292 



HORTICULTURE 



August 29, 190S 



Seed Trade 



Freezing weather in the northwest 

 causes great anxiety for the corn crop, 

 especially in view of the present fine 

 prospect. It is confidently asserted by 

 good judges that two weeks more of 

 warm weather would have placed field 

 corn beyond the danger zone, except- 

 ing in tie altogether improbable event 

 of a sudden drop in the mercury half 

 way to zero. Sugar corn in the west, 

 and in fact everywhere, Is late, and 

 warm, favorable weather throughout 

 the month of September is needed to 

 properly mature it for seed, and a 

 bright, warm autumn will be required 

 to cure it, else there will be a repeti- 

 tion of last year's unsatisfactory seed 

 —low vitality and disappointing ger- 

 mination. 



Reports from North Dakota and the 

 Canadian northwest indicate serious 

 damage to spring wheat, and what 

 little corn is grown in those sections 

 has probably been put out of service. 

 According to reports, the mercury 

 dropped to 7 below freezing in North 

 Dakota and 9 below in British Colum- 

 bia. This is a radical reversal of form 

 in the matter of temperature from a 

 few weeks ago, when the mercury 

 stood at 95 and even as high as 105 

 in the shade. These must be fine 

 climates for 'infants and invalids." 



Onion seed harvesting is proceeding 

 in California, and early predictions of 

 a large yield seem to be amply sus- 

 tained, notwithstanding a last final 

 effort from that section to create a 

 contrary impression. 



Vine seed crops are in the same 

 category as corn, and are in immi- 

 nent danger of being ruined. This is 

 particularly true of muskmelons, 

 Reserves carried from last year are 

 very small as a rule, and of many of 

 the leading varieties there are abso- 

 lutely none, therefore, a crop failure 

 this year would mean famine prices 

 and no mistake. There are consider- 

 able reserves of squashes, watermel- 

 ons and cucumbers, and a partial crop 

 failure on these lines would have a 

 tonic effect on prices without proving 

 a great hardship. 



There are many reports that mar- 

 ket gardeners have allowed a large 

 part of their bean crops to mature for 

 seed, because they could not be sold 

 at a profit in the green state. This is 

 undoubtedly true of some districts. 

 but just how general it is cannot be 

 stated at this time. Attention was 

 called to these reports some time 

 ago, and if they prove correct, will 

 certainly affect the demand for seed 

 beans, and be an important factor 

 in determining prices later on. 



The seed bean crop is late, howi 

 and an early frost would play havoc 

 with it. therefore every bushel of 

 beans raised by market gardeners may 

 be needed. A week or two more will 

 tell the story. 



doubt that if the farmers who raised 

 the beans, and the consumers could 

 have been brought together, it would 

 have been greatly to their mutual 

 benefit. All the apparent surplus 

 would have been consumed, and the 

 farmers would gladly have disposed 

 of it at reduced prices which would 

 have been within the reach of all but 

 the really poverty stricken. Every 

 year thousands of dollars' worth of 

 fruits and vegetables are thrown 

 away or allowed to waste in the vi- 

 cinity of New York, simply because 

 the consumer and distributor do not 

 get together. Our methods of dis- 

 tribution are still very primitive and 

 have made little improvement in fifty 

 years. Transportation of course has 

 vastly improved, but that is not dis- 

 tribution. Whoever can perfect a 

 practical plan of distribution, that is 

 simple and workable, and will bring 

 producer and consumer together, and 

 particularly the city consumer, will 

 confer a boon on his fellowman. 



The fact that green beans have 

 been so abundant has not apparently 

 cheapened the price to the consumer 

 to any appreciable degree, which sug- 

 gests poor methods of distribution 

 and in fact they are. There is little 



T. J. Grey of Boston is spending a 

 week in Nova Scotia, combining busi- 

 ness and pleasure. 



N. J. Olson Co., of Minneapolis, has 

 purchased the business of John Costain 

 at Fargo, N. D. Dwight Simmons of 

 Fargo will be manager. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



Proceedings of 26th Annual Conven- 

 tion of the American Seed Trade As- 

 sociation, held at Detroit, Mich., June 

 23, 24 and 25, 1908, including a Topical 

 Index of Annual Reports from 1883 to 

 1907 inclusive and the Proceedings of 

 the Congress of Horticulture, at the 

 Jamestown Exposition, Sept. 23, 1907. 

 This makes a volume of 265 pages 

 filled with matter of vital interest to 

 the trade whose interests this Associa- 

 tion works so hard to protect. The 

 frontispiece is a fine portrait of ex- 

 president George F. Green. 



"Hand Book of Cultural Notes on 

 Roses and Other Interesting Items," by 

 Frank P. Brigham, Lockport, N. Y. 

 This is a little pamphlet of 16 pages, 

 concise and practical in every line; 

 not a superfluous word in it. Its dedi- 

 cation is as follows: 



"This little book is dedicated to 'The 

 Rose', the queen of flowers, and I hope 

 it will be of some little service to any 

 and all growers into whose hands ir 

 may fall." 



It treats on the care of roses under 

 glass only. Some of the topics are 

 Compost Heap. Planting. Tying, Cut- 

 ting, Mulching, Airing, Spraying and 

 Watering, Cultivating, Holding Over, 

 Firing, Eel Worm, Thrips, Don'ts, 

 House Cleaning, Prolonging Life of 

 Greenhouses, etc. 



Fifty-fifth annual report of the Mas- 

 sachusetts State Board of Agriculture, 

 together with the 20th annual report 

 of the Massachusetts Agricultural Ex- 

 pi riment Station. This is a document 

 of great value to anyone interested in 

 agricultural development on modern 

 intensive lines and in its completeness 

 and thorough consideration of the 

 topics of most vital interest to the 

 welfare of those engaged in the til- 

 lage of the soil and other rural pur- 

 suits is an appropriate addition to the 

 long list of publications of a similar 

 character which the State of Massa- 



chusetts has given her citizens. Among 

 the contents most interesting to the 

 horticulturist are papers on Market 

 Gardening, by Prof. H. F. Hall; Breed- 

 ing and Raising Garden Seeds, by W. 

 \\". Tracy: Massachusetts Fruit Trees 

 and Their Insect Foes, by Dr. H. T. 

 Fernald; Report of Committee on 

 Gipsy Moth, Insects and Birds; Plum 

 Culture in Massachusetts, by Prof. F. 

 A. Waugh; Greenhouse Pests and 

 Their Control, by Dr. H. T. Fernald. 

 and Statutory Bird Protection in Mas- 

 sachusetts, by E. H. Forbush. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Win. Elliott & Sons, New York- 

 Autumn Wholesale List of Selected 

 I lull's and Seeds for Fall Sowing. 



J. M. Thorburn & Co., New York, 

 X. Y.— "Thorburn's Bulbs," 1908. A 

 selected list of varieties for fall 

 planting. 



C. C. Morse & Co., San Francisco, 

 Cal. — Illustrated Folder of New Spen- 

 cer Sweet Pea Selections. Nine of the 

 finest varieties are offered. 



S. G. Harris, Tarrytown, N. Y.— 

 Summer Supplement to General Cat- 

 alogue of Plants, Shrubs. Roses, Trees 

 and Spring Flowering Bulbs. 



Conard & Jones Company, West 

 Grove, Pa. — New Floral Guide, Au- 

 tumn 190S. Cover illustrations in 

 colors are Peony Edouard Andre and 

 tulips. 



Weeber & Don, New York City. — 

 Catalogue of Bulbs, Roots, Seeds, for 

 Fall, 190S. The title page is adorned 

 with a fine bunch of lily of the valley, 

 in green and white. 



Ionia Pottery Company. Ionia, Mich. 

 — Catalogue of Florists' Wire Designs. 

 A unique publication in that it illus- 

 trates not only the wire forms but 

 the completed floral work. 



Frantz De Laet. Contich, Belgium. 

 — General list of Cacti and other suc- 

 culents. This useful and very com- 

 prehensive list is profusely illustrated 

 with beautiful half-tone engravings of 

 cacti in bloom. 



Wm. Baylor Hartland & Sons, Cork. 

 Ireland. — Rare May-Flowering Tulips, 

 Narcissi and Daffodils. A handsome- 

 ly illustrated catalogue in which are 

 listed, in addition to the standard va- 

 rieties a number of new seedlings of 

 Irish origin. 



