862 



HORTICULTUEE 



June 7, 1913 



ever other names they may be known 

 by, are continued, such a thing as a 

 "square deal" from the Department 

 will be in the words of the late Sena- 

 tor Ingalls: — "An iridescent dream." 

 If reports are to be believed, some of 

 these hold-overs from the last adminis- 

 tration have been given increased 

 power. It is common rumor that for 

 several of the last years of his ad- 

 ministration, Mr. Wilson was little 

 more than a figurehead, the heads of 

 Bureaus doing about as they pleased. 



"Free Seed" Increase. 



Attention has several times been 

 called to one very significant fact 

 showing Mr. Wilson's "friendliness" 

 towards the seedsmen of the country, 

 by the undisputed statement — that at 

 the beginning of his administration 

 the number of packets sent out under 

 the free seed distribution was less 

 than eleven millions, while it had ex- 

 ceeded sixty-five millions before he re- 

 tired. With a secretary at the head 

 of the Department wishing to keep 

 this nuisance down to the lowest limit, 

 its growth would have been very 

 slow, if any at all, but Mr. Wilson's de- 

 sire to please the congressmen and 

 play politics, led him to readily con- 

 sent to — if not actually advise — the 

 increase in the free seed distribution 

 from year to year until it has reached 

 its present colossal proportions. 



The Trade Partially Blamable. 



However, with all deference, we beg 

 to say that the seedsmen, themselves, 

 have not been without fault in this 

 matter. If one will only analyze the 

 annual bids made by both seed grow- 

 ers and dealers, they will readily see 

 what a ridiculous position they place 

 themselves in. Most standard items 

 are priced at figures so low that they 

 could not be produced without loss, 

 and it all has the inevitable tendency 

 to create the impression in the minds 

 of those in the Department that seeds 

 are about the cheapest and least im- 

 portant of agricultural products. Few, 

 if any, members of the Department 

 have ever had any practical knowl- 

 edge in the production of garden 

 seeds, and have no clear idea of the 

 cost by the time the seeds are ready 

 to be placed in the hands of the con- 

 sumer. The prices quoted according 

 to the figures published in one of the 

 trade journals not long ago, are about 

 as follows: — Lettuce 14 to 16c., onion 

 seed 20 to 22c., radish 8c., garden 

 beets 8 to 10c. . carrots 14 to 16c., peas 

 at about half the prices quoted by the 

 growers to the dealers. Now in this 

 scramble for a little government pap, 

 the growers are not wholly at fault, as 

 many dealers have quoted prices tar 

 below what they can buy reliable 

 seeds for, and they have thus placed 

 themselves in a position where they 

 cannot criticize the growers as effec- 

 tively as It they had kept out of the 

 game themselves. Had they been 

 quoting weed seeds in many instances 

 instead of garden seeds, they could not 

 have quoted them as low. 



But what is the use? This is the 

 seedsman's problem and we apologize 

 for "butting in," but could not fore- 

 bear expressing a few of the thoughts 

 that have been with us these many 

 days. 



MICHELL'S SEASONABLE FLOWER SEEDS 



PANSY SEED (New Crop) 



MicheU's Giant E.xhibition Mixed. A 



truly Giant str.im which we have se- 

 cured from the leading Pansy Special- 

 ists in Germany, England and France. 

 Plants are of strong, sturdy habit; 

 flowers of immense size, heavy texture 

 and of varied colors and shades. Trade 

 pkt., 30c. ; 75c. per '4 oz. ; per oz., $5.00. 



ANTIRRHINUM 



MICHELL.'S GIANT STRAIN 



Tr. Pkt. Oz. 



Giant Salmon Pink 30 $1.50 



Olant Pink 20 .60 



Giant Scarlet 20 .60 



Giant Striped 20 .60 



Giant White 20 .60 



Giant Yellow 20 .60 



Giant Mixed 15 .60 



Also all other Seasonable Seeds and 

 Supplies for the Florist. 



PRIMULA CHINENSIS SEED 



Alba MagnlBca, White 60 fLOO 



Chiswick, Red 60 1.00 



Kermesina Splendens, Crim- 

 son 60 1.00 



Rosy Morn, Pink 60 1.00 



Duchess, White, carmine cen- 

 tre 60 1.00 



Holbom Bine 60 1.00 



MicheU's Prize Mixture 60 1.00 



PRIMULA OBCONICA GIGAN- 



TEA SEED 



Tr. Pkt 



LUacina, Pale lilac 50 



Kermesina, Crimson 50 



Rosea, Pink 50 



Alba. White 50 



Hybrida, Mixed 50 



CINERARIA SEED 



% Tr. Tr. 



Pkt. Pkt 



Dwarf Grand Prize, mixed 60 $1.00 



Med. TaU Grand Prize, mixed. .60 1.00 



HENRY F. MICHELL COMPANY 



518 Market Street, 



Philadelphia, Pa. 



PEAS, BEANS, RADISH 

 and all Garden Seeds 



. Growers for the Trade 



ana ail uaraen seeas ) ^^ ^g^ 



LEONARD „fSo 



CO. 



ONION SETS 



Write for Prices 



LAWN GRASS SEED 



WHOLESALE ONLY 



/TOLIVER JOHNSON, 



1874-76 Milwaukee Avenne, 

 CHICAGO, ILL. 



CHILDS' GLADIOLI ] 



are noted the world over for 



SUPKR-IOR MKR-IT 



Jotin Le-wis CHilds 



FLOWERFIELD, L. I., N. Y. 



ROSES, CARNATIONS, CHRYSANTHEMUM 

 PLANTS, SEEDS, BULBS 



Send nsTour waiiti. We will take ear* ot 



thMn. W* nppl7 itock at market priee. 



Catalogue for the asking 



S. S. SKIDELSKY & CO. 



12 IS Betz BMs. Philadelphia. 



Crop Prospects. 



In discussing crop prospects, the 

 weather again seems to be the chief 

 factor in the situation. In saying that 

 the month of May was extremely un- 

 favorable for the growth and develop- 

 ment, not only of seed crops in gen- 

 eral — but garden "sass" as well, we 

 are stating what everybody knows. 

 Many crops have been seriously 

 damaged by frost and continued cold 

 weather, but the extent has not de- 

 veloped, and quite possibly, with con- 

 tinuous fair growing weather from 

 now until harvest, such damage as has 

 been done will be overcome and the 

 labors of the seed growers and farm- 

 ers may result in fairly satisfactory 

 crops. It is all a weather problem, 

 however, and within the next thirty 

 days we shall be able to give a pretty 

 correct line on the early maturing 

 seed crops. In the meantime, there is 

 nothing but generalizing and this is 

 not very satisfying information. 



Effect of Inflated Prices, 

 The calamity howler is abroad and 

 he hails from Europe as well as from 

 this country. Just a "report" of short- 

 age is a sufficient text for a volumi- 

 nous outburst on failure of seed crops, 

 and urgent necessity of advancing 

 prices. We believe most competent 

 judges in the trade concede that 

 prices on the general line of seeds 

 were, and still are, too high. Those 

 who believe in the fallacious theory of 

 "getting all you can whenever you 

 can" should read John Stuart Mill, and 

 prepare for the inevitable reaction 

 that follows inflated prices. The ex- 

 treme prices asked by growers of peas 

 for the past two seasons has developed 

 a brood of would-be seed growers, 

 fost of them irresponsible, and few 

 possessing the requisite technical 

 , Unowledge, justifying any dealer with 

 a reputation to lose, in declining to 

 place business with them. And this 

 is only one line. How about all of the 

 others? 



