The Washington herald., 1907-05-06
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

The last quarter of a century has done
more for the seed industry in America /
than all the previous years of its exist
ence. In that time seed-growers have not /
only produced more than half the seed /
used in this country. as compared with /
a much smaller percentage in former !
years, but they have demonstrated the
fact that we have sufficient diversity
Of climate and soil to grow In prOfusion
any seed which is now imported. Most
Of the seeds in the United States are
produced in California, where, in the
Santa Clara Valley, there is one farm
alone containing 10000 acres.
The variance in the amount of seeds
produced TO the acre by different plants
is very great, as some vegetables will
give 200 pounds TO the acre, and others
1900 or 5000 pounds A conservative |
average is 800 pounds to the acre.
Flowers run TO the most remarkable ex-
tremes in this yield. Sweet peas, which
seed more freely than any other flower.
sometimes produce 5000 pounds to the acre
IA ton and a half of seeds. The double
petunia. which IS known 10 seed-growers
as the "shyest seeder." will sometimes
fail 10 yield a pound TO the acre.
This inability of the double petunia to
hold it's seed makes it very valuable. /
It's retail price is $50 an ounce. or SLIGO
a pound. II is worth more than ten times
its weight in gold. This seed is much
finer than gunpOwder, and almost as fine
as cooking -four. 1t is almost impossible
TO distinguish the separate seeds, and is |
the most expensive kind handled by any 1
dealer. The cheapest seeds sold by the
pound are those OF the beet and mustard,
which cost only cents a pound. In
plentiful seasons sweet peas sometimes
sell for cents pound.
There is a great difference in price be
tween the seeds of an unnamed variety Of
flower or vegetable. and some sO-called
novelty" which growers have produced
from the generic plant. These novelties"
are produced in various ways, by selec- /
ton. by crossing the seeds. and they are
sometimes developed into distinct vaTie-
ties There are only forty-twO original
distinct vegetable families. though S3S
varieties of vegetable seed are now sold
by retail dealers.
tons on the original forty-two vegeta-
bles, and the number of new varieties is /
constantly increasing. With flowers, the
work is easier and the scope wider. There
are 107 generic flower families to start
with, and enterprising growers have rung
the changes on their seed until the mum
Der of flower varieties now sold is in
calculable.
Some vegetables lend themselves to
variations more readily than others
There are seventy-four varieties of let
tuee and thirty-fiye kinds of onions.
Beans, cabbage, corn, and tomatoes ap-
pear In the catalogues under twenty-five
and thirty different names. Mustard is
about the only vegetable that has re-
mained untouched by the ambitious seed
growers. Up 30 the present time one kind
Of mustard has sufficed for all our needs
Sweet peas have eighty-six divisions,
and over 800 subdivisions. In California,
where almost all the flower seeds are
grown, one farm of 500 acres is given up
TO the production OF sweet peas alone.
The total production yearly is about
$4,000 pounds. and even when this amount
is augmented by the yield from smaller
farms it is almost Impossible to meet the
demand. Sweet peas are the most popu-
lar flower in America for home gardens.
except the nasturtiums. and even these
cannot always compete with the sweet
peas. Where country air and sunshine
abound sweet peas hold unrivaled su-
premacy, and nasturuums are in use for
window-boXes and scant little city gar
dens. where a small backyard must do
duty for the flower lover.
Pansies are also a popular favorite,
though their price is sometimes high
enough to be prohibitive. The ordinary
varieties, well selected, are not more than
S25 a pound. but some of the big velvety
ones, rarely colored, sell for $50 a pound
Most of the flowers which are produced
from seed are sold in little scent packets.
the amounts varying with the value of
the seed There are about S00l000 of
these sold in the United States every year.
In California almost all the actual labor
of planting and harvesting seeds is done
by Chinese and japanese men. The over
seers are Americans. but the little seeds
are slowed away by deft Oriental fingers,
20 the tune of endless Oriental chatter.
One big Chinamau in California has had
phenomenal success growing sweet peas
and producing new varieties. He has
more new colOrs and shapes TO his credit
than any American grower, and his love
for flowers borders on fanaticism.
Twenty-Five years ago by far the largest
percentage of seeds used in American
gardens was imported from Europe,
where the industry has received more
careful attention than here Now there
are 153 large seed firms in America. each
handling hundreds Of thousands of pounds
annually. In many instances they have
specialized. and handle only one kind of
seed. Twenty-Five of these firms deal
only in peas and beans, eight in cabbages.
eight in tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers,
onions, melons, and beets.
The money these firms pay into the
Santa Clara Valley, California, amounts
to more than Sl,5OO0OO yearly This valley
produces a little more than 100000 pounds
of seed per annum. and from 100000 10
100000 pounds are sold yearly in the
United States. though still much that is
used for gardening is imported. The eau
lif!oweT seed is the most expensive of al
the vegetables. as it is the most difficult
To obtain Its wholesale price is SI3 a
pound Next to this in value are the
high grade varieties of beans. which cost
$50 and S. a pound.
Central Michigan and Western New
York produce almost all the bean seed
used in this country One locality in
Michigan produces 1900 bushels yearly,
ana the New York output doubles that