340 



HORTICULTURE 



March 17, 1906 



SEED TRADE TOPICS 



SEEDSMEN AT WASHINGTON. 



A representative delegation of east- 

 ern seedsmen responded to a hurry 

 call to Washington on the "free seed" 

 matter, March 6. Among those who 

 attended were: W. Atlee Burpee, Wil- 

 liam Henry Maule, and Walter P. 

 Stokes, of Philadelphia; J. Forbes and 

 Patrick O'Mara. New York: John Fot- 

 tler. Boston; F. W. Bolgiano, Wash- 

 ington; T. W, Wood, Richmond, and 

 Albert McCullough, Cincinnati. 



In their conferences with the 

 powers that be, the delegation was 

 joined and ably seconded by Mr. 

 Eger. head of the Maryland State 

 Grange, who introduced the resolu- 

 tion condemning free seeds at the 

 National Grange convention at Port- 

 land. Oregon, which was passed 

 unanimously. Professor Massey also 

 joined the delegation. 



Mr. Burpee was interviewed on his 

 return, and stated that he was confi- 

 dent much good had been accom- 

 plished by the visit. The interests 

 most concerned had made themselves 

 felt at the psychological moment, and 

 they are hopeful that at last the con- 

 sciences of the national lawgivers 

 have become awakened to the in- 

 iquity and injustice of this hoary 

 abuse, and that when the committee's 

 report comes before the house the ap- 

 propriation will be abolished. Mr. 

 Burpee was very appreciative of the 

 valuable assistance of Mr. Eger, who, 

 as representing a large body, consist- 

 ing of over 800,000 farmers, had con- 

 siderable influence with such con- 

 gressmen as imagine that the farmer 

 vote can be influenced by this species 

 of petty bribery. 



The delegation also took occasion 

 to point out to the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture and others the great injustice 

 of the present method of publishing 

 the names of respectable houses in 

 the seed trade on the alleged plea 

 that they had been seljing adulterated 

 seeds. Much damage had been wan- 

 tonly done to men of the highest repu- 

 tation, without a shadow of excuse. 

 Mr. Wilson received the delegation 

 very courteously and promised to do 

 everything in his power to so inter- 

 pret and execute the law as it stands 

 as to do the least possible injury to 

 honorable houses and to touch only 

 such men as are guilty of something 

 wrong and to first give every one the 

 right to defend his reputation before 

 the proper tribunals (guaranteed to 

 every citizen by the Constitution) be- 

 fore publishing him to the world as a 

 criminal. The Department of Agri- 

 culture is not a court of justice, and 

 to institute a Spanish Inquisition of 

 this kind, where the defendant is 

 given no opportunity to put up a de- 

 fence, is to carry a free people back 

 into the inferno of the middle ages, 

 abolish Magna Charta, the Bill of 

 Rights, the Declaration of Independ- 

 ence, and the Constitution of the 

 United States. It is no wonder the 

 seed trade of the country are indig- 

 nant; the wonder is that they are not 

 more red-hot than they are! They 

 ought to take the matter to the Su- 

 preme Court as the resolution of Con- 

 gress governing the matter is clearly 

 unconstitutional. To sit tamely un- 



der such a rank injustice would be to 

 confess themselves mire and not men. 

 G. C. WATSON. 



"WANTING THE PIE AND THE 

 PENNY, TOO." 



On a recent occasion when Howard 

 Earl of Burpee's, Philadelphia, was 

 entertaining a few congenial friends 

 in the seed trade, he touched upon a 

 pertinent topic when he said: "Gen- 

 tlemen, we want no surplus seeds 

 thrown on the market after your seed 

 growers and farmers have filled your 

 contracts with us and got your mon- 

 ey. The trouble with you people is, 

 that you want your pie and your pen- 

 ny, too." 



The seedsmen really have a right to 

 be warm on this contract seed sub- 

 ject, and the farmers will be wise if 

 they pattern themselves on the 

 square deal plan of such men as 

 Keeney and Grinnell, and refrain from 

 trying to work things like Uncle Ras- 

 tus's coon trap, which caught 'em 

 coming and caught 'em going too! 

 That sort of thing may work all right 

 for the time being; but it will surely 

 be a boomerang in the end. If one 

 be a contract grower, let him stick 

 to that. It is the only safe plan. Be- 

 sides, it's the only square plan, and 

 that's the most important feature of 

 all human intercourse and the only 

 one that will make for an enduring 

 success. Have not the much-abused 

 seedsmen enough to stagger under 

 with the free seed question, the war- 

 ranty, the inquisition, and the Other 

 Fellow, without this other addition to 

 their troubles? I trow yes! 



G. C. W. 



TO NURSERYMEN, PLANT GROW- 

 ERS AND SEEDSMEN. 



The executive committee of the So- 

 ciety of American Florists and Orna- 

 mental Horticulturists has arranged 

 for an outdoor trade display in con- 

 nection with the annual convention to 

 be held in Dayton, Ohio, next August. 

 The pavilion in which the meetings 

 and customary trade exhibit will be 

 held is advantageously situated in a 

 large fair ground which is well adapt- 

 ed for outdoor planting. Plans and 

 diagrams are being prepared and will 

 shortly be distributed. In the mean- 

 time, the secretary would like to hear 

 from parties who are disposed to take 

 advantage of this excellent opportunity 

 to make a display of hardy or tender 

 material in a community widely inter- 

 ested in the subject of garden adorn- 

 ment. Applications are already in 

 hand for large spaces for the exhibi- 

 tion of cannas, Baby Rambler roses, 

 phloxes, asters, hydrangeas, tuberous 

 begonias, altheas and fancy conifers. 

 As the time is short for the prepara- 

 tion of the ground and planting, a 

 prompt response to this announcement 

 is urged. Information sheets and 

 entry blanks will soon be ready. Ad- 

 dress William J. Stewart, Secretary, 

 11 Hamilton Place, Boston. 



PHILADELPHIA SEED NOTES. 



Signs that spring has opened up 

 earlier than usual this year are plenti- 

 ful around Dreer's, Johnson & Stokes' 

 and Michell's. All report an unusually 

 early demand. The latter firm reports 

 overtime even with the eleven extra 

 hands as against last year. Philip 

 Freud, the window artist for the 

 Michell firm, has been particularly 

 happy in the window display for the 

 spring opening (St. Patrick's day), 

 combining sentiment and business very 

 effectively. Shamrocks, sweet peas 

 and lawn grass are the groundwork 

 for this artistic appeal. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



C. S. Harrison, York, Neb. List of 

 paeonies and perennials. 



Thaddeus N. Yates & Co., Philadel- 

 phia. Trade list of trees, shrubs and 

 vines for spring, 1906. 



Imperial Seed and Plant Co., Balti- 

 more. Md. Trade price list of cannas 

 and hardy herbaceous plants. 



Benjamin Hammond, Fishkill-on- 

 Hudson, N. Y. List of Slug-Shot rem- 

 edies for insects and fungous diseases. 



John H. Sievers & Co., San Fran- 

 cisco, Cal. 1906 list of carnations, be- 

 gonias, pelargoniums, orchids, palms 

 and ferns. 



James Vick's Sons, Rochester, N. Y. 

 The Grange and Market Gardeners' 

 Wholesale Price List, containing a 

 tempting list of things good to eat. 



Ross Bros. Co., Worcester, Mass. 

 Annual seed and implement cata- 

 logue. A very complete general list 

 to which is added a large list of prom- 

 ising novelties. 



The Bromfield-Colvin-Ries Co. has 

 been incorporated at Bay City, Mich. 

 President, A. T. Colvin; vice-president 

 and treasurer, J. F. Bromfield; secre- 

 tary, F. J. Ries. 



Michells 

 Reliable 

 Flower 

 Seeds 



For Sowing Now 



ASTER — Queen of the Market. Extra 

 E irly. Colors: Dark Blue, L ght Blue, 

 Pink, Scarlet, White and Mixed; each 

 trade packe 1 , 20 cis.. 60 cts. per ounce. 



ASTER — Truffart's Paeony Flowered 

 Perfection. Colors: Crimson, Light 

 Blue, Pink, Purple and White; each 

 trade packet, 30 cts., $1.50 per ounce; 

 Mixed, trade packet, 30 cts., $t 25 per 

 ounce. 



ASTER — Semple's Branching. Colors: 

 Lavender, Pink, Purple, Red, White 

 and Mixed; each trade packet, 30 cts., 

 $1.00 per ounce. 



CANDYTUFT — Empress, large white, 

 trade packet, 10 cts., 25 cts. per ounce. 



SMILAX — Trade packet, 10 cts., 25 

 cts. per ounce; per quarter pound, 80 

 cts.; $2.50 per pound. 



Send for Wholesale Catalogue. 



HENRY F. MICHELL CO. 



Flower Seed Specialists 



101 8 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa. 



