The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-10
TROUBLES OF A SCOTSMAN

while we exercise great care to
sell only seeds of proven vitality
and true to name, we do not give any
warranty expression or implied, and
we will not be in any way response
bic for the crop or results from any
seeds, plants or bulbs we sell, and if
the purchaser does not accept the
goods on these terms they are at
once to be returned and money if
any, that has been paid for same, will
be refunded
Nearly every catalogue that one
picks up will either claim the above
disclaimer, or some other one that
amounts to the same thing. In short
no responsible scotsman will under
take to guarantee the resulting
crops from any seed he may sell
There is great exception to this dis
claimer among planters of seed, but
1t should be understood that there
are two sides to the proposition and
that the seedsmen or seed dealer is
justified in disclaming financial re-
sponsibility from the resulting crop
in seed, over which he cannot eXer-
else any direction or control in plant =
ing or cultivating the crop 1t is
very frequently the case that a dozen
men will plant seed out of the same
| bag, part of whom through correct
methods of planting and cultivation.
Will produce splendid crop, while
others planting the identical seed,
VIII not get the seed to terminate.
and even if they do will make a fail
ure of the crop. For this very rea
son, the seller of any seed certainly
could not guarantee either vitality
or a crop. On the other hand. it is
doubtless true that many worthless
seed are palmed off on the farmer
or planter, the dealer claiming pro =
lection under the disclaimer, shown
nf lott
seems to be no way to correct the
evils that are practiced by some seed
dealers. and the unjust claims that
are often set up by farmers or the
planter.
The best thing for a farmer or
planter is to buy their seed supplies
only from reliable men, those who
know seeds, and who exercise a rea-
sonable amount of caution in select
ing their stocks. The most of the
failures are due to the fact that
everyone is always looking for bar
gains and are frequently prone to
be influenced in the purchase of seed
simply because the price is cheap.
The farmer who buys seed to plant
should understand that the seed
which he buys has been produced by
another farmer, who is entitled TO
falr remuneration for his production.
and if this was more fully under
STOOD, there would not be so much
continual wrangling about the price
of seed nor near as much disappoint-
ment when the crop is harvested
Everyone seems to understand that
in all other merchandise except seed
there is great difference in quail
ity and while the farmers realize
this in buying machinery, dry goods
and other merchandise, he seems to
overlook this fact when it comes TO
the purchase of his planting seed. A
cotton farmer will generally sacrifice
20 to 30 per cent of his normal or ex-
pected yield through an effort to
save few dollars in the matter of
seed. Again a farmer will often
sacrifice rs to so per cent reduc-
ton in his corn crop in an endeavor
to save less than 81 in his seed bill.
n real honest-to- goodness seeds
man often becomes discouraged in
trying to supply the farmer with
worthwhile seed, when he is made
acquainted with the fact that the
farmer refuses to buy reliable seed.
and resorts to doubtful source of
supply that is almost sure to be a
very expensive procedure for the
planter. Habitual sowing of poor
seeds has sent more than one farme r
to the city in search of job.