226 



HORTICULTURE 



February 15, 1913 



Seed Trade 



^Continued from page 224.) 



should have anticipated a reduced de- 

 mand this year instead of reserving as 

 liberal stocks as they did a year ago. 

 Should there be a full crop the com- 

 ing year there will be surpluses ga- 

 lore, but we believe that most of these 

 surpluses will be in the hands of the 

 growers themselves, and their dispo- 

 sition up to them. 



A New Departure. 

 There are reports which we believe 

 are authentic that Rogers Bros, of Al- 

 pena, Mich., have bought a ranch in 

 Montana of several hundred acres. This 

 is something of a departure from the 

 general policy of the growers who 

 have depended on the farmers to raise 

 their crops so that in the event ot 

 short crops the losses would tall on 

 both parties and not wholly on the 

 seed grower. Doubtless Messrs. Rogers 

 have discounted all these possibilities 

 and are acting from well thought out 

 and clearly defined policies. Should 

 they be successful in securing uni- 

 formly good crops, their example may 

 be followed by others in their line of 

 business. 



German vs. Canada Peas. 

 To meet the demands for Canada 

 field peas many thousands ot bushels 

 of German white peas have been im- 

 ported this year and sold as Canada 

 peas. As they are generally grown for 

 the green fodder when planted, these 

 peas win doubtless fill the bill fairly 

 well and where they are used as pig- 

 eon peas they should be just as ac- 

 ceptable. It is certainly a fact that 

 they can be sold at a considerably 

 lower figure than the genuine Canada 

 field peas. We note that Baltimore 

 and Philadelphia dealers are quoting 

 them at $1.70 to $1.75 f.o.b. while gen- 

 uine Canada field peas are quoted at 

 from $2.15 to $2.25. It is a singular 

 reversal of ordinary conditions to find 

 these peas selling at such compara- 

 tively high prices because of the very 

 short crop, while the fancy large- 

 bodied varieties are in surplus and are 

 being offered in many instances down 

 to contract prices. 



"Free Seeds" and the Surplus. 

 In a statement which we assume 

 emanates from the Department of Ag- 

 riculture at Washington, an effort is 

 being made to prove that because of 

 the manner under which it is con- 

 ducted the free seed distribution is 

 really a boom to the seed trade. The 

 main reason advanced in support of 

 this rather remarkable argument is 

 that the Department by its policy of 

 buying surplus stock towards the end 

 of the season removes these from the 

 market, thereby leaving prices to fol- 

 low their legitimate course. Doubt- 

 less there is some basis for this claim 

 and no doubt it often does aid the 

 wholesale dealers but we fail to see 

 where it can benefit the retailer in any 

 respect. Knowing that this demand 

 from the Department is coming each 

 year certain growers delibeiately plan 

 to produce surpluses to meet it. It 

 Is well known that a California grower 

 followed this plan tor several yearB, 

 growing the varieties which he pro- 

 duced on the Coast largely in excess 



HEADQUARTERS FOR PLANT STAKES 



For Staking Plants For Easter 



UNPAINTED STAKES OR DOWELS 



Length. Dlam. 100 1000 Length. Di:im. 100 1000 



24 in. 3-S in. $0..'.0 $4.00 42 in. S-16 in. $0.75 $6.00 



B6 in. 3-lrtin. .67) 5.25 42 in. 1-4 in. .75 6.00 



36 in. 5-10 In. .65 5.25 42 in. 5-16 in. .75 6.00 



.36 in. 5-S in. .S5 8.00 42 in. 3-S in. .75 6.00 



36 in. 1-4 in. .65 5.25 42 in. 5-8 in. 1.00 9.00 



36 in. 3-S in. .65 5.25 



The above dyed green, 10c. per 100 or 50c. per 1000 addltion.il. 



HYACINTH STAKES (Wood DYED GREEN 



100 IIKX) 50(« KKI IIKX) 5000 



12 in $0.15 $1.00 $4.25 18 in .$0.20 $1.35 $6.25 



CANE STAKES 



100 500 1000 5000 



.Southern. Very I'ng, selected iiuaiity $0.75 $2.75 $5.00 $23.75 



Japanese. Very thin, about ft. long 75 2.75 5.00 22.50 



Japanese. Dyed green, ZV-, ft. lengths only 70 3.00 5.50 



HEADQUARTERS FOR BULBS OF ALI. KINDS. WRITE FOR PRICES. 

 Our New Wholesale Price List tor 1013, Free Upon Application. 



KENRY F. MICHELL COMPANY 



518 Market Street, - - - Philadelphia, Pa. 



of the requirements of the legitimate 

 seed trade, anticipating that he would 

 be favored with a very laige percent- 

 age of the Government's order, and as 

 a matter of fact he was. There is no 

 insinration in this that everything 

 was not conducted in a perfectly 

 proper manner but he seemed always 

 able to underbid most of his competi- 

 tors and received the lion's share ot 

 the business. However, this is aside 

 from the point we wish to make, 

 which is that knowing the very large 

 requirements of the Department, 

 growers frequently create surpluses 

 purposely to supply this demand and 

 legitimate or accidental surpluses are 

 not materially benefited by the De- 

 partment's purchases. 



tion, by the ample size of her exhi- 

 bition hall and the abundant space 

 which each exhibitor knows he can 

 have for the display of his goods. We 

 are advised that additions have been 

 made to the very commodious hall 

 since the convention of last winter, 

 materially increasing the floor space. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



J. B. Morey Nurseries, Dansville, 111. 

 — Catalogue of fruit and ornamental 

 trees. 



Thornton Bros., Lawrence, Mass. — 

 Farm and Garden Seeds, 1913. Hand- 

 some cover in colors. Motto, "Only 

 from good seed can good crops be 

 grown." 



The Canners' Convention. 



The annual convention of the Na- 

 tional Canned Goods and Allied Asso- 

 ciations, which was held at Louisville, 

 Ky., the present week, was, as usual, 

 very largely attended and the hotels 

 of this hospitable town were taxed to 

 the utmost to care for the crowds at- 

 tending the convention. Four years 

 ago the convention was held at Louis- 

 ville and with a few exceptions those 

 who attended were well satisfied with 

 I heir treatment. That is one reason 

 why Louisville was able so soon to se- 

 cure the convention again, while other 

 towns which made strenuous efforts to 

 secure it weie turned down because of 

 the nanow short-sighted policy, of the 

 lotels in charging all canners double 

 rates. 



The display of machinery may have 

 been a little less complete than at 

 Rochester last year, for the reason 

 that there was considerable less floor 

 space to be apportioned among the ex- 

 hibitors. Last year the officials ot the 

 Machinery and Supplies Association 

 urged exhibitors to take all' the space 

 they wanted, while this year it has 

 been necessary to restrict them some- 

 what. Without wishing to disparage 

 other towns it really looks as if Roch- 

 ester had scored one on all of her 

 competifoi-s who are seeking to secure 

 the National Canned Gooils Convcn- 



Fottler, Fiske, Rawson Co., Boston, 

 Mass.— Seed Annual, 1913. Attractively 

 bound in covers of dark red with em- 

 bossed gold lettering. A well-arranged 

 book ot 170 pages. Freely illustrated, 

 and containing much useful cultural 

 advice. 



LILY CANES 



7 to 8 feet long, for Lilies, etc. 



$7.00 PER lOOO 



Wm. Elliolt & Sons 



42 Vesey St., New York 



TOMATO SEED 



BE.ST STO( KS. AI-L VAKIETIF.S. 



The Haven Seed Co. 



Growers for \VliolfhaIe Trmlf Only. 



SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA. 



