644 



HORTICULTURE 



November 16, 1907 



SEED TRADE. 



{Coutinu/d from page 642) 



but with a full knowledge of the facts 

 fair minded people will admit the jus- 

 tification of their position. 



The recent Are at the Government 

 Seed Shop seems to have made a clean 

 sweep as usual when a fire occurs in 

 a seed warehouse, as all not destroyed 

 by fire is just as effectually put out of 

 commission by water. The department 

 of agriculture had in store most of 

 its seeds for this season distribution, 

 and all are wiped out, some items be- 

 ing an irreparable loss as they can- 

 not be replaced this year. It is doubt- 

 ful it this fact is appreciated at the 

 department, as they apparently expect 

 to replace their entire stock at about 

 the prices paid last spring. They are 

 doomed to disappointment, however, 

 as there has been a general advance 

 on practically the entire line of seeds, 

 in many instances over 100 per cent. 

 Among "the items lost was 2,500 bushels 

 of sugar corn, which every seedman 

 knows cannot be replaced excepting 

 at prices so high as would cause a 

 general attack of heart failure among 

 responsible officials of the department. 

 The fact that this 2,500 bushels of 

 corn was worth from $12,000 to $15,000 

 is a secret which has not yet been 

 revealed to them, but they will soon 

 be made wise. To meet their extra 

 purchase of seeds and other supplies 

 destroyed, by the fire, a supplementary 

 appropriation will have to be made by 

 Congress, but this is not causing the 

 department officials any anxiety. They 

 feel certain that the appropriation will 

 be made, and are in a state of cheer- 

 ful optimism. 



But suppose Congress should not 

 make the appropriation? It would not 

 be the first time by any means that 

 appropriations have been refused after 

 the Government has got the goods. In 

 more than one emergency slipplies 

 have been furnished at the request of 

 responsible heads of departments, with 

 the expectation that Congress would 

 appropriate funds to pay for them, 

 which it has failed to do, and there 

 are several unpaid claims before the 

 Court of Claims which have been pend- 

 ing for years. Of course, "The Gov- 

 ernment never repudiated any just ob- 

 ligation," but when a just obligation 

 runs through the lifetime of two gen- 

 erations and is still unpaid, it comes 

 pretty close to being repudiation. It 

 is hoped that in the present instance 

 Congress will promptly make the ap- 

 propriation, but the reverse is by no 

 means an impossibility. 



It is reported that a number of 

 retail catalogues will not offer sugar 

 corn in quantities greater than pecks, 

 which shows good judgment, as the 

 dealer can thus better protect his 

 stocks for the benefit of his regular 

 customers. Some retail seedmen ap- 

 pear to have been caught not only 

 without any sugar corn seed on hand 

 but also without contracts for any. It 

 does not speak well for their business 

 acumen, to be caught in such a fix In 

 the matter of a leading item that they 

 must have every year. It has been 

 demonstrated repeatedly that an item 

 may be selling below cost of produc- 

 tion one year, and at famine prices 

 the next, and particularly items like 

 corn, peas or beans, which are sel- 

 dom carried in sufficient quantities to 



tide over a very short crop year with- 

 out a very long advance In prices. 



Recent information from Martial 

 Bremond, Ollioules, France, is that the 

 bulb district has been visited by exces- 

 sive rains from the middle of October 

 to November 1st continually, and the 

 planting as a consequence, has been 

 considerably delayed; and it is abso- 

 lutely impossible to get any idea of 

 the prospects and prices of 190S crop. 



George Young, for several years con- 

 nected with the Holmes Seed Com- 

 pany, has left that firm and there is 

 a good opening there for an intelli- 

 gent, capable salesman who can "do 

 business" with both merchants and 

 market gardeners. 



The Japanese government has 

 bought the steamships Tartar and 

 Athenian from the Canadian Pacific 

 R. R. and the freight service between 

 American ports and Japan Is cramped 

 on this account. 



One peculiar result of the recent 

 severe floods in Japan is a scarcity of 

 box material, also of dry sand, etc., 

 for bulb packing purposes. 



There is much speculation as to the 

 drift of prices on onion sets. It is 

 pretty safe to say that the drift will 

 be upward. 



George Stumpp, of Stumpp & Walter 

 Co., New York, has gone south for an 

 extended trip, combining business and 

 pleasure. 



Neil Dunning, of the Stumpp & Wal- 

 ter Co. forces, has been critically ill 

 with pneumonia during the past week. 



The American Pure Seed Co., now- 

 located at Evansville, Ind., has ad- 

 vanced the par value of stock to $25. 



The Iowa Seed Co., at Des Moines, 

 la., have recently added a new house 

 to their range of thirty-one. 



Lilium lancifolium album is again 

 reported in short supply in Japan. 



PLANT IMPORTS. 



There were entered at the port of 

 New York during the two weeks from 

 October 30 to November 12, inclusive, 

 the following plants, etc.: 



Via Rotterdam: C. C. Abel, 77 cs. 

 bulbs; H. F. Darrow, 37 cs. plants, 5 

 cs. flower roots; John Dunn, 7 cs. 

 plants; Wm. Elliott & Sons, S cs. bulbs, 

 29 cs. plants, 14 cs. trees; P. Hender- 

 son & Co., 28 cs. plants, IG cs. bulbs, 

 and plants; R. F. Lang, 1 cs. bulbs; 

 McHutchison & Co., 151 cs. plants; P. 

 Ouwerkerk, 90 cs. trees; C. B. Richard 

 & Co., 39 cs. plants; August Rolker & 

 Sons, 13 cs. do., 14 cs. bulbs; Stumpp 

 & Walter Co., 17 cs. plants; Ter Kuile, 

 1 cs. bulbs; J. M. Thorburn & Co., 

 75 cs. bulbs, 198 bis. garden seed; 

 Vaughan's Seed Store, 17cs. plants, 39 

 cs. trees, 124 pgs. bulbs and plants; 

 Wakem & McLaughlin, 15 cs. plants; 

 R. M. Ward & Co., 1 cs. flower roots; 

 Sundry forwarders, 500 cs. plants. 128 

 cs. trees and shrubs, 250 cs. flower 

 roots, 200 cs. trees and bulbs, 2 cs. 

 bulbs. 



Via Southampton: Sunday for- 

 warders, 10 cs. seedlings, 3 cs. trees, 

 4 cs. plants, 1 cs. bulbs. 



Via Liverpool: Sundry forwarders, 

 15 cs. trees. 



Via London: Sundry forwarders, 2 

 cs. rose trees. 



Via Antwerp: H. F. Darrow, 187 cs. 

 plants, 4 tubs laurel trees; Philip 



Elnsman, 34 cs. plants; Wm. Elliott 

 & Sons, 4 cs. do.; McHutchison & Co., 

 97 cs. do., 2 tubs laurel trees; R. F. 

 Lang, 40 cs. plants; Chas. F. Meyer, 

 174 cs. do., 2 tubs laurel trees; T. H. 

 Retry & Co.. 32 cs. plants; C. B. Rich- 

 ard & Co., 191 cs. do., 290 tubs laurel 

 trees; August Rolker & Sons, 107 cs. 

 plants; Stumpp & Walter Co., 1 cs. 

 plants; Ter Kuile, 24 cs. plants, 4 cs. 

 laurel ti-ees; Wakem & McLaughlin, 



3 cs. plants; Sundry forwarders, 561 

 cs. laurel trees, 173 cs. plants. 



From Germany: H. F. Darrow, 79 

 cs. lily of the valley pips; R. P. Lang, 



4 cs. do.; F. R. Pierson Co., 250 cs. 

 do.; August Rolker & Sons, 5 cs. 

 plants; J. Roehrs Co., 53 cs. do.; A. 

 Schultheis, 20 cs. lily of the valley 

 pips; J. M. Thorburn & Co., 33 cs. do.; 

 Vaughan's Seed Store, 130 cs. do.; R. 

 M. Ward & Co., 120 cs, do; Sundry 

 forwarders, 272 cs. do., 17 cs. plants. 



SUMMARY OF NOVEMBER CROP 

 REPORT. 



The following table gives the sum- 

 mary of the November Crop Report 

 of the Bureau of Statistics of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, showing yield 

 per acre, production and quality of 

 various products this year, with com- 

 parisons. 



Oct. Fin.ll Final 

 PEODUCTS. 1907. 1906. 1905. 



Corn: 

 Yield bu. per acre... 28.0 30.3 28.8 



Quality per cent 82.8 89.9 90.6 



On hnnil per cent.... 4.5 4.4 3.6 



Buckwheat: 



Yield bu. per acre 17.9 18.6 19.2 



Quality per cent 87.3 90.4 93.0 



Tobacco: 

 Yield lbs. per acre. . . 858.3 8,57.2 815.6 

 Quality per cent 90.0 84.5 87.6 



Rice; 

 Yield bu. per acre.... 33.1 31.1 28.1 



Flaxseed: 

 Yield bu. per acre.... 9.0 10.2 11.2 

 Quality per cent 89.7 92.7 94.6 



Potatoes: 

 Yield bu. per acre... 95.3 102.2 87.0 

 Quality per cent 88.3 90.0 85.4 



Apples: 

 Product per cent 32.1 69.1 41.3 



Grapes: 

 Product per cent 78.4 83.3 77.6 



Pears: 

 Product per cent 44.3 74.3 61.8 



S. Potatoes: 

 Y'ield bu, per acre... 87.5 90.0 92.6 

 Quality per cent 85.7 87.4 91.8 



Susar Cane: 

 Condition 91.1 79.7 



Sorghum: 

 Y'ipld gals, per acre. . 90.8 95.7 



Sugar Beets: 

 Condition 90.4 95.6 



Cranberries: 

 Product per cent 78.2 84.8 



Peanuts: 

 Product per cent 83.4 80.3 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



W. Atlee Burpee, Philadelphia, — Ad- 

 vance wholesale prices for 1908. 



Soupert & Netting, Luxembourg. 

 Folder of new rose introductions for 

 1907. 



P. Ouwerkerk, Weehawken Heights, 

 N. .L, representing Association Flora, 

 Boskoop, Holland. Nursery trade of 

 roses, clematis, azaleas, shrubs and 

 herbaceous plants. The list of con- 

 ifers is especially large. 



The Cornell Countryman for Novem- 

 ber is a fine example of magazine 

 making. Typographically it belongs 

 in the front rank and the contents are 

 of a high character and well diversi- 

 fied. The cover is adorned with a 

 handsome chrysanthemum portrait. 

 Published at Cornell University, Itha- 

 ca, N. Y. 



