III
v
SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
if. W- ""0
I
' .
r.THE DAILY STATESMAN dedicates two or more
I. Salem district.
T11E SEED IKDUSTRV OF THE SALEM DISffllCT IS - v ;
1 : UBY WOW: BIT ISlllIIG fl. GOOD
i " r.i " i ; ; ,. INCREASE IIMIEjf D VARIETY EVERY YEAR
Seed Potatoes Going to California in Larger Tj)nnag-Rye ttrass Seed Bein& Grown
. ur Nnw in Lame Quantities. in e Business TaUing-a Bla SDUrt This Year Our
Growers Supply theWhole Country With Kale Seed TWs is the Only District of the
4 United States Where Vetch Seed Bs Grown Successfully T h e B i g Eastern a n d
Coast Seed Houses Are Increasing Their Contracts With Our Growers : ,
'Among the high lights in new
eeed lines for the Salem district,
that have been developed or
speeded ; up' during the past year,
-afe rye raw. erilf led seed pota
toes aid irubam clover. There
W taany.others. '
The Salem district Is coming in
t Ito'wwBas-iteedr couotry and
Bnr-fcr-destlaed ,tp become the
ftf efti 5oek jcenter jot the United
LaLe it att Arlier time than even
. Bpllmfsttjtiltd' hoped f6r- -.""
t 'P" la this-line
rghrnoW"larVry eaco'ufaging.
Kastern and coast sed bouses
" are making more and larger con
tracts with o or growers. -One big
eastern seed house contracted last
'year with "a Salem-lstrja grower
for acres -bf: gar den; seeds. In
cluding 16 acres of lettuce.
Our growers supply the whole
i country with : kale seed; sending
"out about a carload a year of this
seed. As It takes only two ounces
to plant an acre, it will be seen
. that we , supply seed for an im
mense acreage. ,
. Some High Lights
i Here are some of the high lights
,of the . Salem district as a seed
center, touehed upon by Harley O.
s , White, of the well known firm of
. D. A. White & Sons, seedsmen and
feed men.' Salem, in an , Interview
. 'of the Slogan -editor. This t firm
' .buys great quantities of' seeds, in a
wholesale way shipping ' in cars,
and smaller lots long distances,
rand Harley O. White is thorough
ly posted in all matters in the seed
. I world :- 7:'f " -f - . ; .' '
f Alsike clover seed will this year
bring to-our-farmers abont $50,
' 000:. about the same as last. year.
"Western Oregon is the onlysec
tlop of the United States where
;l it has proven profitable to grow
vetches for seed. We have a short
I crop this year as-we had last year,
' but It will bring about 150,000.
sJTho growers will get about 190 a
ton for their seed.
. i California wants all the certi
fied potato seed: our farmers can
send: and there. Is a demand for
I Oregon 'grown potatoes for seed
in Idaho and Washington. Right
j close to; Salem, there are several
? hundred acres devoted to growing
certified potato seed this year
I' against probably 23 acres two
, rears. go. The Oregon Agrlcul
1 lural college is helping in this.
The secf is being generally grown
r trader contract. The Burbank,
Garuet and British Queen varie
l tlea . are; theons generally pro
j jdufted )est ' for disease freo and
certified potato seed.
1 - Our dry summer and fall weath
) .er-uijlof ) thisi a: favored section
for producing many varieties of
j jgarden and .flower seed, :
Said Mr. White: :
V .. ''Oregon has been known usu-
ally, as a grower of field seeds,
especially of clover, alfalfa and
vetches, ; but grows . to perfection
: many kinds of seeds.
; "I might mention that In varl
; ous parts of the j Salem district
there have been grown and are
now grown many varieties gar-
den seeds. ? especially ' cabbage,
kaje, carrots, turnips, rutabagas,
(Cal (lower, broccoli, radishes,
, peas, beans, etc. .
i r (The varieties grown in the
valley are the medium red and
i allke c'lover, with some " White
Dutch clover.; The White Dutch
clqvereeds clean land, and the
growing, of this seed is increasing
. - here. ; ',
-The crop of " clover seed has
- ut-ually i brought ; annually hun
dreds of thousands of dollars to
the farmers, not to speak of the
larger crops made possible by the
growing; of clover, which has pro
en one of the best fertilizers and
Jland builders that It is possible to
obtain. ;
' , . - Harvewtlng Urgun "
'-"s- fWB account of the extremn
i hlf h prices of grain, clover was
- - somewhat neglected during the
I, war; but the up to date farmer
realises .hat he, must grow clover
Ieu .going to keep hisIaad in
condition to pay him. The red
clover- eed harvest is only just
' beginning, now. Its volume I as
, et problematic,; i The price will
tbe around 25c a pound, as It was
last yeaK The red clover seed
(; brought' in about 1400,000 to the
galem district, in 1923; and It
y should beeomea million dollar an-1
- nual crop. .
letters and ajJicles
ss:
xclusive A eld i
"Wes Vern Oregon s l the onl
place in Ihe United Stages wherfs
it has pnwen profitably to gro tr
vetches for .seed, and tn-. seed h is
been shippedfall over thfis country
from v Oregont in the Jlast teKv
years.
"California
as been depen Qkng
entirely on ou
crop for her tip-
ply, . and a ,n
ber of cars lR ve
:one to New,
rk. Maryland, 'iTex-
as and to various points to suuply
the needs of hefce localities.
"Vetch has" the same fertilizer
values to landas clover, and) as
a cover crop is ntot excelled by any
I
other green crop.
i
"A new vetch,t originating in
F.urope, called th; Purple VjDtch,
is being used in California, most
ly for fertilising 'jpurposes, i and
Willamette valley . farmers J are
growing the seed forthe Calffor
nia people. " .
"Sweet clover is also Ueing
grown here,! successfully, butfnone
so far for seed. 1
"The diffekent coast cor Titles
have soil and climate suitabl 9 for
growing the various root rops,
like carrots, Cjirnips, rutaUagas,
and radishes and produce ajlarge
crop of the very finest 'seedt and
will in a short lime supply large
amounts as sootn as the business
is gone into in acommercal 'Way.
"Our section now is throwing
cabbage and cauliflower e9d, and
experts pronounce ' it he beet 'Bec
ticn of the, United States forf these
v.-getables. r
Pays to Select' Seed
"Many growers are now realiz
ing that it s pays to select their
train and corn and are paying
especial attention to improving
the seed stock'.;
"It has been usnally the cus
tom to sow any old' grain that
they might have and never even
clean out the weeds, but thoy find
tbat.it pays them to select the
finest grains that they can obtain
In their fields and have it well
graded and cleaned. "
"From a number of tests that
I have known of, the farmers do
ing so have been able to increase
their yields of grain from 10 to
20 bushels per .acre over their
neighbors who have kept on sow
ing grain without selection and
without grading, and cleaniag it.
Good Corn Country
"Corn 1ms shovn more increase
iit the .last nine 'years than any
other-crop, and it. has largely de
pended upon the proper selection
of the- seed; stock.' The various
corn shows have done much to in
terest, the farmers ,in the proper
" " " i i j
Last j January--A' - new name.
Next January -1,000 cars a day,
This4 could mean no other than
the new' Poatlac Six. adjacent to
the Greater Oakland Six. Vick
Bros. - ()
Parker tr. Co.. 444 8. Commer
claL Don't fall to see Parker
abont repairing your car. Expert
mecnanics at your service,
work guaranteed.
All
)
SEE-DS
We buy and sell all kinds of seeds grown in
this state having .a large wholesale trade as well
as a good retail business.
We carry-In tock,all the varieties that are
suitable for the Pacific coast and'are in a position
to fill all orders promptly.
Mail orders are given prompt' attention and we
ship to all parts of the United States.
We give especial attention to Seed Grains, Clover
Seed, Vetch' Seed, and the different Grass Seeds as
.well as a full line or Garden Seeds.
Send for list when in the market as you will find
It to your Interest to do so. All seeds are thor
oughly recleaned and graded and comply with the -various
state seed laws of the different states.-
j D. A. WHITE & SONS
; Wholesale and Retail Sccdmen,
I SALEM, OREGON
frpm people with
varieties of corn suitable for the
various parts ,of the state; " and
now Oregon is producing a large
amount of very fine corn,; In fact,
Marion county is first in the Pa
c'fic northwest in the production
cf corn; and Polk county is a close
second. Marion and Polk will in
crease their lead in the future. :
;"Eight years ago, when the
eastern corn crop was so badly
ovmaged by rain and frost, east
ern dealers bought all the avail
able seed corn in Oregon aud
shipped ltc east. This corn pro
duced fine crops.
"On account of the care taken
with our seed corn by the grow
era, nearly all of our corn will
grade No. 2, while the average in
the east is No. 3 or 4 quality. ,
y "With the climatic conditions
;Ve have in the various parts of
the state, there is no reason why
Ovegon should not produce a large
amount of farm, field and garden
seeds for sections of the United
States where - it is impossible ' to
grow seeds successfully."
Mr. White '8 . firm has develop
d a' new seed corn, the "Pride of
Oregon." which is attracting "wide
and favorable attention. ' It is a
yellow field corn.
Seed Oats Going Far
, Oregon is shipping seed oats
Ion distances. It is well known
bow' that the Salem district pro
duces oafs running heavier to tL;
Bushel than can be grown else-
here In this country, and ; the
bl ftj.ll f asL ' t m H fnlircrno nro lik.
Jrig large quantities of our oats
Inx seed oats, we are shipping as
Jar, as Pennsylvania and . Mary
land, aid some of our new varie
ties are gping to many states and
countries especially the ; Sbade
landT. vats, the White Banner vari
ety, the Swedish Selected, the
Gray Winter and the Clydesdale.
Thefee were all selected and bred
p here in the Salem district,
j Grow All Kale Seed
As said above, we grow here in
the Salem district all the kale seed
for (the hofc of the United States.
We are "now growing most of
out beans fjor seed purposes.
(Nearly all our peas for seed are
home grown.
We are' growing our sweet corn
seed almost exclusively.
IThe same may "be said of our
crimson clover seed; and we are
getting into the growing exten-
fsirely of the Hungarian vetch
seed, which is attracting much
wide and' favorable attention all
over the Willamette valley.
For Whole Coast
We grow in the Salem district
1 Co tinned on pare 9.)
Nash Furniture Co. takes ; the
lead; with low prices on chairs,
rockers, tables, wood and itMi
neda, springs, mattresses. Saves
you z. sis n. Com 1. ()
aiaie surface roofing - applied
over your old shingles. We have
over zoo loos In Salem. - NAinn
I Bros., plumbers, sheet metal work.
1355 Chemeketa. ()
pages each week in
vision are solicited.
Dates of Slogans in
(In Weekly
(With a few possible changes)
Loganberries, October 1,
Prnnes, October 8 j!
Iairying, October I.!
Flax. October 22 i
Filberts, October 20
Walnuts, November! 15
Strawberries, November VI
Apples, November ID
Raspberries, November 20
Mint, December 3 Jj
I leans. Etc., December 10 .
Blackberries, 'December 17 .
Cherries, Deeemberl24
Pears, December 31
Gooseberries, January 7, 1026
Corn, January 14 1
Celery, January 21 1
Spinach, Etc., January 28 ,
Onions, Etc., February 4
Potatoes, Etc., February 11
Bees, February 18 ji
Poultry and Pet Stbck. Feb. 23
City Beautiful, EtJ., March 4
Great Cows, March 111
laved Highways, March 18
Head Lettuce, March 23
Silos, Etc., April 1 !
Legumes, April 8
Asparagus, Etc', April 15
Grapes, Etc.; April 22
Drag Garden, April 29
THIS WEEK'S SLOGAN
DID YOU KNOV That Salem is a seed growing center
of increasing importance; that our soil and climate com
binejto give advantages to seed growing; that our long
and dry and late bummer seasons are ideal for the ripen
ing and curing find gathering of seeds, as our earlier
weather conditions are fine for the best seed develop
ment; that there! lis large profit in the growing of seeds,
though the industry requires painstaking work and in
telligent care; that if the industry were properly organ
ized here it would attract wide and favorable attention
and furnish remunerative employment to a large num
ber of people anji handsome returns for the investment
of a vast amount of capital; and that there is no more
favorable field anywhere for either the investment of
large capital or intelligent and competent cooperative
organization workers?
; :
mtm mm i mmms sMnuuawna
ONION SETS Fill! WHOLE COAST ARE
PRODUCED IN
The Largest Mint
lanting in
Nnt in the Whole Countrv
lar Highway
ii:nu...nif ih Cnnn in
oughfare, Witfi Ten Millions in Annual Products From
the Soil in the
Not Far Distant Future
The Salem district supplies,
most of the onion sets for the
whole of the Pacific cdast country.
Hayes Bros.. E., A. jland J. O.
Hayes, are the publishers of the
San Jose, Cal., Mercjdry, one of
the outstanding newspapers of the
United States in a cityi of its class.
They were the pioneers in de
veloping the beaverdim lands of
the Lake Labish distriiet north of
Salem in a large commercial way.
They are represented Here now by
A. F. Hayes, son of B, A. Hayes.
His home is at 855 B: street, Sa
lem. j
The Hayes interestsnare respon
silbe now for about 00 acres of
the Lake Labish farming opera
tions. "They have buat up What
looks and functions njuch like a
thriving little city njar the La
bish Center school hokise.
They have about 15 acres Jn
peppermint now the jjlargest sin
gle planting in this jbart of the
country, if not in any jbart of this
country. They have about 100
acres in onion sets, j$0 acres la
potatoes, about 200 4jcres in on
ions, besides a small;
asparagus, carrots and
acreage in
other vege'
tables. They are constantly car
rying on experiments! with pros
pective commercial vegetable
crops. ,
They are now cutting and still
ing their peppermint and it Is
running about 64 poujbds of pep
permint oil to the acr which is
high, considering th'at in the
Michigan and Indiana districts the
average is around 55 pounds. The
peppermint plant on jihe Labish
lands is of such rank growth that
they ate obliged to use hand
sickles n addition to mowing Ma
chines in cutting the rop. They
have one very large stilt, with
four vats. ! ,-
Their onion sets ruif 20,000 to
30,009 pounds to the jicre. They
have an -average crop
J this year,
and it is already harvested. Their
onion sets go all over jthe Pacific
coast, mostly through,! the large
seed nouses,
Their onions go about 3 Oft hun
dred-pound . sacks to
the- acre.
They have a fair crop
this yeaf,
and it is beln harvested now.
Their potatoes go jabout 159
hundred-pound sacks td the acre,
f The Onion City, .
They hare 26 warehouse build
ings, not counting other farm
buildings. '. Their warehouses will
hold 280 cars ol onions and onion
the interests of one of the fiftytwo to
This is your page.
Daily Statesman
Statesman)
Sugar Heels, Korgiium, Ktc
May , 19UO
Water I'owcrs, May 18
Irrigation, May 20
Mining, May 27
tand. Irrigation, Etc., June 3
Floriculture, June lo
llops. Cabbage, Etc, June 17
Wholesaling and Jobbing
June 2-4
Cicumbers, Etc., July 1
Hogs, July 8
Goats, July 15
Kchools, Etc. July 22
Kbeep, July 20
National Advertising, August 5
Seeds, Etc., August 12
Livestock. August 19
1 Grain and Grain Products, Aug-
nst 20
Manufacturing, September 2
Automotive Industries, Sept. O
Woodworking, Etc., Sept. 10
Paper Mills, Sept. 23, 1020
(Back copies of the Thurs
day edition of The Daily Ore
gon Statesman are on hand.
They are for sale at 10 cents
Bach, mailed to any address.
Current copies 5 cents.)
THE LABISH DISTRICT
This Part of the Country if
Is There The "Million Doi-
Ro o Tun Millinn nnllnr Thrtr
sets, being built for that especial
'purpose
They operate a sawmill on taeir
land. They have an apartment
house for four families, and 10
comfortable dwelling houses.
There are about 20 families con
stantly on the land, besides many
hands from the outside in busy
seasons.
In the whole of the Lake Labish
district, on the bcaverdam lands,
there are about 1,000 acres in
onions alone, and the yields in
tome cases run up to 600 sacks,
or two car loads, to the acre.
That is the "Million Dollar
Highway" district, a term origin
ated to indicate . that farm prod-
M.ts would run to a million dol
lars annually, including celery,
head lettuce, onions, onion sets.
potatoes, asparagus, peppermint
oil, etc., etc., and that mark has
been long since passed, and it is
now climbing up towards the two
million dollar mark, with the ten
nailion dollar mark in the dis
tance.
Buster Brown Shoe Store. High
class, stylish looking, comfort riv
ing, long, wearing shoes for the
least money. Go and be convinced,
no worm commercial St. ()
The Malcolm Tire Co., 205 N.
Commercial, are the distributors
tor the Viking tires and tubes
uy that new tire now and have
mat satisfied feeling.. ()
Hebrew Newspapers Get
Latest acts by Radio
JERUSALEM (By Associated
Press.) Hebrew, newspaper offic
es at Tel-Avjv have been getting
their news quickly ' and cheaply
since the introduction of radion
news from the European capitals.
Two enterprising radio enthusi
asts have formed what they call
a Radio News, bureau, and tune la
on Rome, Berlin, Moscow, Paris
and London daily.
With the aid of an amplion and
a stenographer, the news i tran
scribed Into Hebrew1 and flashed
to I the newspapers, land publica
tion follows only a few hours lat
er than in 'London. ;
. The Marfon Automobile Co. Thfe
Studebaksr, the -world's greatest
automobile value. Operating cost
smalL Will last a Ufetime. with
care. Standard coach f 1415. - )
Help make aalem grow.
45 VARIETIES OF PEONIES AND 52
VARIETIES OF
These Are Among the Most Hardy Rowers That Grow and
Will Produce Fine Blooms With Little .Carer-The Jay
Morris Peony Garden in Southern, Suburbs of Salem
Is a Show Place Coast Attracting Attention as Coun
'try With Superior Qualities for Flower Seed Growing
'iklitor Statesamn:
The attention of flower lov
ers, durihg the pa&t few years, has
Ixen increasingly drawn to the
Pacific coast as a place where
flower plants, bulbs and seeds of
superior quality can be grown.
The growing of lovely flowers
is receiving increasing interest
each year as people more and
more realize what an immense re
turn a small outlay in flowers will
bring, first by beautifying home
ai.d increasing value of property
and second by multiplying 'the
happiness of those in the home.
A house is really not a home with
out its flowers.
A poor plant takes as much
care and as much space in the
garden as a good plant will, so in
buying your plants you shoufd in
sist on getting the best, even
though they may cost a little
more, as later results will far out
weigh original cost of the plants.
' There are so many beautiful
flowers there i3 no reason why we
should not all have flowers, at
least, some of our favorite va
rieties. In this article I am writing
about two of my favorites, name
ly, the peony and iris.
These two grand perrenials are
among the most hardy flowers
thaC grow and will produce fine
bloom with as little or even less
care than any others.
Peonies get better each year up
to about the eighth year, then
they should be divided and -reset
for best rc&ults. although peuy
plants have been known to grow
aad bloom in one location for over
fifty years with little cr no care.
, There are thousands of variet
ies of these beautiful flowers,
ranging, in color from deep red
through all shades of pink to pur
est white, and even some rich
creams and light yellows.
Besides the many shades of col
or there is a big difference in the
tpe,ot blooms and the time of
bIooming; of various varieties, so,
by careful selection of varieties,
one may have peonies in bloom
for six weeks or more.
There are eight types of bloom
known as Single, Semi, Double,
Japanese, Anemone, Crown, Bomb,
Semi-rose and Rose types; the
Rose type being the fullest dou
ble.
uememoer, in selecting your
roots that the highest1 priced ones
are not necessarily the best ones.
They may be high in price be
cause stock is scarce. For exam
ple, the peony Mary Woodbury
Shaylor is rated 9.0 and sells for
S1& each, while Mons. Jules ; Elie
selling at $1.50 each is rated 9.2,
j higher rated flower than the
former, but the stick Is not so
scarce! j
The ratings above .are from
ihe American Peyny society rat
ings of the peonies on a basis of
!' being perfect. The points of
excellence taken into considera
tion in making the rating are col
or, ) size, stem (including length,
strength and foliage), forn, sub
stance and fragrance.; These tat
ings are included in the price list
of all reliable growers and are the
buyer's best guide In seleciing
varieties fron a catalogue.
Seven Reasons Why
Following are Kevin excellent
reasons why everyone should have
ome peonies in his garden,' given
ir a monograph on the peony
written by Mr. J. Eliot Coit, for
Cornell ui.iversity. . .
.lThey are easjr to grow; any
one can raise glorious peonies
with less trouble than it takes to
grow roses?,
2. Peonies well established are
permanent features in the garden,
or at least as permanent as is de
sirable. y-;. - C .-;,'";-: -
3. Peonies are perfectly hardy
wherever apples can be grown,
passing through the most severe
winters without Injury, and very
easily protected where, not hardy.
4.-The blooms are large, showy.
of various forms and of all shades
of color from whito to purple, and
even pale yellow.
! S. Many, of the new varieties
are deliriously fragrant." .
6. They are practically free
fiom insocts and disease. No
spraying, dusting or hand picking
of worms is necessary."
,7. They are equally 'successful
as a cut flower, and j for artistic
landscape effect. ''
" - - In General .
Diseases of the peony-are few
a hundred basic
IBIS;
indeed; compared with the rose. Its
closest rival. Most, diseases can
be traced to over feeding the
plants with manure orllother fer
tilizing elements. The beet time
to plant or reset peonies is in Sep
tember, October or Nof ember, as
the roots are least actjjve at t,his
season. , . '
The peony is reproduced true to
name only by digging and dividing
the roots. New varieties are prop
agated from seed, but it takes at
least five years to get a blooming
plant from seed.. New varieties
are seldom put on the market in
less than 15 years after seed was
planted, ami then only a few out
of several thousand; seedlings
raised are worthy ' of jj competing
with the many beautiful varieties
ulready in trade.j These new vari
eties sell for, the lirst few years
for from $50 to $150, depending
on the plant. J -
Goddess of the Rainbow
Now, for. a little about the Iris.
The iris has been called j"The God
fless of the Rainbow." i No other
Sower has so many combinations
of color, especially of the delicate
and unusual shades, and the name
rainbow flower is" most fitting.
They are absolutely (hardy, as
beautiful in form, textulpe and col
oring as any orchid, and many are
delightfully fragrant. - ,
The iris is one of the best flow
ers for naturalizing or planting in
the sod. They are' not particular
as to soil, and will grow where
anything else will, butj they will
do better in a well drained loca
tion being watered and, cultivated.
I will flower over a long period
of time, multiply rapidly, and the
first cost is nominal. Such a com
bination of virtues is difficult to
surpass.. ' - ji j, ' ..- '
Many people do not., realize the
remarkable development and Im
provement that has been made In
recent years in both the peony and
!ris. Their possibilities in land
scape effects ars far-reaching, so
each season .their popularity in
creases, j . j j " .'
The iris, like the peony, is prop
agated Irom root divisions, called
rhizomes; new varieties being
grown from seed. K
My garden, known as Jay Mor
ris Peony Garden, is locateoV on
the "Liberty road about eight
blocks south of the Salem Heights
Community club hall, It now con
tains 45 varieties of peonies, to
which several nety varieties will
be added next month. With the
addition of .26 ' new Varieties of,
ins planted this month, my gar
den now contains 52 yarietics of
ris. . ; ,j -f -
Visitors are always welcome at
my garden, especially when the
peonies and iris are in bloom.
JAY. MORRIS.';
t ll. iF. D. 3, Box 104.
l2fc, Silem, Oregon, j
Aug. 10,
Fall hats and a new line of
felts. 13.95 to $1.95, 'and the ex
clusive Priscilla Dean i children's
hats at the Salem Variety Store,
295 North, Commercial. , ()
t c A. Lutny. Reliable Jewelry
store. What you are looking for
in iewelry. Where a child can buy
as safely as a man or woman.
Repairing ; in all lines. ()
Women Working too Hard,
- States Famous Surgeon
LONDON.'Women are spoil
ing themselves by over-education
and loo much' work" declared Sir
W. Arbuthnot . Lane, 4 the well
Known surgeon.- :if
"They have improved In many
ways during recent years," he
continued.' rand they are all the
better fdrjthe higher standard of
education they have demanded,
but many of them now are going
too far. They are wearing- them
selves out to satisfy .their Insat
iable desire for thoroughness,"
Sir. Arbuthnot said that matt is
the frail creature and woman is
the- strong. -She takes to much
advantage of this strength. Wom
en of all kinds and classes work
loo hard except those who exhaust
themselves! In searcji of pleasure."
The .Atlas Book and Station ry
Co., 465 Slate street. High class
literature and fine stationery.
Complete lines. You will appre
ciate the low prices. ()
Mortgages are all right so long
as you are able to keep them under-control.
M01C0M1G
industries or in
SAVE YOUn SEED
a
Find by Trial Just the Strain
and Variety Best Suited
'. to Your Choice
(The following was written for
.this issue by C. J. Mcintosh, tho
very competent publicity man of
the Oregon Agricultural college:)
One way to get good seed Is to
find by trial just the strain and
variety best suited to the grower's
conditions, and then save the seed
for further use. But even here it
Is In accordance with the laws of
evolution that unless the grower
exercises eternal ' vigilance In
taking full advantage of every
varation or sport tiat points to a
real improvement, he will soon
tig along behind the processlonas
competent specialists are continu
ally on the lookout for" all such,
pp-omising modifications'; and by
utilizing them f tend to : produce
seed that is steadily better ' and
better. -: : '
Another : thing the grower has
t coneider, even conceding that
the commercial seed grower does
produce improved seed strains and
finds ways and means to turn out
progressively better seed stocks Id
that it is far from certain that
, i. i. j
FORY010V
SE
always get this bettered seed anr
always get It in good condition.
It is at least questionable whether
all seed producers and dealers
keep the latest seed stocks most
highly improved and newest and
fieshest in the hands of all of j
their 'retail representatives. Per- '
sonally I have found by .disagree-
able experience that when I neg- !
lect the good seed matter until 1 !
have to plant something in a rush ' 1
ahd so go down to the dealerind
buy commercial seed, that At'"
nore likely than not to get ao'nr,
Irregular stand, particularly wltli
seeds rathen hard to grow such ai
celery and carrots. Even tin
larger seeds j such as beans and
pps often prove disappointing In
the way they germinate and grow.
I More trouble is I think likely ta
afise from failure of such seed ta
germinate and grow vigorously
than from any variation from an
nounced type. Commercial seed
stock as. bought in the small pack
age seems to be true to variety and
generally of good strain, but often
woefully weak in viability. I havo
always found it much more satis
factory to order the seed in bulk
from the seed house and test it
out-long enough before planting
titae to return them If they are
pbor grows rs in time to get a
fresh supply before planting time.
1 Commercial seeds are usually
quite' free from visible Imperfec-i
tipns such as weevil injury, musli
ncss and Impurity. It nearly al
ways. In my experience loolts right
and smells right, and being of tho
advertised varieties and strains,
about the' only real deficiency i'
any is in the age. Just how mucl
of the current', season stock when '
returned to the seedhouse by'the
lotcal dealer is put away for an- j
o(her year, and how many times,
ttjo same package may 'be sill)- ;
jected to this operational am un-
able to say. But since'the pack-'-age
is already made up and sealed
itTseems entirely reasonable that If
any old stock are to be held over
lt will be the package portions.
This always seemed to me to be
another reason for buying in bulk
rather than in package, even
though not large quantities are
needed or ordered.
Not that t may never be ad-
vLsable to hold seed over for an
etra year or two. This depends
on he kind of seed, as some of
the most viable sorts such as those
of the mustard family and some
others' may be held for another
year or so with apparently littlo
deterioration. -
Test Your Seel
Opportunity to give tho seed a
test either at home or by the agri
cultural college seed testing labor
atory,, is - another' advantage of
buying in bulk and in lots large
enough to last through the year.
ir tb first order is madeVou
after the seed catalogues h.h'f
oujt there will usually be plenty of
time to send a small sample to the
seed laboratory at Corvallls 'and
lefirn definitely Just how good tho
seM-is and how well it will grow.
Small seeds in which similar small
wed seed may be present can also
ba) checked up on In ' the college
sample. ;
But even with the best practice
home grown seed often proves the
robst satisfactory,, particularly
with V.w annuals. . Lettuce, rad
ishes, pumpkin, squash and ru
cumbers, peas, beans and corn,
mustard and spinach, lend 'the ln-
I, (Ooatland on pact 9. '
t
v
A
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