and as many in Massachu-
sets, Rhode Island and Connecticut :
the crop of onion seed in the last nance d
State being $4,000 pounds annual
ly. These figures give some idea
of the extent of the seed-growing bust
ness in our country, but as yet little at
tention has been given to the growing
of wheat, barley, oats and other field
grains wholly for seed purposes. This
is done chiefly by each farmer for his
own uses, and it is to this-to the i'm
provement of these grains through Sc.
lection and careful growing-that we
hope to see more attention given in the
future.
In recent years much has been said
concerning the "doctoring' or adultera.
ton of field seeds; and our readers are
already acquainted with the Importance
which this subject has reached in
Germany, though in this country it has
not yet seemed to become a profitable
business to "doctor" field seeds as a
regular profession. In Europe nearly
fifty seed central stations are in opera
ton, where all sorts of commercial
seeds are tested previous to their being
placed upon the market, or after they
have been exposed for sale. The results
there obtained have shown that the av.
erage per centage of pure seed was 50
the average per cent. of foreign or adul,
terated substances Al; while of the Sc
per cent. of seeds which were what they
were represented to be, only 18 pei
cent. were capable of termination
Clover seed is one of the easiest sub.
iects for "doctoring," and among the
impurities found in it have been sand
crushed granite (colored), and the seed:
of more than forty distinct species OF
noXious plants! Some good work ha:
been done in the matter of detecting the
impurities in our useful seeds in this
country. The tests so far made
are hardly sufficient upon which
TO base accurate conclusions, bu
it is safe to say that 20 pei
cent. of impurities are found in oul
grass seed, and I per cent. in clovers-
these impurities consisting of dirt
sand, chaff, and seeds of foul weeds.
An interesting point in connection
with seeds of vegetables and grains
offered for sale is in reference TO the
relations which the seed grower and the
seed merchant bear to the public. Al
to the matter of purity it is impossible
to expect absolute perfection; but it il
not impossible to expect relative OF
practical purity, and to reach this should
be the object of every seed grower anC
seed merchant. Those who grow seed.
especially of vegetables-should bt
careful to have stock of the right strain
grow it in locations where mixture viii
be impossible, keep the varieties dis
tinct and pure, and sell to seed mer
chants or the public only the best. Th,
scotsman, whether he be himself tn,
grower or only the seller of the seed
must be able to guarantee to the farme
who buys seed, of practical purity, anC
of varieties absolutely true to name
The farmer or market-gardener mus
know what he buys, and must be sur,
he can fall back on the scotsman TO,
any loss from impuritV or disanDoint