142 



HORTICULTURE, 



February 1. 190S 



Seed Trade 



Reference was made iu last week's 

 issue to possible governmental control 

 or supervision of the seed business, 

 and while such supervision if exer- 

 cised by persons ignorant of the busi- 

 ness would be intolerable, yet, on the 

 other hand, if under the supervision 

 of an able and thoroughly practical 

 horticulturist it might not prove an 

 unmixed evil. Assuming that govern- 

 ment supervision is inevitable, the 

 probable modus operandi would be the 

 establishment of a bureau under the 

 control of the secretary of agriculture 

 and appointed by him. 



Now whether this bureau would 

 prove a success or failure, would de- 

 pend largely on the man appointed as 

 its chief. Presuming that he would be 

 some practical seedsman, having the 

 best interests of the seed trade at 

 heart, his administration might be en- 

 durable, and in one respect at least he 

 might render the trade some practical 

 benefit— that is, in the field of nomen- 

 clature. Such a bureau could be mod- 

 eled in some respects on the line;; of 

 the Patent Office, and any seedsman 

 having a new or an improved strain 

 he wished to introduce, should be re- 

 quired to submit the same to this bu- 

 reau, and if after a thorough test it 

 was found to be distinct or a marked 

 improvement of an existing type a cer- 

 tificate would be issued giving permis- 

 sion for its introduction under what- 

 ever name the introducer might select, 

 and requiring any one listing it to do 

 so under the name given by the intro- 

 ducer, which would protect him in his 

 proprietary rights much as the issu- 

 ance of a patent to an inventor as an 

 extra protection, a penalty in the form 

 of a fine sufficiently heavy to make 

 this class of piracy an expensive luxury 

 could be imposed, such penalty to be 

 recoverable in an action instituted by 

 the introducer before any United 

 States court. 



No doulit objections can be urged 

 against this plan, chief among which 

 are the known vai'iations in types in 

 different soils and under varying cli- 

 matic conditions, but there is no rea- 

 son to suppose that these variations 

 ' would be any more marked In new or 

 improved strains of old varieties than 

 In existing types, and it would effec- 

 tually stop the multiplication of names 

 which is the bane of the seed trade. 



It was stated in last week's issue 

 that the forthcoming Canners' Conven- 

 tion, in point of attendance and ext-»nt 

 of machinery exhibits, would probably 

 eclipse any previous convention, but 

 information just received indicates 

 that th3 machinery exhibit will not 

 equal that at Buffalo last year. This 

 is mainly due to the inadequate space 

 available for that purpose. 



It has been customary of recent 

 years for the city chosen as the place 

 for the convention to raise a fund for 

 the entertainment of the canners. Buf- 

 falo last year raised $2,000 for this 

 purpose, and never has any city until 

 now done otherwise. It has remained 

 for Cincinnati to establish a precedent 

 in this respect. Through the secretary 

 of the Cincinnati League the hat has 

 been passed, asking the Machinery 

 and Supplies Association for subscrip- 

 tion, and it goes without saying that 



this action of the Cincinnati League 

 has been received with ill grace. It 

 has been the custom for the Machinery 

 and Supplies Association to tender the 

 canner.s some sort of an entertainment, 

 and most of them think their expenses 

 heavy enough without lieing called to 

 contribute to the fund of any local or- 

 .ganization. To say the least, this beg- 

 ging by the Cincinnati League is hu- 

 miliating to their city and in very bad 

 taste. It would be interesting to know 

 who the instigators of this scheme ar". 



G, S, May has started in business in 

 San Francisco under the name of the 

 May Seed Co. He is located on Market 

 street. 



The Nashville Seed Company, Nash- 

 ville, Tenn,, has taken more spacious 

 quarters at 215 N, Market street. 



AMERICAN SEED TRADE ASSO- 

 CIATION. 



The executive committee of the 

 American Seed Trade Association met 

 at the Auditorium Annex, Chicago, on 

 Jan. 21. Members in attendance 

 were President George A. Green, 

 Vice-President M. H. Duryea. Secre- 

 tary and Treasurer C. E. Kendel and 

 Messrs. Henry W. Wood, C. S. Burge, 

 Leonard H. Vaughan, Chas. N. Page 

 and W. S. Woodruff. Detroit has 

 been selected as the meeting place 

 for the next con-vention, June 23-25. 

 Headquarters have not yet been sel- 

 ected. The following resolutions 

 were adopted: 



The executive committee of the 

 American Seed Trade Association 

 recommends that its members still 

 further emphasize and publish the 

 Disclaimer by having it printed on 

 all stationery, including letter-heads, 

 bill-heads, quotation sheets, accep- 

 tances, labels and packages and to 

 disseminate same to all merchant 

 customers possible and to supply 

 merchants with Disclaimer cards to 

 be hung in a conspicuous place in 

 the sales-room. 



Cards will be furnished by the sec- 

 retary free to members on request 

 and to others at 10c. per copy, post- 

 paid. C. E. KENDEL, Sec'y, 



CLUB AND SOCIETY NOTES. 



The State Horticultural Society met 

 at Van Buren, Ark., on Jan. 21-23. 

 W. K. Tipton spoke interestingly on 

 evergreens. 



The Florists' Club of Cleveland, O.. 

 have their carnation exhibition Feb- 

 ruary 10. Certificates of merit will 

 be awarded to all worthy exhibits. 

 Isaac Kennedy is secretary. 



The Southern Minnesota Horticul- 

 tural Society at its annual meeting 

 on the week of Jan. 12 elected L. P. 

 H. Highby president and O. M. Peter- 

 son secretary, both of Albert Lea. 



The nurserymen of Ohio organized 

 at Columbus on January 15, with offi- 

 cers as follows: President, J. W. Mc- 

 Nary; vice-president, Robert George; 

 secretary, W. B. Cole, Painesville; 

 treasurer, W. N. Scarff. 



The fourth lecture before the Amer- 

 ican Institute of New York was on 

 January 29, by Dr. G, H. Earp Thomas 

 of New Zealand; subject. The bac- 

 terial life of the soil and relation of 

 leguminous plants to same. 



The Horticultural Society of Madi- 



MICHELLS 



SEEDS 



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I GLADIOLI I 



5 I can satisfactorily supply your S 



B wants for Gladioli for forcing rr g 



5 outdoor planting. Mixtures, color S 



S sections or named varietii s of S 



5 exceptional beauty. CS 



S WrH« for Prtcts § 



I ARTHUR CO"WEE | 



S aiadloliu Specialist S 



S MeadowvaleFarm, BERLIN.N.Y S 



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HYACINTHS, TULIPS, NARCISSI 



AND OTHER BUt BS 



ROMAN HYACINTHS and ttie true 

 PAPER V^HITE GRANDIFLORA 



ABk for oar Wholesale Trade Lilt at HUiegOm 



K. VEL^HO'V^, Hilitecm, Koilard 

 Rep. by FEIIX BOSCH. 260 Clarei doD St , Boston 



son. Wis., have elected new officers 

 as follows: President, G. W. Reigle; 

 vice-presidents, Edwin Sumner, Pres- 

 ton Brown; treasurer, F. F. Broman; 

 secretary, James Milward, University 

 of Wisconsin. Madison. 



The St. Catherines Horticultural So- 

 ciety, Ont., at the annual meeting, 

 elected officers as follows: President, 

 W. B. Rurgoyne; vice-president, W. H. 

 Bunting; secretary. Miss L. Ratcliffe; 

 treasurer, C. A. Hesson. The financial 

 statement showed that during the past 

 year the society had expended on flow- 

 ers, fruit and vegetable shows almost 

 ?3000. 



The Worcester County Market Gar- 

 deners met at Horticultural Hall, 

 Worcester, Mass., on Jan. 25 and 

 elected the following officers: Presi- 

 dent, A. S. Wolfe; vice-presidents, H. 

 W. Anderson, H, E. Stevens, C. Webb; 

 secretary, H. R. Kinney. The subject 

 of cucumber raising came up for much 

 interesting interchange of opinion. 

 Alfalfa raising was touched upon. Mr. 

 Kinney said if the farmers of New 

 England had devoted as much atten- 

 tion to red clover as they had to al- 

 falfa they would be a great deal bet- 

 ter off. 



$3000 PER ACRE IN TOVATOES 



Out-door culture. With my Concrete or Cement 

 Plant Protector, Patent pending Set plants six 

 weelcs earlier and get hothouse prices. Will sell Town 

 Rights and furnish mold. Send 2C stamp for circular. 



J. li. HALEY, nUNITH, HICH. 



