“In 1911, our Canadian Department of Agriculture sold this seed collection for $2.00 to help seed merchants and agriculturalists to identify this type of material. We do not know how many of these seed collections were made at that time, nor how many still exist, but the one shown here is housed at the University of British Columbia, and as it was donated by William S. Hill-Tout to the UBC Botany Herbarium on January 11th, 1955.

“People bought this collection to help them identify seeds. Today collections are just as important to enable accurate identification as they were then, especially in areas such as Agriculture and Control of Borders. The only difference is that today we need accurate identification to support national and international laws, to prevent losses in the billions of dollars, and there is much more that needs to be identified. Today this identification job utilizes a Canada-wide network of collections and libraries in museums and research centres along with their associated experts.

“Where could you find a 100 year old seed today, other than in a collection like this one? From these seeds we can study the past atmosphere, or even reactivate DNA of a crop that has long since disappeared. We may rediscover medicinal properties. Biological collections are now understood to have enormous value, much more now than at the time when this collection was made.”

Gisèle Mitrow, Collections Manager, DAO Herbarium

“This collection shows the importance of agricultural seed-saving over 100 years ago; as we lose diversity in our crop species, scientists and farmers can access these preserved seed collections as valuable resources. Thankfully, we are again recognizing the value of seed saving as a social imperative.

“I love that collectors included ‘Economic and Weed Seeds’, appreciating the value of plants as not purely financial. This pleasantly surprises me coming from a government department: in the current political and financial climate government scientists might struggle to justify making and saving such a collection.

“When I look at the names of the so-called ‘weed’ seeds, I recognize plants that are perhaps better-known to the Indigenous communities as natural healing and medicinal plants used over the generations. #68 – Lamb’s Quarters, # 82 – Evening Primrose and # 90 – Plantain, for example. #88 “Heal -All” sums it up.

“I appreciate that the Dept of Agriculture of the day took the time to save these seeds, even though they may not have fully understood the value. Hence the key importance to preserving biological specimens: you don’t know what you don’t know, but future generations just might.”

Clare Cullen, Operations Director for the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm.