212 



H O K T 1 C U L T U R E 



August 17, 1907 



Seed Trade 



A rumor that Mr. John l^ewis Childs 

 had sold his property at Floral Park 

 and would move to Northport, L. I., 

 proves to be incorrect. Mr. Childs has 

 sold part of his real estate but his gen- 

 eral plant and the grounds immediate- 

 ly surrounding are still his property, 

 and it can be said with authority that 

 he does not even contemplate moving. 

 His name is so thoroughly identified 

 with Floral Park, that considered as 

 a business proposition, it would un- 

 doubtedly prove a most unwise move. 

 'l"he name "Floral Park" is not only 

 identified with the name of John Ltewis 

 Childs, but also with the plant and seed 

 business, and Mr. Childs' removal 

 would afford a fine opportunity for an 

 enterprising man to start a rival busi- 

 ness. But we may rest assured that 

 this important point would not escape 

 the notice of so sagacious a man as 

 John Lewis Childs. 



The past week has on the whole 

 been favorable for most crops, although 

 two or three nights were unreasonably 

 bad, a warning that autumn is close at 

 hand. Still the days were warm, and 

 the only drawback now is lack of 

 moisture. A good rain is greatly 

 needed. 



Recent quotations from California 

 growers of onion seed couflrm the 

 opinion expre!;'sed in June, that reports 

 of damage ;:o the crop which wore so 

 alarming last spring, were greatly ex- 

 aggerated. The writer saw letters 

 from a responsible grower stating that 

 the toial California crop this year 

 could not exceed 300,000 pounds, and 

 another grower put his figures as low 

 as 150,000 pounds. Now it is said the 

 .■zrowers will vleliver fioni 75 to SH per 

 cent, of yellows, 65 to 75 per cent, ot 

 reds, 50 to 60 per cent, of white Glob'e 

 and white Portugal. It will be a long 

 time before the general trade is again 

 greatly alarmed by reports of short 

 crops from California. Those enter- 

 prising gentlemen will need to pro- 

 duce proof next time. 



Those seedmen who are heavy deal- 

 ers in bulbs are very busy, but the 

 trade otherwise have little to do, ex- 

 cepting to make such prepai-ations for 

 next season's business as their facili- 

 ties permit. Reports generally agree 

 that seed stocks were sold down pretty 

 close last season, and even jobbers are 

 many of them dependent on this year's 

 crops on many items. Empty bins 

 are the rule among retailers, and even 

 with fair average crops, prices should 

 rule firm and higher than usual. Thsre 

 is nothing on vhe seedman's horizon 

 to cause anxiety excepting pofcsibly too 

 great a shortage in a few lines. A 

 moderate shortage in contract delive- 

 ries is much better for the trade than 

 full deliveries, a point which very few 

 s'eedsmen will fail to comprehend. 



The crop report frcm Sluis & Groot, 

 Enkhuizen (Holland) indicates that 

 although last winter was not exceed- 

 ingly severe in Holland the frequent 

 atid sudden changes of temperature 

 wrought havoc among all biennial 

 subjects and even those perennial 

 plants which usually stand the winter 







'n !&«,•■•' 'J: ji 







PHILADELPHIA'S 



LEADlNa SEED 



HOUSE 



Makes a speci- 

 alty of supply- 

 ing the Florists' 

 needs in 



SEEDS 

 BULBS 



and 



SUNDRIES 



Our Mew Wholesale Catalogue Is Ready 



HENRY F. MICHELL CO. 



1018 MARKET STREET, 



PHILADELPHIA 



very well have suffered very much. 

 Among those that suffered very heav- 

 ily were cabbages, turnips, chervil, 

 kohlrabi, parsley and rutabagas. 



.1 very cold and rainy spring has 

 made growing crops, generally speak- 

 ing, three or four weeks behind. Ks- 

 pecially for late ripening articles, such 

 as beans, the crop prospects are far 

 from being promising. 



Flower seeds are reported as also 

 very backward owing to the cool 

 weather which prevailed until now. 

 The consequence is that a great many 

 sorts have only poorly developed, but 

 this will not prevent an average crop 

 if warm weather sets in very soon. 



While Boston and. in fact, the 

 grealei part of New England has been 

 suffering from lack of rain all sum- 

 mer, it is interesting to read that in 

 Aroostook County, Maine, the great 

 potato country, the rains throughout 

 the summer have been frequent and 

 heavy, and as a result the potato fields 

 are soaked with moisture and the peo- 

 ple are praying for dry weather to save 

 the pota,to crop. Aroostook County's 

 potato ciop amounts to 15,000,000 to 

 18,000,000 bushels a year. 



SEED ADULTERATION. 



E?.lract from remarks of ^\'. D. R'>ss, 

 chairman of Commlttfe on Expel- 

 ment Stations, bofore tlu' Ameri- 

 can Seed Trade Association. 



This subject has been well covered 

 by the special committee, but as sev- 

 eral experiment stations are responsi- 

 ble for seed laws treating on this sub- 



ject, and as others are considering the 

 matter, I deem it advisable to make 

 mention of this matter here, for it is 

 well to be on our guard, for we shall 

 surely have trouble in the near future 

 if we allow our law makers to go on 

 unmolested without being watched. 

 Simply because wheat and tares will 

 grow together in the same field is no 

 sign that we should be accused of adul- 

 terating because both are found in our 

 possession. The present system of ob- 

 taining samples is unjust and unbusi- 

 nesslike, and should be changed; as 

 samples are taken now the dealer has 

 no protection whatever, and no oppor- 

 tunity is given him to prove his inno- 

 cence. Samples of seed should be tak- 

 en the same as fertilizer, and laws 

 should be made for our protection just 

 as much as for the protection of our 

 customers, and no man has a right to 

 even insinuate dishonesty without he 

 is prepared to prove it. There is no 

 doubt but what mistakes have been 

 made in the past, and innocent dealers 

 have suffered by the negligence of in- 

 competent help, either through negli- 

 gence or wilful reporting of samples, 

 if individuals did their work as some 

 officials have, they would have suits 

 for large damages on their hands, but 

 under the present law we must abide 

 by their decision, whether it is just or 

 not. 



While the Experiment Stations are 

 doing good work and increasing the 

 demand for seed, it must be remem- 

 bered that dealers are also doing a lot 

 of good along this line, and we should 

 both work together, and every dealer 

 should encourage, as far as possible, 

 the Experiment Station work. 



