290 



HORTICULTURE 



August 31, 1907 





Seed Trade 



There has been much discussion of 

 the recent item on the growing of 

 seed peas which appeared in these col- 

 umns and of course there are two 

 views expressed, the growers looking 

 at the matter from their viewpoint, 

 and the seed merchants from theirs, 

 and while a majority of the latter in- 

 sist that prices are high enough, and 

 object to any advance, a few of the 

 more progressive and broad-gauge rec- 

 ognize the force of the reasons given 

 for the suggested increase, and say 

 that if this increase carries with it 

 superior quality, they are quite willing 

 to pay it 



There is no question that the lower- 

 ing of prices has resulted in Uie lower- 

 ing of quality, and imtil prices are 

 raised to a point where the grower 

 can afford to give the time and ex- 

 pense needful to improve and main- 

 tain the quality of his stocks, the com- 

 plaints against the quality will con- 

 tinue. 



In comparing present day growing 

 prices with those of twenty-flve and 

 thirty years ago it will be noted that 

 there has been a great decline, and 

 yet there is no good reason for this. 

 It costs more to do business today 

 than it did twenty-five years ago, and 

 certainly much more than ten years 

 ago. and while this fact has been rec- 

 ognized and applied by practically 

 every industry in the country, the 

 seed grower has continued to produce 

 his goods at the same old prices, _ if 

 indeed he has not lowered them, with 

 the inevitable result— depreciation in 

 quality. Is this because the average 

 seed grower has received less gray 

 matter than his brothers in other in- 

 dustries? Results speak for them- 

 selves. 



It is not the purpose of the writer 

 to make out a case for the grower, 

 but to state facts, and these facts will 

 undoubtedly be recognized by all 

 candid, intelligent readers, fully ac- 

 quainted with the subject. 



The aim has been to elevate the seed 

 trade, and there is no surer or better 

 way than by improving the stocks 

 they sell, and high quality can not be 

 maintained on low prices; such a con- 

 dition is artificial, and to quote the 

 words of Emerson, "Nothing artificial, 

 nothing arbitrary can endure." 



If the trade will only recognize this 

 fact and be willing to pay the grower 

 a little more for his product, and the 

 grower on his part will give more in- 

 telligent, painstaking care to his crops, 

 both will be duly recompensed, the 

 seed buying public would be better 

 served, and the prestige and reputation 

 of the seed trade correspondingly in- 

 creased. 



It begins to be evident that the 

 varieties of sugar corn are doomed to 

 failure in many sections of the coun- 

 try. A general failure is not expected, 

 but the prediction is here made that 

 1907 will be rated a very poor corn 

 year. It will also not be a good year 

 for vine crops, and as the nights have 

 already become cool, the warmth of 

 the sun during the day will not be 

 sufficient to enable tardy crops to 

 catch up. 



Judging by offers of onion seed 

 coming from unexpected quarters, the 



MICHELL'S MUSHROOM SPAWN 



Our nushroom Spawn is used by the leading growers through- 

 out the country on account of its superior quality. Made by 

 the same party who manufactured for us when we fiist em- 

 barked in the Seed business. He has upheld his reputation as 

 a first-class English Spawn maker and this made our name 

 prominent among the largest Mushroom Growers. 



Our Advance Price Llat of Bulbs Is Heady 



HENRY F. MICHELL CO., 1018 Market St., Phila., Pa. 



tramp crop will be much more of a 

 factor than has been generally ex- 

 pected, and those who have been hold- 

 ing tightly to their seed with the ex- 

 pectation of getting some unreasona- 

 bly high prices will regret that they 

 did not sell when they could have 

 drawn good but fairly reasonable fig- 

 ures. Prominent dealers now predict 

 that yellows will range from $1.00 to 

 $1.25, and f.at reds from $1.25 to $1.50. 

 white Portugal $2.00. and white Globe 

 $2.50 to $3.00. while red Globes will be 

 little if any higher than flat reds. 



Rumors that California seed grow- 

 ers are selling direct to consumers are 

 again going the rounds, to bo once 

 more denied by those worthies, but 

 whore there is so much smoke there 

 must be some Are. No names are 

 given, but it should not be very diffi- 

 cult to learn the truth. This would 

 seem to be a proper subject for the 

 Wholesale Seedsmens' League to in- 

 vestigate. 



and fniits at the State Fair this sea- 

 son. 



The Tucker Seed House, Carthage, 

 Mo., have purchased the fixtures of 

 the Parsons Seed Co. and are making 

 improvements on a large scale. 



M. B, Faxon, formerly with the Liv- 

 ingston Seed Co., Columbus, O., has 

 taken a position with J. M. Thorbum 

 & Co., New York. 



T. J. Gray, the Boston seedsman, 

 who has just returned from a visit to 

 England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland 

 and France, tells of an interesting 

 episode at The Hague on the Queen's 

 birthday. As he was entering the Vic- 

 toria Hotel he saw four American 

 -lags waving down the street; he 

 walked down and saluted them, and as 

 he did so a hurrah went up from the 

 hotel. A party of twenty-eight young 

 ladies from Ohio, traveling with Col. 

 Edward "Wilson of Columbus, had ob- 

 served his action, and as he stepped 

 into the hotel they sang "The Star 

 Spangled Banner." 



L. W. Wheeler, for the past seven 

 and a half years manager of the New 

 York Branch of Vaughan's Seed Store, 

 has resigned, and will start shortly 

 for Southern California, where he ex- 

 pects to make his home. Mr. Wheeler 

 is treasurer of the New York Florists' 

 Club. 



S. D. Willard, of Geneva, N. Y., State 

 fair commissioner, is making a special 

 ef.'ort to have large exhibits of flowers 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



DAFFODILS-NARCISSUS AND HOW 

 TO GROW THEM.— Doubleday, Page & 

 Co., New York. 



Here is a book written with the 

 laudable purpose of increasing the 

 public interest in and knowledge of 

 this most beautiful and varied of all 

 the garden bulbs, but which because 

 of its thoroughness and technical in- 

 formation as to classification and 

 culture which it gives will prove as 

 well a valuable handbook for the pro- 

 fessional grower or dealer. A ready 

 explanation of this somewhat unus- 

 ual quality in horticultural books in- 

 tended primarily for the public lies in 

 the fact that the author is A. M. Klrby, 

 well-known as the head of the bulb 

 and flower-seed department of the 

 seed house of Peter Henderson & Co.. 

 a gentleman well qualified to instruct 

 on the subject. 



The book will be found especially 

 valuable because the varieties are 

 rated as to their capabilities under 

 American conditions and the garden 

 value is kept constantly in the fore- 

 ground. The text is divided Into two 

 parts: (1) Culture, including com- 

 mercial production of cut flowers in 

 the fleld and under glass; (2) a criti- 

 cal appraisement of all the varieties 

 commonly in the trade (about 500). 

 The illustrations are thirty-two in 

 number and admirably supplement the 

 text. The appendix contains a key to 

 the daffodils, by Wilhelm Miller and 

 Leonard Barron. 



The price of the book is $1.10 net, 

 or $1.21 post free. In style it is uni- 

 form with previously published vol- 



BAMBOO CANES 



TOUGH AND STRONG 



6 ft. long — $1 per 100; $6 

 per 1000; $11 per 2000 



They cost about 10 per cent, more than 

 other kinds, and thev are 10 times better. 



STUMPP & WALTER CO., 



50 Barclay St., New York 



