450 



rtORTlCULTURh 



October 5, 1907 



Caa/4 T^ril(4<> '" considering this report, two im- 



tJ^'^y* ••• IttUC portant facts are notei: Ttie acreage 



Jerome B Rice Seed Co. have issued '^ about 2000 acres under that of 1906, 



their annual report on the onion crop, "'^'•e the yield is fully 500,000 bushels 



and while this report is probably not '^^'^- which probably means higher 



absolutely correct, it is by long odds prices for good carrying stock next 



the most accurate of any published. winter and spring, and this will in 



This fact is appreciated by the larger t"™ effect the demand for seed, 



growers and shippers of onions who "^^''^h reference to the Kentucky 



eagerly look forward each vear to crop of onions, which is grown entire- 



this report, which is a most important '^ f''°™ ^ets, this report says: About 



factor in fixing prices— neither ship- ^f" i^ars were shipped this year, 



pers nor buvers being willing to name a.gainst COO cars a year ago. This year 



a price in advance of the report on any the price started at about $2.2.5 per 



large quantities. '''''■ °^ ^^^ 'bs. and advanced to $3.75 



The acreage bv states and counties, ^^'l J'l-OO, most of the crop going at 



also the yield per acre, are given, as ^-'-^^^ to $3.50. Last year prices ranged 



well as the varieties grown, as to from $1.50 to $2.50. These onions usu- 



Whether red, white or yellow. ally appear in the market about the 



To give the report in full would oc- last of June and are closed out before 



cupy too much space, therefore the Aug. 1st. 



average yield per acre and total crop It is only just to add that the report 

 acreage yield per bushel per acre and from which we have quoted so liberal- 

 total crop of each state for 1906-7 are ly was prepared mainly by Mr. Chas. 

 here given, and the percentage of reds, P. Guelf, traveling salesman for Je- 

 whites and yellows: rome B. Rice Seed Co. 



Acreage Yield per aire Total .vield 

 1906 1907 1906 1JMJ7 1906 1907 



Colorado "^0 "^^ "''^0 2.50 362,000 172,000 



con^F^^'"^:^'.''..^"^.:'^'::"^'^.^''"^ 213300 215,000 255.000 



Illin^ir"'""^''..'!"'.^'':'"-. 845 775 335 300 282,500 232,5CK) 



Varieties- \'c1Ioh> 2.S per .put- le.-s, 68 per ceut— whites, 1 per cent. 

 Indiana . . . .' '...... 4,615 4,913 300 154 380,887 753,373 



Varieties; Yellows, 58 per cent— Reds, 36 per cent—Whites, 6 per ceut. 

 Michigan 872 714 2,i5 2.32 231,036 165,471 



Varieties; Yellows. 36 per cent— Reds, 52 per cent— Whites, 12 per cent. 

 Minnesota 660 633 384 309 2.53,430 195,175 



Varieties; Yellows, 11 per cent— Beds, 87 per cent— Whites, 2 per cent. 

 Iowa .••-.. 211 187 400 379 84,000 70,800 



Varieties: Yellows. 70 per cent— Reds, 30 per cent. 



Massachusetts 1.300 1.100 275 3.50 357.0<X) 383.000 



Varieties; Yeilows. 90 per cent— Reds, 10 per cent. 

 New Jersey 300 186 300 375 90.Ck:)0 69.7o0 



Varieties; Yellows. 75 per cent— Reds, 25 per cent. 

 Oklahoma ■ • 2uO 200 200 175 40,000 35.0(X) 



Varieties- Yeilows, 25 per ceut — Reds, 50 per cent — Whites. 25 per cent. 

 Ohio ' -l-eSS 4,648 244 314 1.161.241 1.455.855 



Varieties';' Yellows. 80 per cent— Reds, 7 per cent— Whites. 13 per eeut. 

 New York 3.710 3,125 233 364 939.200 1.136.750 



Varieties; Yeilows. 74 per cent- Reds, 24 per cent— Whites. 2 per cent. 

 Pennsylvania 55 50 500 400 27,500 20,000 



Varieties; Yellows, 100 per cent. 

 Rhode Island 175 100 300 2.50 52.500 25.000 



Varieties: Yellows. 10 per cent- Reds, 85 per cent— Whites. 5 per cent. 

 Wisconsin 387 445 32J 2.59 12,!.00ti 11.5.000 



Varieties: Yeilows. 9 per cent— Reds, 91 per cent. 

 Vermont 15 30 500 300 7.300 9.000 



Varieties; Yellows. 90 per cent— Reds, 10 per cent. 



-Aerci'gc Average yield Total Crop 

 Totals 19.915 17.670 283 291 5.626,914 5,140,174 



It may be well to say that onion 

 sets are not included in the above esti- 

 mates, but it would be interesting to 

 learn what the onion set crop has been 

 for 1907, and possibly some of the 

 large growers or shippers can furnish 

 this information. 



The initial prices for onions this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^ 4 

 year are somewhat ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^F^df-' 



in the field ruling from 10 to 15c. per ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >«. " 

 bushel over a year ago. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 



In New England figures range from ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^P^lk flf^, 

 65 to 75c. per bu.; in Orange Co.. N. ^^^^^^^^^^^B^K^ '' 

 Y., price is about 40 to 45c.; Central 



N. Y., 45 to 55c.; Ohio, 50 to 60c.: In- ^^^Hi^VK^4|A,^,^Hr^^;;^ C 

 diana and Illinois, 45 to 55c., and qual- ^^^^^^^JtZ^SU^f^imftf^*'% 

 ity of the stock is said to be somewhat BBB^Bp^^^»!^I^B^^_- -^^ "' 

 inferior to last year's, being under- P^S^Wt J^'^^y B WWfc^.V _ 

 sized and showing quite a percental' .^JE^^^^^T^' ifit ■* ^' 



of "thick necks." -i^BEyPll^sB^i.i^^' 



This is said to be especially the oas. 



in the West, where wet. cold weathc ..^^^-« .- , 



in the early part of the season retanl 'M'^^B8 1H&^ .~^' 



ed growth and produced a beautiful ^j^^'S'^'f^^^jj^Xb . JP^^^ "^^^ 

 crop of weeds, which have kept the H^Q^ -Jf^^.^uJ ■^^^t'T" 

 onions from ripening down, and th ?y KSfB^Sfl^ ' '^^WS0 .J^^-'^i 



will consequently prove very poor ^ - ^r^ ^ 



storage stock and are likely to become 

 soft and useless early in the season. 



This suggests an interesting situa- 

 tion and will receive attention later. 



Although September ended with sev- 

 eral days' rain, which extended very 

 generally all over the country, we 

 should be more than thankful for the 

 good growing weather and ripening 

 conditions the entire month practic-il- 

 ly gave us— the best growing days of 

 the whole season, without which seed 

 crops would indeed have been failures. 

 As it is, in many directions, results 

 will be quite a little better than has 

 all along been expected. We must now 

 look for killing frosts, which will re- 

 sult in an active bulb business for the 

 next two months. 



Cold, rainy weather has been the 

 portion of those that dwell in the New- 

 England and Middle states for the 

 past ten days, and at this writing there 

 is no indication of any material im- 

 provement. Severe frosts have oc- 

 curred in the west, but the east has 

 thus far escaped, though the sequel to 

 the long, wet, cold spell will no doubt 

 be the advent of Jack Frost. Let us 

 hope that on his first appearance he 

 will be in kindly mood. 



GLOXINIAS FOR FLORISTS' USE. 



The accompanying photograph was 

 taken of a recent display of Gloxinias 

 shown by E. W. Breed at one of the 

 weekly exhibits of the Worcester Hort- 

 icultural Society. Mr. Breed writes: 

 It has been our custom after the 

 spring bedding plants have been taken 

 from the hotbeds, to place three 

 inches of loaf mould on the spent ma- 

 nure, and in this, plant gloxinia seed- 

 lings a foot apart. The result is a' 

 large number of fine flowers during 

 the summer. We find them very use- 

 ful for cut flower and floral work, pos- 

 sessing excellent keeping qualities. 

 Careful attention is given to the shad- 

 ing and ventilating. The thrips is 

 kept in check by the use of tobacco 

 stems spread about the plants. For 

 the private gardener or retail florist, 

 who grows his flowers, the gloxinia is 

 certainly a valuable summer flower. 



