482 



HOKTICULTURE 



October 12, 19u7 



Seed Trade 



Barenbrug, Burgers & Co., George C. 

 Watson, Philadelphia. Pa., American 

 agent, have issued their annual report 

 ott the turn-out of this year's crops of 

 natuial grass seeds in the various 

 grov ing districts. On the whole crops, 

 with rare exception, have not been sat- 

 isfactory: in certain cases even very 

 poor intleed. One has to go back sev-, 

 oral years to find a summer so un- 

 favorable for the cultivation of grasses 

 as the present has been, and it stands 

 to reason that seeds will be selling at 

 a good deal higher prices than we have 

 seen in recent years. We make the 

 lollowing abstracts from the report. 



Achillea lulUcfolium (Yarrow) failed al- 

 most entirely, and conianands a very higli 

 price. 



Agrostis stolonltera (Fionn, Marsh or 

 Creeping Bi iitgra.ss), a fair nop of good 

 heavy seed. , „ ^ 



Agrostis caniua (Rhode-Islaiul Bentgrass, 

 Europeaii-growii) yielded a crop of middling 



''"lira' fleiuosa (Wavy Munitaiii H.i.ir- 

 grass) gave a fair crop o-f nice lieavy .seed. 



Aiopecurus praleusis (Meadow Foxtail) 

 a fair crop of nice h?avy .seeds. Prices, 

 however, art being quoted exctdingly high. 



Ailho.'cambum odoratum. (S\veet-scente<l 

 Vetual true) vielded ULder Lalf an aviT- 

 age crop; 30 per cent, higher tlian last 

 season. . 



Anthoxantliura ddoratum, (bweet ^ i rnal, 

 puelli) An average crop of fair quality. 



Avcna elatior (Tall Oatgrass). Rather 

 under average and somewhat lighter than 



Avena flavescens (Yellow Oatgrass, truej 

 vielded an average crop, or ralher under, 

 of fair, heavy quality and at middling 



<^vn'osui-us cristatus (Crested Dog.^tail). 

 Croi. half that of last year, and prices a 

 good deal higher. Qualities are rather 

 divergent. 



Dactvlis glomerate, (Coel.sfoot or Or- 

 chard-seed). Crops rather deflcieut. Prices 

 have risen enonnously over last year s 

 quotations, and txpected to fi, higher 



Festuca dnriuscula and ovina, (Hard- 

 and Shecps Ftscue). Fair crops, which, 

 however suffered more or Ici^s from rain, 

 so that, with a rare exception only, the 

 new seeds are of dark, weather-stained 



color. , . , , J 



Festuca elatior (Tall Fescue) vielded 

 two-thirds of last vear's crop only. lie- 

 cleaned lots will be selling '.MJ to :'... per 

 cert dearer than the previous season. 



Festuca ovini angustifolia (Fine-leaved 

 Ffes<-ue) yielded not one-third of an aver- 

 age crop". Original farmers' seeds have 

 been bought at more than double last 

 vear's price. 



Festuca pratensis (Meadow Eeseue). 

 With a greatlv reduced acreage, this va- 

 riety vielded a smaller crop than the pre- 

 vious "season: and if it were not for the 

 stocks carried over, this year's quotations, 

 which are cr.ly a trifle higher than last 

 fall, would most decidedly have undergone 

 a material rise. In the meantime, buyers 

 should be careful in buying yearling seed 

 cf this v.ariety. seeing that amongst the 

 lots offered for sale, a good many show 

 a veiy poor germination. 



Fes'tuea rubra (Red Fescue) yielded like- 

 wise an exceedingly short crop of middling 

 quality, commanding also a higher lU'ice 

 than the pievious season. 



Poa neraoralis (Wood Jleadowgrass). 

 Onlv two-thirds at best of hist year's crop 

 have been saved, the prices for vhioh 

 hi.ve ben driven up considerably by both 

 fa'"mei"s and wholesale-dealers. 



Poa pratensis (Smooth-stalk Meadow- 

 grass) is reported to hav^ yielded a mid- 

 dling crop. Yet this variety will be iiulte 

 a puzzle to many a seedsman, in view of 

 the ridiculously high prices that are being 

 asked for it. Notwithstanding the fact, 

 that fair quantities have been carried over 

 from last year, a stror.g combine ccntrol- 

 ling nearly the whole of its production, 

 has raised" the price to a figure nev-?r .'■een 

 before, but it '.s be.vond doubt that sooner 

 or later this combine will have to give 

 way and that we will see mor<' reasonable 

 prices. In the meantime, as ihis variety 

 cannot, as regards either quality or pro- 

 duction of gi-KSs be compared to Poa 

 trivialis, which variety is no dearer than 

 usually, every practical seedsman will do 

 well to use a larger proportion of this and 

 a smaller of the other in his .nlxtures. 



Poa trivialis (Uough-stalk Meadow-grass) 

 yielded a fair average crop of good quality, 

 selling :it :ibout the same price as the pre- 

 vious season. This is a variety wnich. 

 seeing its great agricultural \alue. has by 

 the average seedsman never been jsed in 

 a sufficient proportion. 



Lolium pereniie and Italicum (Perennial 

 and Italian Ryegrasses) suffered both of 

 them from the unfavorable weather, the 

 former more especially at har\(st-time, S") 

 that a great portion of the very best, 

 heavi<*st and ripest Si'Cd reinaiiieil on the 

 Held and was k'St. Prices for both of 

 them rule higher than last season. 



It is only within a few years com- 

 paratively speaking, that seedsmen 

 have given much attention to the dec- 

 oration of their store windows. There 

 is no form of advertising that, for its 

 cost, will bring anything like the 

 same returns in actual business and, 

 as there are always so many season- 

 able and attractive subjects that ca.i 

 be used for this purpose the vear 

 ^through, every seedsman should take 

 advantage of this splendid means of 

 publicity which costs so little. This 

 matter was brought very forcibly to 

 the writer's mind by your reference 

 last week to the crowds of interested 

 persons attracted by the giant mush- 

 room in the store window of the H. E. 

 Fiske Seed Company at Boston. 1 

 would also in this connection speak 

 of the fine display in the windows of 

 J. M. Thorburn & Company of New 

 York, consisting of the exhibit of veg- 

 etables shown at the Westchester 

 County Fair and Horse Show by 

 Messrs. Tliorburn: the prize cards 

 showing the many rewards received 

 are attached to each variety, the 

 whole splendidly exemplifying the 

 seed business. (The interesting fea- 

 ture of Messrs. Thorburn's collection 

 of vegetables is that every one of the 

 innumerable varieties is from their 

 own trial grounds.) The Stumpp & 

 ^\'alter Company of New York also 

 have a very pleasing window display — 

 palms, ferns, and gladioli in vases. 

 Certainly too much attention cannot 

 bo given to our window displays — no 

 money expended will bring larger re- 

 turns. 



Howard M. Earl of l=iuri>ee's. Phila- 

 delphia, arrived home from his west- 

 ern trip Saturday. Conditions in the 

 growing districts have not been exag- 

 gerated. The season has been adverse 

 to crops generally, and growers are 

 disinclined to lake any chances for 

 next year. The general feeling is to 

 hew close to the line in planting, es- 

 pecially in onions, the bulbs of which 

 are being quoted at present at from 

 two to three cents per pound. The 

 conservative feeling is very strong and 

 with apparently good foundation. The 

 same may be said in regard to sweet 

 pea conditions and prospects. Crops 

 are short all along the lines, even 

 mixed varieties going at much higher 

 prices than usual. 



L. L. May & Co., Inc., St. Paul, 

 Minn , are erecting a new fireproof 

 warehouse on Como avenue for their 

 wholesale seed business, and have 

 transferred their offices from the old 

 warehouse to their Sixth street store. 



The business of Otto Schwill & Co., 

 Inc., at Memphis, Tenn., will hereafter 

 he conducted by Otto Schwill as pres- 

 ident and J. F. Haid as secretary, 

 treasurer and office manager. 



Notice of the death of Mr. .lohn E. 

 Olsen. with the Illinois Seed Company, 

 yvill be found in obituary column of 

 this issue. 



H. E. Fiske of Boston has been ill 

 and unable to attend to business for 

 the past two weeks. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Leesley Brothers, Chicago, III. — 

 Wholesale Xursery Catalogue, Fall, 



Leedle Floral Company, Springfield, 

 O. — Roses on own roots. A good list 

 in compact form. 



W. E. Marshall & Co.. New York.— 

 Catalogue of Bulbs, with Cultural Di- 

 rections, for fall, 1907. 



Otto Katzenstein & Co.. Atlanta, Ga. 

 — Trade Price List of tree and shrub 

 seeds, roots, bulbs, etc., for 1907-1908. 



S. 0. Moon, Morrisville Nurseries, 

 Morrisville, Bucks Co., Pa. — Wholesale 

 trade list of ornamental trees and 

 shrubs for autumn, 1907. 



Wild Eros. Sarcoxie Nurseries, Sar- 

 coxie. Mo. — Thirty-second annual 

 wholesale and retail price list of west- 

 ern grown nursery stock. 



Morris & Snow Seed Co., Los An- 

 geles. Cal. General illustrated cata- 

 logue of flowers and vegetable seed, 

 tree and shrub seeds, bulbs and plants. 



Bay State Nurseries, North Abing- 

 ton, Mass. — Wholesale Frade List, Au- 

 tumn, 1907. Trees, shrubs, ever- 

 greens, vines, roses and herbaceous 

 perennials. 



Peter Henderson & Co. — Autumn 

 Catalogue for 1907. Finely illustrated 

 and descriptive of all the best varie- 

 ties of bedding and forcing bulbs. 

 Contains also a complete list of seeds 

 for fall sowing. 



W. W. Rawson & Co., Boston.— Bulb 

 Hand Book for 1907. Has a lovely 

 grou]) in colors of Poetaz Narcissus 

 Louisa on front cover page. Fully il- 

 lustrated and typographically hand- 

 some throughout. 



Carman's Antipest, manufactured by 

 the Perfection Chemical Company of 

 Flushing, N. Y., is being sold by W. 

 W. Rawson & Co., of Boston, who have 

 taken the New England agency for 

 this well-known soluble remedy 



FRESH CROP - I907 



Kentm Seed 



Just received, in sp'endid cond lion : 



too looo 5000 



Belmoreana or Forsteriana .. .75 $6 00 $27 50 



Phcenlx recllnata .60 3.50 15 00 



Send lor Special Prices on French and Dutch Bulbs. 

 REDUCED TO CLEAR. 



IfO fOOO 



French Roman Hyacinths, ti x tz.. $1.85 $17 00 

 ■* " 12 X 15.. 2.50 23.0a 



Address, 



H. H. BERGER & CO., '%^r New York. 



