ON THE ART AND MYSTERY OF TURNIP-SEED ADULTERATION.
It has already been shown that turnip-seed is largely adulterated; it
remains now to point out the nature of the admixtures, which may be
summed up under the following heads:—
1st. Old seeds are mixed with new.
2nd. Charlock, “Indian rape,” and other seeds of the _Brassicaceæ_,
are mixed with genuine seed.
1st.—The crops of seeds vary so much in their produce per acre, in one
year, as compared with another, that in most years there is a
superabundance of some kinds and a scarcity of others.
Now, as most seeds are of comparatively little use except for sowing,
the surplus stock can only be disposed of at extremely low prices.
Accordingly some wholesale seedsmen buy large quantities in the “glut
season,” as it is termed, and store them until the same articles fail in
crop. For instance, swede and turnip seeds, 1857 crop, could be bought
everywhere at from 15 to 20 shillings per bushel; but owing to the
destruction of the roots in the winter of 1859, seedsmen in 1860 had to
pay the growers 50s. per bushel. Now, in 1860 there were wholesale
houses selling those seeds which they had by them for the same price.
Such people can, it is true, warrant their seeds to be genuine, as they
well know how much turnip-seeds deteriorate by keeping; the mixing of
this with good seed is still a species of adulteration; and if not mixed
at all, we can then only say that the evil is so much the greater.
As an evidence of the amount of deterioration caused to turnip-seeds by
keeping, we here re-produce the table of trials of ten sorts of good
seeds made in September, 1860, in contrast with experiments from the
same sample, in the same month of the present year (1862), premising
that the samples were kept in what we should consider a dry but not too
warm a temperature.
TABLE 6.—_Germination of Ten Sorts of Turnips._
+---+-------------------------------------+--------+--------+
| | |Came up |Came up |
|No.| Name. Copy of Label. | 1860. | 1862. |
| | |Percent.|Percent.|
+---+-------------------------------------+--------+--------+
| 1 | Mousetail, 1859 | 96 | 46 |
| 2 | Pomeranian or White Globe, 1859 | 86 | 44 |
| 3 | Nimble Green Round, 1859 | 96 | 94 |
| 4 | Lincolnshire New Red Globe, 1860 | 90 | 58 |
| 5 | Yellow Tankard, 1859 | 92 | 62 |
| 6 | Smart’s Mousetail, 1860 | 98 | 92 |
| 7 | Green-topped Stone, 1860 | 84 | 88 |
| 8 | Sutton’s Imperial Green Globe, 1860 | 98 | 80 |
| 9 | Green-topped Scotch, 1860 | 90 | 86 |
|10 | Early Six-weeks, 1860 | 90 | 70 |
| | Came up (average) =| 92 | 72 |
| | Failed =| 8 | 28 |
+---+-------------------------------------+--------+--------+
These figures are interesting as showing that though the different sorts
are not affected equally, yet the seed of 1859 failed on the average to
the extent of 38·8 per cent., as against 24·6 for the seed of 1860, and
28 as the average of the whole samples. Such is the great difference
between two and three year old seeds.
2nd.—Even the above _genuine seeds_ (!) are not unfrequently mixed, and
we may now examine the nature of some of these mixtures. Charlock and
Indian rape are all _prepared_ for this purpose: that is to say, they
are rendered incapable of germinating before mixture—“Dead men tell no
tales.” Now rubbish, so prepared, is well known in the trade as 000
seed. Under this denomination all seedsmen know it, and it can be
procured by the trade at about 7s. per bushel.
With respect to this 000 seed, we direct attention to the following
letter addressed to a most respectable firm.
SOUTHAMPTON, _April 27, 1860_.
GENTLEMEN,—Being in possession of a new and improved method of
killing seeds without the use of any chemicals, so that the seed
when in a 000 state has not that unpleasant smell it has when
killed by the old method, and does not look perished if it be
crushed. A man by the new process may kill ten or twelve quarters
per day, and the apparatus is so constructed that it is impossible
for a single seed to leave it alive; and one great advantage is,
that if you want a sack of 000 seed in a hurry you may kill a sack
of rape or turnip, or any seed, and have it fit for use in an hour.
Seed in the process of killing increases in measure and weight, and
when you send it out to be killed, of course, the seed-killers keep
the extra weight and measure. If you think it worth your attention,
I will send you a small working model, so that you may kill a few
pounds of kale or cauliflower, or any small seeds in a few minutes,
and instructions for making a large one on receipt of a Post-office
order for £2.
Yours truly,
——
To this the Messrs. Sutton append the following remarks:—
The writer of the above being unknown to us, we had the curiosity
to call at the address given, and ascertained that it was no
“hoax,” but was assured by the “inventor” that he had supplied
several tradesmen with the apparatus, and that he was _formerly_ in
the seed trade himself. We may add, that we have since heard from
the same individual at another sea-port town to which he has
removed.
Having got possession of this circular, and being desirous of becoming
acquainted with so notable an invention, we lost no time in setting on
foot a negotiation for the possession of the secret, and having traced
the inventor in his removal from Southampton to Gosport, we then had
letters addressed to him upon the subject, and, if promises had been of
any avail, we might possibly at this time have been in possession of a
very improved and expeditious method of making 000 seeds, only that we
have learnt the undesirable nature of pay beforehand.
Our next inquiry was for a sample of 000 seed itself; but, although it
is well known in the trade, we have hitherto failed in procuring it. We
had hoped that our seedsmen might have been able to procure some through
some of their friends. The result was, that we made application to a
most respectable London firm, receiving the following reply:—
LONDON, _February 27, 1861_.
SIR,—In reply to your favour received this morning, we take leave
to say that we shall have pleasure in complying with your request
for a sample of 000 turnips, if we can obtain it. But we do not
keep it ourselves, nor do we know the parties who prepare it, it
being something of a trade secret. We will, however, apply to some
of our friends here to let us have a small quantity, but doubt if
they will let us have it, as it is a matter they are rather chary
respecting, and _although perfectly well known and understood in
the trade, they do not care to have it known beyond_, and our
asking for a small quantity will be sure to lead to the question,
“What do we want it for?” We could obtain a large quantity without
hesitation.
We remain, &c.,
——
The sentence we have placed in italics will be quite sufficient to show
how well the matter of 000 seeds is understood in the trade, and how
easy it is to get bushels of it, no questions being asked, while a small
quantity, required only for investigation, may be refused.
It appears, then, that the machinery exists by which any one in the seed
trade may quietly and easily commit enormous frauds. And it is plain
that the very notoriety of this machinery, together with the condition
of many of the samples of seed which we have examined (see Chap. VI.)
prove that this machinery actually is employed by many seedsmen to the
great injury of their customers.
We cannot, then, be doing wrong in urging any one to make trial of the
seeds he is about to buy before he sows them, or even before he
purchases them. Where the experience of a number of years already
exists, the character of the seedsman is a guarantee for the good
quality of his goods, and experience of this kind is indeed a more
perfect carrying out of the system of preliminary trial or experiment,
which we recommend especially to all new customers.