Book and Seed Vault

[cdntomato]

Anyone know this org and who is behind it? Those of you who know me will know why I am particularly interested/curious.

http://bookandseedvault.org/home.html

Thanks,
Jennifer

[Soilsniffer]

Seems to be a lot of new proposals for seed vaults over the past year or so. This one's going up in Oregon ... someday.

Who's behind it Jennifer? Here's my opinion: Entrepreneurs.

Jay

[cdntomato]

Yeah, I had similar thoughts, Jay. The seed vault in Norway is laudable and legit, but this....???

Just the commentary has me wondering as a) the site makes mention of the board of director 'qualifications' but doesn't reveal who the six board members are or identify what their qualifications and skills actually are; b) the commentary certainly reveals that they (or at least the site's authors) haven't a clue about book/paper or electronic/machine-readable format preservation/conservation.

I deplore NFPs which are not fully transparent.

Jennifer

[johnsonjrbm]

Originally Posted by cdntomato

Yeah, I had similar thoughts, Jay. The seed vault in Norway is laudable and legit, but this....???

Just the commentary has me wondering as a) the site makes mention of the board of director 'qualifications' but doesn't reveal who the six board members are or identify what their qualifications and skills actually are; b) the commentary certainly reveals that they (or at least the site's authors) haven't a clue about book/paper or electronic/machine-readable format preservation/conservation.

I deplore NFPs which are not fully transparent.

Jennifer

I just looked over the website, and was able to find only the first name of a single person.

Nichols Garden Nursery is a garden company in Albany. If anyone has any contacts there, they might be able to shed some light on the subject. (Alas, I am only an occasional NGN seed and herb customer)

[dice]

According to whois, bookandseedvault.org is registered
to Carol Johnson, PO Box ..., Albany, Oregon. (contact email
address is "carole@", so the Carole mentioned on the home
page is probably Carol Johnson).

[Granny]

That looks like a one-woman "organization" to me. Has an awful lot of the hallmarks of an internet scam, to be frank about it.

Carole is currently listed as the only donor too.

Speaking of scams, I went hunting for info on a seed that came from an Italian seed company - not Seeds From Italy/Grow Italian - and found that at least two of the companies offering the particular seed are the same one company operating two different websites under two different names. The third company looks like it might also be the same folks, but that one gives no contact information at all other than a web form and it is too early in the morning to be haunting WHOIS. Italian Seed & Tool is the same company as Gourmet Seed. Mailorder Garden is site #3 (who might be the same folks.)

[carolyn137]

Italian Seed & Tool is the same company as Gourmet Seed. Mailorder Garden is site #3 (who might be the same folks.)

*****

And Harvest Moon fits in there somewhere as well, or used to.

I just got yet another catalog from Gourmet International yesterday, already had another one plus two Italian Tool ones and I plan to e-mail to correct a few item descriptions that bother me. I don't usually do that but so help me, when are folks going to recognize that Arkansas Traveler, for instance, was bred by the U of Arkansas and is not an heirloom variety.

And there are few other things as well.

Good thing, perhaps, that I don't have to buy much seed these days.

I wonder how much seed and money Carol Johnson is putting into her own personal vault these days.

[cdntomato]

Thanks, all.

Jennifer

[Granny]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I wonder how much seed and money Carol Johnson is putting into her own personal vault these days.

I don't know, but I did not see any outlining of the technologically advanced seed storage mechanisms like those that are being installed on the Norwegian Island (funded by Bill Gates.)

Sometimes I think that it is really a shame that almost anyone can establish a "charitable foundation" and proceed to rip people off.

[cdntomato]

Yup, and the technology needed for preservation of seeds is profoundly different (read: incompatable) for the DVDs and e-media they cite. Books/paper with food/perishables are a no-can-do as well.

Suckers born every minute, as the old quotation goes...
Sigh.

Jennifer
gonna circulate this heads-up anyway amongst my fellow book 'n paper conservator colleagues

[tomatoaddict]

And Harvest Moon fits in there somewhere as well, or used to.

Carolyn I am curious about Harvest Moon. What do you know about them? I noticed that this year they had a "new" heirloom paste variety. Also, they are the ones selling the alleged "Buckyeye State". I emailed them about their source one time and they never responded.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by tomatoaddict

Carolyn I am curious about Harvest Moon. What do you know about them? I noticed that this year they had a "new" heirloom paste variety. Also, they are the ones selling the alleged "Buckyeye State". I emailed them about their source one time and they never responded.

I was always hesitant about HM for a number of reasons and now about the only way you can get to them is thru the felco pruners link.

But I've got the Buckeye State thing under control.

At DG where I also post someone talked about HM and was having problems, I think, getting seed back and finally got them, but in the meantime had said she'd ordered Buckeye State and my eyes bugged out, really.

And you know why, b'c supposedly it's extinct.

Now someone who posts here had said several years ago that he had Buckeye and I forget the other one, and at the time said he was dealing with a seed co, but he didn't post any pictures and was quite quiet about it and never shared any seeds with anyone.

Anyhow, I sent the HM page with Buckeye on it to Craig and he was going to share with Mike Dunton and the woman at DG said she got those seeds and asked if I wanted any and I said yes, so she's supposed to be sending them to me and in turn I'll send them to Craig and Mike.

It's up to Mike and/or Craig to contact HM and get the documentation they need but I don't think it's going to be forthcoming.

And the person who initially said he had Buckeye and another extinct Livingston said he was wrong, or words to that effect, so who knows what's where.

[tomatoaddict]

Last year at some point I posted about BS and asked about the reliability of HM. I ordered the seeds and sent an email to HM about their source. They never responded. I mailed some seeds to Neil(Retiree) and he is growing them out this summer.
According to HM's blurb, they have acquired the seed from an Ohio family that has grown them for generations.
I would love to know Craig and Mike's findings. Also, if they need more seed I have a packet.
Thanks for the info.

[c8h10n4o2]

http://egov.sos.state.or.us/br/pkg_w...&p_print=FALSE

http://www.taxexemptworld.com/organi...asp?tn=1581936

http://yp.yahoo.com/yp/Corvallis_OR/...y/8106973.html

[johnsonjrbm]

Originally Posted by Granny

Speaking of scams, I went hunting for info on a seed that came from an Italian seed company - not Seeds From Italy/Grow Italian - and found that at least two of the companies offering the particular seed are the same one company operating two different websites under two different names. The third company looks like it might also be the same folks, but that one gives no contact information at all other than a web form and it is too early in the morning to be haunting WHOIS. Italian Seed & Tool is the same company as Gourmet Seed. Mailorder Garden is site #3 (who might be the same folks.)

I've ordered from both Gourmet Seeds and IS&T, and have gotten very good seeds with good service, their tomato descriptions notwithstanding. (GrowItalian, however, has very good seeds and excellent service.) Most of GS's and IS&T's seeds are from Bavicchi, and are in the original hermetically sealed pouches. Bavicchi has generous seed counts.

They do sell a few of Harvest Moon's seeds, too, and their shipping is cheaper than HM. Go figure.

Gourmet Seeds is selling "Shah Mikado" with a blurb about Will Weaver and Mayo Underwood. Just for grins and giggles I ordered a packet, and if I have time this year, I'll grow it out next to the White Potato Leaf I got from Sand Hill for comparison.

The "Shah Mikado" packet has 100 seeds if anyone else is curious.