Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-05-19
SEED INDUSTRY I'M AMERICA

olSain Its Wholesale price is sl3
IL pound. Next to this In value are
the high grade varieties of beans,
which cost $3.50 ana SO pound.
Central Michigan and western New
York produce almost all the bean seed
used In this country. One locality I'm
Michigan produces 10000 bushel:;
yearly, and the New York output don.
blcs that number. Potatoes and corn
are sold so extensively that no esti-
mate can be made of the amount
produced each year.
Two million pounds of turnip seed
goes into American soil every season.
but most of 1t is imported from Eng
land. One million pounds of radishes
are planted here. one-tenth of which
iG raised In California and the rcst
In Europe. or the million pounds OF
seed onions which the annual crop
demands, California yields 100000
pounds, and more than half the mil.
lion pounds of cabbage seed used.
lff All Seeds Grew.
When 1t is remembered that n III.
lie 5cent package of cabbage seed
will make 200 plants, too many for n
single garden, and that each mound
Will supply so gardens. the -alormity
of these figures will be realized.
Or course many of the seeds which
arc sold do not produce vegetables.
ma the arc prevented by ainsa'ts, i'm.
purltics of soil and climatic hard.
ships. but If every seed sent out l,y
INC seed industry Of American full
filled its mssio neverv man, woman
ana child in tho United States could
nave at least one square meal a day
REGARDLESS of the beef trust.
! Corn growing for seed purposes
has made great strides in this coun-
try, and more of it Is sold tl.nn soy
other kind. An instance Of Mother
Earth's kindness 10 the corr grow
or Is shown In tho experiences of
prominent seed grower in Ohio
! Thirty-five years ago he had one acre
OF land and SIS. He Invested sEe SIS
in seed corn. His profit for his first
wears work was only SIS but now
he produces yearly 100000 bushels Of
corn, and has become independently
rich.
John Rankin, Missouri farmer,
plants 10000 acres of corn at time.
using as much corn for his seed as
an Eastern farmer would harvest IL
ono season. He sends out 80 blows
at time to his fields and ships his
corn in the fall by the trainload In
stead of the carload. Not long ago a
single car of prize corn of the Reid
Yellow Dent variety was sold at arc.
ton Mt the Iowa state college for
$3.50. This was ut the rate of $3.50
n bushel, which is the worlds highest
price for seed corn.
Livingston's Discovery.
| Almost all the choice kinds nf To.
matoes are the result OF the patience
OF A. w. Livingstone, who disco. ere,!
in bed OF ordinary tomatoes orc
which was susceptible of treatment
to enlarge it and enrich its flaw. n. He
saved the seed of this accidental 10.
mato and year after year rcplantad
the seeds obtained from the children
and grandchildren of his original find
until it is difficult to find in ones
salad n tomato not descended from
this discovery of Mr. Livingstone.
! Flowers furnish equally as inter
esting instances. One of the most
notable seed achievements OF recent
Years is the work OF Rev. w. Hichks,
the secretary OF the Royal Horticul
tural society in England, who pro
duced the Shirley poppy from bed
OF common field peoples. In patch
OF the latter in his garden he saw
one edged with white. He marked
II, obtained its seed and planted 1t
the following year, The edge of
WHITE had grown deeper, and after
many years of experimenting he had
a bed of poDpies whose white edge
had worked into the center, making
the petals pale pink, and in one
plant pure white.
After several years more he turned
the black center n pale yellow. and
now the ghostly Shirley poppy stands
as monument to his infinite ma
thence and care.
| Wind and Birds Assist.
But seeds are not always so care
fully propagated. Every clement in
nature has had a hand in 1t, at one
time or another, and strange flowers
arc even now growing on our coasts
rs result of long journey on the
breast of the gulf stream or gallant
race with the north wind. The hap.
hazard career of the thistle.down,
which Is resown l'y any passing
breeze, has been the theme for many
a poet.
Birds have carried seeds undigest-
ed in their stomachs for miles and
miles. even into different states.
Many little Northern blossom has
appeared In the South with no pos.
slble explanation for It's presence but
that 1t had been carried there by q
flock OF migrating birds.
Minneapolis Tribune.