The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-01-07
Anaersat. Tnttttiaereer.
Seeds FOR the Farmers.

SeeUS l0T Tic tnIis1TS.
The department OF agriculture is about
to begin its purchase of seeds for supply
ing the farmers Of the country, says the
Washington Star. All such buying is
done directly from growers. Congress
appropriates 100000 for this purpose
annually. 1t costs $4,000 to put up the
productan ship it from Washington, to
that only $4,000 is actually devoted to
paying for the material distributed. In
June and July special agents travel
about inspecting the crops which the
seedsmen are raising. They select what
they want by sample, and in November
theyjourney around again and make their
contracts.
The seedsmen do not usually produce
their stock in trade on their own sand.
They hire the use of extensive tracts
from farmers such plauta-
ton will include thousands of acres
paying so much an acre and supplying
the seeds to be planted. On their part
the farmers contract to deliver the crops
obtained husked or threshed, cleaned
and in good condition. 1t is agreed that
they shall do all the labor, and that
parties of the other part shall be per-
mitted to examine the fields at any time
and weed out all "rogues," which are
plants of inferior varieties such as will
creep in.
In summer time, when the plants are
growing, Uncle Jerry's special agents
come along. To them each seedsman
shows not his green fields, but his trial
garden, wherein he cultivates few spec
linens of each choice vegetable that he
is engaged in propagating. The Gov
ernment buyers look the stock over, de-
ciee ins general way as to what they
want to purchase, and 60 away, to re-
turn in the late autumn and give their
orders after inspecting the seeds in the
bins.
These seed farms are scattered all
over the United States. Cabbage seed
are nearly all grown on Long Island,
elsewhere in New York State and in
Connecticut. Farmers believe that they
need salt air. OF cauliaower seeds the
same remarks may be repeated. Peas
for seed all come from the neighborhood
ofTraYerse, Mich, and Msnitowac, Wis.
Those got from elsewhere are apt to have
little worms in them, but the flies of
which these worms are the larve do not
live in the region mentioned. Beet
seeds are nearly all imported. Carrot
seeds come from the far West, especially
from California, in which State are also
produced most of the lettuce seeds and
the best. Corn and onions for seed are
raised all over the country, and the same
is true of the seeds of melons. Cucum.
Der seeds come from Nebraska, Wiscon.
ain and Missouri.
Onion seeds are gathered by guing
through the fields and cutting off the
pods atthe tops Of the stalk, tying them
in bundles and threshing them out on
canvass. Beans are allowed to stand in
the field until they are yellow, after
which they are stacked up until they. are
perfectly dry and threshed out. No
seed potatoes will be distributed this
year by the department. The eyes
which have been shipped in past years
were found too perishable, either rotting
OF freezing before they were planted,
and whole potatoes are too bulky to
handle.
The flower seeds which the department
distributes are nearly all imported from
abroad, where vast farms are devoted to
raising them. Ihey have to be pur-
chased from the big seed houses. AS is
the case with the vegetable seeds, they
are all tested before being sent out. For
this purpose a curious little window gar
den is maintained at the seed barn,
which consists of two good sized pans
about four inches deep. Across the pans
wires arc laid in pairs, with folds of
cheesecloth hanging between each pair
into the water, of which the pans are
hslf full. The seeds are sprinkled along
in the folds of ofcheesecloth and quickly
germinate, their roots making their way
through the fabric in a dense network.
Sometimes vegetables thus grown Ia the
pans have actually produced peas, beans
and other things big enough to eat.
Anyone who cares to get up such g win
dow garden as this at home will be re.
paid for the slight labor that will be in
volved.