50—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March, 5, 1977
looking as e'
•v\ cs ***
Burpee prepares
for Springtime
Positive signs of Spring’s arrival trigger many ex
perienced and novice gardeners’ imaginations. These
individuals draw up visions of a plot of ground
flourishing with appetite-tempting tomatoes,
cucumbers, sweet corn, cantaloupes, and spirit
reviving colorful flowers. A daydreaming trip out of
the Winter doldrums into a sunny garden scene spurs
ambition and hope for tilling the soil in a few weeks.
Just when Winter-weary souls need it the most, the
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society sponsors its annual
Philadelphia Flower and Garden Show. Having
organized the first flower show in America in June,
1829, the society is celebrating its 150th anniversary
this year the week of March 13 through 20. As one of the
largest horticultural exhibits in the country, it draws
huge crowds who come to marvel at the beauty of
living plants. But, many of the visitors miss the
ingenuity of mankind exhibited there in that the beauty
results from behind-the-scenes scientific processes and
time-consuming hand labor.
Homestead Notes
One of the many exhibitors at the flower show which
has part of its enterprise established in Lancaster
Farming’s coverage area is the W. Atlee Burpee Co.
According to Jeannette Lowe of the gardening in
formation department at Burpee’s, the company,
which was founded in 1876, offered the first American
produced seeds. Prior to that time, seeds were im
ported from Europe. Hie Fordbook Farms in
Doylestown, Pa., were established in 1888. Floradale
Farm was established in 1909 near Lornpac, Calif., and
Santa Paula Farm, near Ventura, Calif, was
established in 1944.
Most of the commercial seeds are grown in
California for Burpee customers because growing
conditions are ideal for developing vigorous strains.
Thirty to 40 acres at each California farm are used for
trials to see that marketed varieties are vigorous and
true to type. Also at these farms, new varieties are
developed. According to Burpee information, it usually
takes 10 to 15 years to develop a new variety, and
during this time many “hopefuls” are discarded. '
At the Fordbook Farms in Doylestown, the new
varieties are tested under eastern growing conditions.
There are large trial fields of Spring flowering bulbs at
Fordbook and extensive programs of vegetable
breeding and testing. 'lhis week, however, Fordbook
Farms is busy getting the last plans completed for the
[Continued on Page 51)
By SUSAN KAUFFMAN
Feature Writer
These tomatoes look
taste-tempting, although
we really can’t look for
ward to eating them until
Summer. Seed companies,
on the 4)thec. hand, never
really forget the work they
have to do with these
plants since they are
always testing new strains
of vegetables for
marketing.
Photos courtesy of
Burpee Seeds