464 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



January 28, 1904. 



Seed Trade News. 



AMERICAN SEED TRADE ASSOCIATION. 



Pres., S. F. WiUard, Welhersfield. Conn.; First 

 Vice-Pres.. J. Chas. McCuUou^h. Cincinnati, O,: 

 Sec'y and Treas., C. E. Kendel, Cleveland, O. 

 The 22d annual meeting will be held at St. Louis, 

 Mo., June, 1901, 



"Visited Chicago: F. A. Forbes, of 

 Forbes' Seed Store, Plymouth, Ind, 



Visited Oklahoma City, Okla. Jno. 

 F. Geai-r, representing Leonard Seed Co., 

 CMeago, 



Visited Omaha: Mr. Robinson, rep- 

 resenting Jerome B. Eice & Co., Cam- 

 bridge, N. Y. 



Visited Eochester, N. Y. : Chas. P. 

 Braslan, of Braslan, Seedgrowers Co., 

 San Jose, Cal. 



New York: The catalogue of Peter 

 Henderson & Co., is delayed on account 

 of a fire at their printers'. 



W. F. Massey tells the North Caro- 

 lina tuberose growers to get together and 

 they may easily control the market. 



In general the reports from the cata- 

 logue seedsmen indicate that the extreme 

 cold weather is keeping back mail orders 

 •considerably. 



Eepresextatives of eastern wholesal- 

 ers are in the west with a knife fresh 

 from the grindstone ; ' ' orders ' ' is the 

 watchword, regardless of price. 



_M. J. Shields, Moscow, Idaho, a large 

 shipper of grass seeds, estimates the 

 grass seed crop of Latah county as 

 ■worth considerably more than $50,000. 



The ti-ade is just beginning to realize 

 how short many of the standard varieties 

 are. The week's quotations by the whole- 

 sale dealers have been thought too high 

 in many cases. Eefusals to pass orders 

 at the prices asked, havo, however, been 

 foUo^^ed by orders which in some in- 

 stances have been refused except at a 

 higher price. 



The drought in the southern and cen- 

 tral valley counties of California has at 

 last been broken, and the outlook for the 

 crops is much more cheerful. In some 

 of the southern counties there had been 

 no rainfall of importance or value since 

 last May. A copious downpour in nearly 

 all sections on January 17 was welcomed 

 with universal gratitude. The seed farms 

 in the Santa Clara valley will be much 

 benefited, 



Eeports from the vicinity of Omaha, 

 Neb., show quite a disturbance there. 

 Chilly temperature with occasional hot 

 flushes prevails between the representa- 

 tives of eastern and western houses. Con- 

 flicting statements are given out as to 

 the cause of the short deliveries made by 

 the corn growers. The local dealers put 

 the blame for their failure to make de- 

 cent deliveries upon outsiders who bought 

 up sweet corn, intimating that the outside 

 parties bought corn that the local people 

 owned through contract. This is consid- 

 ered a lame excuse by those who expected 

 a fair delivery on their contract orders, 

 as they claim to have knowledge that 

 shipments in good sized lots have gone 

 out from the said local dealers at the 

 higher prices which have prevailed. The 

 calmness which usually characterizes the 

 actions of seedsmen and other good busi- 

 ness men in cases of emergency is lost 



sight of and the present temper of the 

 interested parties is hurtful to the well 

 being of the seed trade generally, 



CONTROLLING PLANT DISEASES. 



At the recent meeting of the American 

 Breeders' Association, W. A, Orton, of 

 the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, discussed plant breeding as a 

 factor in controlling plant diseases. His 

 conclusions are summarized as follows: 



Hybrid watermelons resistant to the dreaded 

 watermelon wilt have been obtained. Sutton, 

 of England, has produced potatoes resistant to 

 the disease called "phytopthtora." Milliard 

 produced disease resistant grapes, and Nlllsoa 

 has produced a vetch resistant to peronospora. 

 The United States Department of Agriculture 

 has developed strains of cotton resistant to 

 the cotton wilt. The best of these, the Rivers' 

 Sea Island varieties, produce full crops of cot- 

 ton of high quality on the worst wilt infected 

 land. This department has also originated the 

 Iron cow pea, which is entirely resistant to 

 the cow pea wilt, and also to root knot caused 

 by nematodes. Other new hybrid cow peas 

 have been obtained, also resistant to both of 

 these diseases and of better yield and quality. 



It has been found practicable to breed for 

 resistance and at the same time increase the 

 value of the other desirable qualities of the 

 variety. Mr. Orton emphasizes the selection 

 of individuals and particularly for the resist- 

 ance of their "blood" to disease as shown by 

 the disease resistance of a large number of 

 the progeny of Individual mother plants. Hy- 

 bridization should be resorted to when selec- 

 tion fails to accomplish the purpose. In using 

 hybridizing as a means we sometimes have 

 the added difficulty of fixing the types. There 

 is no likelihood that the fungi causing disease 

 will change their habits and become parasitic 

 on the resistant strains. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



The Holiday Trade. 



The January meeting of the Chicago 

 Florists ' Club was the occasion for two 

 papers on the holiday trade, which have 

 proved of more than ordinary interest. 

 One paper, prepared by William J. Stew- 

 art, covered Boston and New York. An- 

 other, written by G. C. Watson, covered 

 this city. Both writers are warm sup- 

 porters of the future of the Christmas 

 plant, and treated the subject from the 

 plantsman's standpoint. Both papers 

 give an impression that plants are driv- 

 ing cut flowers out of the market at the 

 holidays. With regard to this city, this 

 idea is not borne out by the facts. 



William J. Baker obtained a better 

 average price than ever before for carna- 

 tions. The Flower Market growers pro- 

 duced an immense quantity of the finest 

 Beauties, and sold completely out of all 

 flowers except a few poor teas. Leo 

 Niessen sold more stock and realized a 

 larger amount from Christmas sales than 

 ever before. 



More examples might be given, but 

 these are enough. They may be summed 

 up as follows: Cut flowers, more stock 

 produced, more used, prices lower except 

 on carnations. Plants, a slight increase 

 at good prices on foliage and a decided 

 increase also at good prices on choice 

 flowering stock. The volume of business 

 done in plants of all kinds at Christmas 

 is small when compared with that done in 

 cut flowers. 



It was a wise move on the part of the 

 Chicago Florists' Club to have exponents 

 of the holiday plant give their views. 

 There is danger in the extremely high 

 prices. There is even more danger in 

 stale stock. There is also a great open- 

 ing for plant growei's, but the field is lim- 

 ited as yet. Midwinter is not the best 

 time to handle plants. At that season 

 the general public prefers flowers, provid- 

 ed they are good and not too expensive. 

 Let us hope they wUl continue U> do so. 



, Phil. 



BocKFORD, III, — Mrs, J. J, Soper has 

 won an automobUe in a raflle, holding 

 only one ticket in over 15,000 sold, 



Springfield, III, — The W, T, Buck- 

 lev Plant Co. has lost a good many 

 geraniums bv frost during this cold 

 spell. 



Newark, N. J, — Holderman & Wolf- 

 inger lost, but not heavily, through 

 smoke and water from a fire above their 

 store on the morning of January 17. 



EUROPEAN 



DEPARTMENT. 



In writing these advertisers please 

 mention the Review. 



H. ZIJP & CO. 



Bulb Growers 



LISSE, HOLLAND, 



Beg to aDDOUDce the arrival of their represen- 

 tative Mr. John H. Bookman.v in the U. S. A. 

 Please address all communications up to May Is 



Care MALTUS & WARE, 

 136 Water St., NEW YORK. 



Mention Review when you write. 



A. LeCOQ & GO. 



DARMSTADT, GERMANY, 



Wholesale Dealers in 



Grass, Clover, 



3GRICULTIJRSL 

 and FOREST TREE 

 SEEDS-— ^ 



Prices and Samples on application. 



Van der Weijden & Co. 



THE NURSERIES, 

 BOSKOOP, HbLLAND. 



GrL'\\trs Lif Hardy Rhododendrons. Azaleas. 

 Clematis. Shrubs. Conifers In several var.,Taxut4 

 in var., Boxwood pyramids 3-4 feet high, etc., etc. 



Ask for prices. Catalog-ue free on demand. 

 NO AGENTS. NO AGENTS. 



DAHLIAS* ^RooTs. 



Ten Gold Medala Awarded 1903. 



Pot-roots for shipment at once. Every section 



including the popular Cactns Dahlias at $4.00 



per 100 in 26 sorts. Better and newer kinds at 



$5.00 and $6.00 per 100. Terms cash with order. 



Catalogue 144 pp. free of charge. 



Hobbies Limited. Ny^'eV Dereham, Eng. 

 Ni^Chrysanthemums 



The best of the Novelties shown at New 

 York this year are from my last year's set. 



Another great set described in my special 

 list just out. Sent post free. Write for It. 



W. WELLS & CO., 



KARLSWOOD, - - SURREY. ENGLAND. 



