P U B L I S H ED IN F E B R U A R Y, M A R C H, APRIL, A U G U ST A ND S E P T E M B ER BY O. M. SCOTT & S O NS CO., M A R Y S V I L L E, O H IO August 1940 T H I R T E E N TH YEAR Number 61 WORLD CONDITIONS DISTURB SEED MARKET A QUESTION frequently put to us relatively small section so it is no won- der that authorities lift their eyebrows at reports of locally grown "adapted or acclimated seed brands." is this: "Where does all your seed come from? Is it grown in Ohio right around Marysville?" This is a perfectly natural query but the answer may be a surprise to many. To get the various ingredients that go into Scotts Lawn Seed, it is necessary to call upon thousands of farmers for their production of hundreds of thou- sands of acres. Such production in- volves at least ten states and as many overseas countries. Some of the most important varieties are grown only in a The seeds of lawn grasses are grown in those sections where climatic condi- tions are most favorable to production. This does not mean that such grasses are unadapted to the growing of turf in far removed sections, but simply that for the ripening of good plump weed- free seeds certain parts of the world offer specific advantages. The gathering together of these seeds is not as simple as it may sound. The first step in the direction of good quality is in the careful selection of raw mate- rials. Within a given producing area there may be sections that provide bet- ter growing conditions and also enjoy a greater freedom from weeds. The hu- man element is also a factor, for as with other crops some farmers are more effi- is a Here field of Chewings Fescue grow- ing near Dunedin, New Zealand. It is ready to be cut for seed. the same The picture opposite shows field being threshed and the seed bagged ready for the cleaner. COPYRIGHT 1 9 40 BY O. M . SCOTT & SON S CO. cient as producers than others. The choice lots are brought to Marysville, where they are carefully recleaned and blended to produce better lawns. Until the past year we looked to Europe for many of our most impor- tant grass varieties. One after another of these sources has been shut off, starting first with Czechoslovakia. Poland came next. A consignment of 15 tons of seed was on dock for us at Gydnia that fate- ful first of September last year. Since then all central European sources have been shut off. another week now Strange as it may seem, Denmark was one of the most important sources of grass seed. By extreme good fortune we got a large shipment of seed afloat before avenues of export were closed. There was a margin of only five days. Far-off New Zealand and Australia are also important to us as producers of grass seed. The big handicap here is in transportation, since it takes about six weeks for steamers to make the trip. Add for zig- zagging. During a large part of the trip the boats are in the torrid zone where cargoes are subjected to extremes of heat and humidity. This condition is harmful to seed germination so we use refrigerated compartments to keep our seed constantly cool and dry to insure our high standards of germina- tion. Heavy ocean traffic of food prod- ucts has made it difficult to get refrig- erated space except at a substantial premium. All the while freight and insurance charges have soared. Other foreign suppliers of seed in- clude Scotland and Ireland. It is still possible to obtain stocks from there, but markets have worked much higher because of risk and mounting transportation costs. the additional Poison Ivy Spreads On A L A WN CARE topic which struck fire was the one on Poison Ivy. Our readers went for it with enthusiasm. Comments are still being received. More reference has been made to immunizing the indi- vidual from Ivy Poison than to eradi- cating the plant in lawns. Here are a few recent remarks: "The bulletin on Poison Ivy is a dandy. I firmly believe that 90% of the state of Minnesota must be covered with Poison Ivy and Wood-Ticks. I think Mother Nature must have had a severe headache the day she created these two."—Neil M. Averill, 518 Fed- eral Building, St. Paul, Minn. "It seems to me that no one thinks of the best and most simple way of get- ting rid of this plant Poison Ivy. No vegetation can survive a dose of plain gasoline. I got rid of all the Ivy on my place with one dose. No danger, no damage to the ground, and so cheap! The gasoline should be applied around the shoot that goes into the ground. That does away with the pest once and for all. Try it."—W. H. Chandler, 344 North Mountain Ave., Upper Montclair, N. J. "The method of eating leaves to develop immunity to Poison Ivy is a very old one. In the practice of medi- cine years ago I made the extract my- self and prescribed small doses to estab- lish immunity and to cure Poison Ivy eruption. Today the same thing is done only the juice is commercially mar- keted and given by injections. Nothing new, only the forgotten brought to life."—Dr. B. A. Lungmus, 3101 North Green Bay Ave., Milwaukee, Wis. leaves of the plant "I have two neighbors who were sus- ceptible to Ivy poisoning and who have immunized themselves by eating the small in small amounts. These friends can now pull up the plant freely without injuring themselves. Rumor has it that the treat- ment was also tried in C. C. C. camps." —Mrs. Julian W. Hill, 1106 Greenhill Ave., Wilmington, Del.