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Two Crops Each Year The high values of land throughout the corn belt make it imperative that we secure greater returns from the acres than have been taken in the past. Farming conditions are changing The corn belt is now almost the only source of supply of marketable live stock. It seems to us that while we may not be able to produce beef, pork, or other meats at any lower cost than at present, we can and should market double the present number of animals from the corn belt area. This simply becomes a question of food supply. The soil offers the method by which the returns from our corn fields are practically doubled. These are being erected by thousands throughout the middle west, but we are not making the same progress in increasing the returns from our lands planted to crops other than corn. Every field in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma, which is now in small grain is capable of producing yet another crop this year. Even the corn fields can be made to furnish greater crops by intelligent planting of rape, cow peas, or other seeds at last cultivation.
In this midsummer catalogue we have endeavored to furnish information about a number of items that may be utilized as second crops, and have also listed such items as winter wheat, rye, etc., which are planted in the fall for crops next year. Diversified farming has been advocated in the Agricultural press for many years, but to our mind the result has been very disappointing, because so few items are really raised on the average farm when a dozen different crops now but little grown, would be found desirable and profitable, and might be produced with only the labor cost on lands cultivated in the regular rotation system.
We have not space in this booklet to do more than give general directions for the growth of the various crops listed, but we believe our farmer friends may readily grasp the advantages offered by the use of Rape, Cane, Cow Peas, Sweet Clover, Crimson Clover, Millet, Buckwheat, or Turnips all of which will produce a crop if planted after July First.
We want also to increase the yield of your regular crops and offer you the choicest seed of Winter Wheat, Rye, Alfalfa, Timothy, Etc, that you may increase your production by sowing only strong, pure and vital seeds. It does not pay to sow ordinary seed any more than it does to raise scrub animals.
We wish to thank all our customers for their patronage this season. Our friends have shown their confidence in our house by greatly increased orders, and have taxed our capacity to its utmost. Our real effort this season has been to secure the stocks suitable to our trade in sufficient quantity, as the orders seemed to come without effort on our part. We have labored diligently to secure good seeds of summer crops, and now have on hand a generous supply of the items listed here, and all are of splendidly high quality or they would not be offered by the IOWA SEED CO., 613-615 Locust St. Des Moines, Iowa 7-1-12
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SEASONABLE FARM SEEDS FOR SUMMER AND FALL SOWING
For Prices See Red Ink Price List Copy enclosed herewith. Mailed at any time on request. Prices on farm seeds change constantly, and we do not make quotations good for a longer period than ten days. We want your order now, but if not ready just now. don't fail to write for prices before you buy. If you are in a hurry you can order and we will send seed to full value of money received on day that your order comes in. Please remember that our quota· tions are for ,ur best grades of recleaned seed, and we know that the price is low for such grades ~~
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-------------------------------Y OU ARE SAFE in ordering Seed Grain, Clover Seed, or any other seed from us, as you are protected by our -
$10,000 GUARANTEE BOND as you will note by tbe following:
OFFICE OF CENTURY SAVINGS BANK
DES MOINES, IOWA, Nov.1, 191). To WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: This certifies that the Iowa Seed Co. of this city has deposited with us a bond for TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ($10,000) as a guarantee to any one ordering seeds from them, where cash accompanies order, that if said seeds are found to be unsatisfactory upon examination or test they may be retuned within ten days from received and the money which has been paid for same will be promplty refunded L.;E STEVENS, President
WAREHOUSE, 208 - 210-212 SOUTH EIGHTH ST., WHERE ORDERING FOR FARM SEED ARE FILLED.
ABOUT WARRANTING. We thoroughly test
After "he seed arrives, examine it, test it or have it nothing is sent out which we do not believe to be good In ever respect. However. we give no warranty. ex- inspected and tested by the United States Inspector, . press or implied, as to description. quality, productive- the State Botanist, or tbe U. S. Department of Agriness, or any otber matter of any seeds, bulbs or plants culture. Then you be th6jtldye. If their report or test we send out, and we will not be in any way responsible is not satisfactory, or if for any reason, or without any for tbe crop. If the purchaser does not accept the reason . you want to return the seed to us within ten good. on these terms, they are at once to be returned, days from date received, we will return Your money promptly without quibbling. Can any offer be fairer? and the money paid for same will be ref unded.
SHIPPING: There are five express companies and fifteen railroad lines at Des Moines, so that quick shipments can be made to any town in the United States. All prices quoted, unless stated otherwise, are f. o. b . Des Moines , the customer to pay freight or express charges, At the pound rate we prepay the postage.
DELIVERY: When we quot e a delivery price it means simply that we prepay tbe freigbt, express charges or postage. Many of our farmer customers live at railroad stations where there are no agents. In such cases we must request tbem to send sufficient money to prepay freight charges on heavy shipment: also in cases where perishable or other goods are ordered to be sent by freight or express to such great distances tbat cost of transportation will nearly or quite equal the value of the goods.
NOTICE: We have in our employ an EXPERT SEED ANALYST who has been trained in tbe U. S . Department of Agriculture at Washington, D. C., and who inpects and analyzes our Clover and Grass Seeds under the Microscope, and tests their vitality. Tbe thorough training received in the government service amply qualifies for accurate and reliable work,: therefore we know, as near as any deale r can know, that OUR SEEDS ARE RIGHT.
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MIDSUMMER FARM CATALOGUE
GROW MORE WINTER WHEAT A MOST PROFITABLE CROP IN ALL PARTS OF THE CORN BELT
The Agricultural College at Ames summarizes the results of winter wheat growing at the station farm as follows: "Winter wheat costs under average conditions $10.72 per acre. The average good yield of winter wheat is 25 bushels per acre. Twenty-five bushels at 95 cents per bushel equals $23.75. Net profit per acre $13.03." There are farmers in every county in Iowa and also in the surrounding states who think they cannot grow wheat profitably simply because they have tried some of the old. wornout varieties with little success. During the past few years thousands of farmers throughout the entire corn belt district have proven that there is
MORE MONEY IN GROWING WINTER WHEAT than in any other small grain crop, and it all comes from sowing the improved varieties we are offering. We wish we might persuade every farmer to grow Winter Wheat, as it will produce more dollars per acre than any grain crop he can grow, not even excepting corn. At least this has been the results as shown by repeated crops during the part few years. Just the ordinary average return of Winter Wheat for the past two years was $30 to $35 per acre and it is a mighty good corn crop that will bring that sum, while no other "mall grain will even approach it in value. Some farmers hesitate to sow Winter Wheat as they think it does not harmonize with a short crop rotation, but Mr. Geo. W. Franklin, who originally introduced Turkish Red Winter Wheat in Iowa, is authority for the statement that clover and grass seeds can he "own on Winter Wheat in spring and simply harrowed in, with just as good results as if sown with spring wheat or oats. It was Mr. Franklin's experience that the harrowing of the Winter Wheat is really a benefit to the crop. Winter Wheat is an especially good crop to precede Alfalfa, as it is early and can be out of the way before time for Alfalfa seeding. Another advantage of growing Winter Wheat lies in the fact that the ground can be prepared and the seed sown at a time when most farmers have time to spare and the crop thereafter takes care of itself until harvest. It is a great advantage to have the crop in so that it will not take time during the busy spring season. Another thing, and an important one, is that our varieties of Winter Wheat usually far out yield any Spring Wheat. They mature early and thus escape disastrous summer storms. They are hard and make the finest quality of flour. We carefully screen and grade the seed wheat we offer, so that none but the largest, plumpest grain is offered for seed purposes. Our seed wheat costs a trifle more than markket wheat, because we pay our growers a premium and add labor, bags and shrinkage to the first cost. Our price. however, is extremely low and our margin of profit is very small. If you ever buy seed wheat from us you will be entirely satisfied with cost because the extra yield per acre will more than pay the cost of the seed. Sow 11/2 bushels of good seed per acre with a grain drill. Sow from the 5th to 25th of September. The early date in the northern and later in the southern district of the corn belt.
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IOWA SEED CO., DES MOINES, IOWA
DEFIANCE WINTER WHEAT
In Hardiness, Stooling Qualities, Productiveness, Strength of Straw
UNEQUALED
In Quality of Grain, Quality of Flour and in Rust-proof Qualities.
Best in all Respects of Any Wheat Now Offered for Seed.
We know this is considerable to say, but we feel sure that any farmer who tries this grand sort will have it proved to his satisfaction. Our DEFIANCE WINTER WHEAT has been selected from the choicest stock of Turkish Red Wheat, which has yielded immense crops under ordinary conditions. By careful selection we have secured this excellent variety which we believe to be far superior to any other on the market.
Don't fail to sow " Defiance" no matter whether you live in Minnesota or Texas, California or New England.
It is not only unsurpassed, but unequaled in hardiness, producing an excellent crop in Minnesota. The straw is stiff enough to hold up the heavy heads well. It has a record of OVER FIFTY-NINE BUSHELS PER ACRE under favorable circumstances; other crops range from thirty to forty bushels under very ordinary conditions. It stools out the best of any variety we know; heads are of good size and a great many ot them to each root. The grains are plump, handsome and quite hard; the hull is reasonably thin and it makes a most excellent grade of flour. Many millers claim that it is fully equal to the world famed Hungarian flours made from the choicest wheat grown in Hungary and Bohemia.
Turkish Red Winter Wheat originated from a few seeds of wheat which were brought to this country from Turkey in a shipment of rye. It looks very much like rye when growing, and is just as hardy as any variety of rye. It has been selected and improved from year to year until it is beyond comparison in value, for farmers in this section of the country, and has established the fact that it most decidely does pay to grow winter wheat Iowa.
During the past few years many new varieties of winter wheat from the east, north, south and west have been tested in Iowa, but in spite of eloquent descriptions, high testimonials and great records in other sections, they either winter kill, blight or rust so as to be worthless. Notwithstanding all the failures of other sorts, Defiance has proved to be invincible, and every year with only one exception (season of 1898-99, when all kinds of fruit and even oak trees were killed) it has produced a good paying crop. It is strictly Iron clad and almost entirely free from rust, blight and scab and lives through the winter in the most exposed places. PRICES , See Red Ink Prlc. List Enclosed.