The Savannah morning news., 1900-09-01


mnto.
From the Washington Star.
The wonderful development which has
been made In this county during the past
few years Ia every line Of enterprise Is
nowhere better illustrated than by an In
vesugation recently completed under che
auspices Of the United States government
by a. j. pictors Of the division OF bot
any. Department Of Agriculture. Mr..
Peters examinations were to ascertain
facts about seed selling. seed growing
and seed testing. OF which the public
are up 10 this time unaware.
The many things learned by Mr. Pieters
led him 20 conclude that the development
Of the seed business OF the country forms
one Of the most interesting chapters IN
American horticulture, and that from
small beginnings In the later colonial
periods che business has grown so that
today its value is measured by millions
lf dollars
a. first the business was carried on So
small shops. where "A few boxes Of seeds
sharcd corner with Goldfish or shelf
With calicos and books hus the time has
arrived. says Mr. pieters. when II claims
Tor itself immense warehouses ana busi-
ness establishments whose interests cN-
END 20 every quarter Of the globe. The
trade has grown with the country. and its
eaders have Influenced a popular taste
ror good vegetables and fine flowers. Gre
ltinE and Stimulating a demand which
only their enterprise could suffice 70 meet
The first sale Of seeds IN this country.
20 far as Is known. was made at New
ort. r. l.. IN i7sl. BY Nathaniel Bird. a
oook dealer and the assortment was lin
ted 90 that OF onions. recently imported
rom London. In New York city hemp
and fax seed was advertised Tor sale ns
eorly as i7sa and garden seeds in i776. But
Boston was the chief city Tor the sale 81
garden seeds as Il WIS the commercial
ENTER al that time. In the Boston ca
zeste OF 1851. six out OF twenty-six ad-
vertisers were dealers IN seeds. Some 81
,hese did not advertise other goods bus
4 a. doubtful whether they were seed
dealers exclusively. William Davidson.
the gardener in Seven Star lane. offered
IN iT6S seeds % nfty-six varieties OF VIZ
etables and herbs. and Of one flower. the
caraation. Some OF his prices were as
follows. Lettuce 10 I pence per ounce.
cabbage, pence to "A shilling per ounce;
caulihower. shllings per ounce: carpn-
ton. : shiilings per ounce. Most of the
other vegetable and herb seeds ranged
from pence 20 "a shilling per ounce. peas.
Early Golden Hotspur and Early Chari-
on were worth - Ehilllngs the bushel or
70 pence per quart. Davidson dealt IN
seeds wholesale and retail for cash
The war for Independence. interrupting.
rs Il did the regular channels OF trade
.nterfered with the importation OF seeds
and the few garden seeds offered during
his sime were either imported from Hol-
and or were taken from prize ships lin
mtdiately after the war there was a re-
vival Of the trade fen seeds. and in 1884
lohn Adams. Susanna Renkin and Susan
ma Martin all advertised seeds Just I'M
ported from London
one OF the first seed men OF che pres
ent century was Bernard Mcmahon. gar
dener. scotsman and author. who in 1870
opened a seed store in Philadelphia A de-
scriprion Of his store. which has been
preserved. throws Igh, on the condition
Of the trade az that time and II Is az fol-
lows: His store was In Second street. i
below Market. on the cast side Many
must stlll be alive who recollect Us bulb
window. ornamented with tulip glasses.
a large pumpkin and "a basket or two OF
dubious roots
Behind the counter OBLIGATED Mrs Nc
Mahon. with some considerable Irish ac-
cent. but most amlahle and excellent
man. Mr.. Mcmahon was also much IN
The score. either putting up seeds for
transmission 10 all parts Of this country
and Europe writing his hook or attend
Ing 20 his correspondence; and in one
corner WAS shelf containing few ho-
tanicai or gardening books. for which
there was then a very small demand. an
other contained a few garden nipple
ments. such as knives and trimming scis-
sors. barrel OF peas and a bag OF seed
Ing potatoes. an onion receptacle and a
few chairs. and the room. partly lined
with drawers containing seeds. constitut-
cd The apparent stock IN trade OF what
was one OF the greatest seed stores then
known IN the Union. ana where was
transacted a considerable business for
that day."
In the fan Of is0a Grant Thorhurn be-
gan 70 sell seeds In New York. and sub
sequenfly built up substantial business
During the next quarter OF
censury seed stores were opened
IN Baltimore. Boston and Charles
ton. s. G.. rs wen as In phlla-
dclphia and New York. md there was a
isIyTssie trade in Shakers seeds
These Shakers' seeds were popular as ear
~ az 1915. They were sold BY regular deal
ere. and we're peddled about the country
IN the Shakers wagons. The population Of
the United States had increased from
little more than three millions OF whites
In iI9o 20 ten and a half millions In 1880
While most OF the trade between iS9O and
$50 was local or wholesale to country
dealers. change took place with the adj
vent OF the locomotive. The larger houres
reached out for wider fields made Access
Flble by railways. and new Arms sprang
up IN every city Of considerable size The
rapid increase IN railways not only open-
ed up a vast and fiourishinE country, hut
facilitated transportation IN tho East and
made possible the immense development
ef the mail trade.
Thirty years ago one hundred letters a
day was considered a large business. To-
day some houses receive over six thou
sand letters a day during tho busy season
Firms tina; twenty years ago employed
only one or two clerks now employ a hun
dred during the winter months. Through
out the West the seed business has -four
ished. and there is house In Wisconsin
whose trade has increased 600 per cent. IA
the past fifteen years single ware
house OF one Western Arm now has be-
tween seven and eight acres OF floor space
Before the beginning OF the century only
three seed farms had been established in
the United States. though for many years
seeds were grown by farmers and market
gardeners. The present development OF
garden seeds began when David Landreth
established a small seed farm al Philadel-
phia In 1874. A. first but a few acres were
and these were mostly occu-
pied b. the nursery. A. the business
erravv ry4orp land was added until in $50