University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-01-06

presence OF too much free arsenic a.
result of cheap and >Ior,nIv
facture
The Lure of Mummy Wheat
Mummy wheat is "n,. oi the mo-.
curious and persistent of fakes 7,
Kind of large. coarse. Door who.,
which. appearing in the America, u.-
kct half century or 50 au, w, -,
to have been grown from wheat ,bou,
ands of Years old. found in cne ,,f A.
ancient tOmb> OF Egypt a sor, ..
large>>c from the fertile field, Of n.
PharaOhs of old to the man of 10 l..
with impoverished land As matt.
of fact. there is no proof that anu
wheat lcgitimatcly found in an Eovn
tian tomb ever ycrminatcd Eu, a.
story is 50 good. 81 APPEALING. tina, !,
persists in coming To the front n, ,,o
quent intervals. and the wheat i. nou
cnnlally put upon the market.
The story, printed with embelI;.h.
men'> in every English and American
newspaper. got to Egypt. There il
sifted down to the Arabs and dcrv;sbos
whcrcuPOn they got very busy see;na
at once more profitable industry than
selling antique scarab, made in B;r.
mingham. When they sailed forth 70
seek their daily spoil of tourists each
dirty sash held grains of wheat. and !,
was a stupid Arab guide who could No,
manage a fOrtuitous find: il wa, n SIN.
pid dervish who would not cease from
bowling long enough to sell three
grains. Whereby that Kind of -mum.
my wheat has become the most ex.
pensive wheat in the world.
A cruel feature with fakes is that so
great proportion of them are worked
on men with unproductive farms or
those who have had di>aStcrS-meu
hat Is. who are desperately eager to
hdhc some money.
There Is no fixed law a, To how louo
seeds retain their terminating q,,ality
II depends on the seeds and the condi
ions under which they are kept
There were purchased last wear. for
by Government experts,
wenty- seven hundred and seventy
light packages of vegetable seed. in
iudIng twenty six varieties. put ND bv
Of many different States.
he average termination WIS Sixtv-two
nd two-tenths per cent. but great va
letr was found As To seed houses.
With some the average was high. with
therS little more than one third of
helr seed was good. Many seeds were
bs"lut"ly dead. The Packages of one
"'i>e bore private marks: with one
md Of mark the seed was uood. but
'nh another bad. showin" that the
hed>man knew the condition of affairs
Frauds in Seeds and Flowers.
An Illinois farmer bought. last wear.
Wo thousand pounds of onion seed as
ew seed. but found labels carelessly
1T IN the packages showing that it
a> four and five wears old. And the
'aler was glad to refund the money
nj take. he seed back. in spite of his
'>"'iation agreement. for this WAS a
Is" Of easily proven fraud
But. like most Problems this of us
:" new or ,lt seeds j. no; an entirely
nipple one. There j. many an old Eng
,h gardener who carries his melon and
c'lmber seed about with him in his
'ck"t> for year or 81. havin" learned
at. under English conditions. they
III grow more tn fruit ana less To vine
hin not being planted la" soon.
')n" mct'i"d. followed hv some deal
:. "f ob'alnIn" iar"r quantities OF
'd AT slight cost. j. tu SOW very thick
d close. Ia ccon"miIc labor and space
Is apt In mark the
''id> IN flowers. The par-nip seed
''c to absorb Various "lnr- and dis
sod Of as special r"-" seed the okra
'd. sold a> the seed "f 4 marvellous
w"r Of the plains: the tub"ro-eS.
'6c to absorb red or blue ink. and
~ a. bait To sell. at .r"at prices.
lbs of the "wond, rful nrw coiored
beros"S. aSsurcdlv have certain PIE
'e>4u" qualities a. Swindlr-: and. a'
>e"y loves company. tie farmer Will
glad to know that the city man
the suburbaniic arr, -a-y /" i"crivr
III them
he moral To all ;li- J. d"rt buy
dS or roots from strangers or. III
I. from any but -eed-mcn that Yea
DIV are misunderstanding Evening
It.