4U 



H ORTI CULTURE 



March 28. 1908 



Seed Trade 



Counter trade is active throughout 

 the Southern Central and Western 

 States and is looking up in New Eng- 

 land, but no where is it as active as 

 last year at this time. Counter trade 

 Is so dependent on the weather that 

 March this year could scarcely be ex- 

 pected to equal such a warm spring- 

 like month as March of a year ago. 

 Mail order houses are now the busiest 

 they have beeh for several years, and 

 If there is no decline lu the volume of 

 business for the next thirty days, 

 they will have had one of the best 

 years in the history of the trade, if 

 it ends right there, but it will not, of 

 course, though it will be nearing the 

 vanishing line after April 20. 



The danger of stretching one's cap- 

 ital over too great a volume of busi- 

 ness has been very clearly brought 

 home to many who have been rash 

 enough to do this. So far as known, 

 few seedsmen can be included in this 

 list, be it said to the credit of the 

 seed trade, but some other industries 

 with which the seedsmen are in close 

 business touch have not been so wise 

 or prudent, and several firms are some 

 distance removed from Easy street in 

 the matter of financial resources. A 

 forcible reminder of all this was the 

 passing of the Erie Preserving Co., 

 of Buffalo, N. Y., into the hands of re- 

 ceivers some ten days or two weeks 

 ago. This is one of the old firms in 

 this line of business, having a large 

 trade in all parts of the country, and 

 turning out annually from its several 

 plants, not far from 1,000,000 cases of 

 goods. It is believed that the firm's 

 embarrassments are only temporary 

 and that they will operate as usual 

 the coming season. 



There are two or three other promi- 

 nent concerns in this same line of 

 business who are sailing uncomfort- 

 ably close to the shoals, and it be- 

 hooves seedsmen to be very careful to 

 whom they extend credit, and particu- 

 larly in large amounts. This warning 

 may possibly save many vain regrets. 



F. B. Mills, of Rose Hill, N. Y., who 

 for the past two or three years has 

 been conducting a large part of his 

 business from Syracuse, N. Y., and 

 who this season opened a branch at 

 Washington, Iowa, is said to be doing 

 a very heavy business. He directs 

 everything from his perch on the 

 crest of "Rose Hill," and seldom takes 

 the trouble to confirm or deny any 

 rumor about himself or his business. 

 He is one of those reticent men from 

 whom information is drawn only with 

 a corkscrew. But after all, success is 

 usually the measure of a man's abil- 

 ity, methods so long as they are legi- 

 timate being a minor consideration. 



The selection of the Ponchatrain as 

 the headquarters of the American 

 Seed Trade Association at the annual 

 convention at Detroit, June next, does 

 not seem to have met with unqualified 

 approval. This house is all that can 

 be desired, excepting in the matter of 

 price. It is strictly European, single 

 rooms costing from $2.00 per day up. 

 Even if no advance in rates is charged, 



MUSHROOM SPAWN 



Michell's English Brand 



Used by the leading growers on account of its superior quality. Si'EClAI. 

 Pkice FOR THIS WEEK ONLY : 1 2 bricks $ 1 .40; 100 lbs. $5; 1000 lbs. $47.50. 



A POINTER .>^^ — *- Spawn inserted under the 50d in lawns and pastures In spring 

 will give a gnod crop after tlie fall rains — at almost no expense. 



Send for our culture circuKir. Also Spring Wholesale Catalogue of seeds, etc. 



HENRY F. MICHELL COMPANY 



1016 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



it will cost from $4 to $5 per day to 

 live at this hotel, while the Cadillac, 

 which is a high-class hotel, charges 

 J3.50 per day including meals for one 

 in a room, or $3.00 each per day with 

 two in a room. It is understood that 

 the Cadillac would have been selected, 

 but from the fact that it was booked 

 up for another convention the same 

 week as the seedsmen's. But could 

 not the seedsmen have postponed 

 their convention a week? 



There is no desire to find fault with 

 the gentlemen having this matter in 

 charge, and perhaps their reasons 

 when clearly understood, fully justify 

 their action, but the writer is only 

 stating what seems to be the senti- 

 ments of a considerable number of 

 seedsmen. However, let us hope every- 

 thing will end in complete satisfaction 

 to all. 



Most of the pea and bean growers 



report their acreage for the coming 

 season as fully booked, and in fact 

 unless there is a very full crop, short 

 deliveries of the wrinkled varieties 

 of peas will be the general order of 

 the day. There is little doubt that 

 a 75 per cent, delivery will be more 

 acceptable to canners especially, than 

 100 per cent. Even to the seedsmen, 

 a 75 per cent, delivery means more 

 profit than full delivery, as full de- 

 livery usually means a surplus in the 

 growers' hands with which the dealer 

 must reckon in making prices, and 

 generally it means a surplus to be 

 carried over at the end of the season. 



Not much activity at present in 

 wholesale lines excepting in the mat- 

 ter of fill in orders, but the retailers 

 are having their innings, and may they 

 wax fat and prosperous. 



The California Seed Growers' Com- 

 pany has purchased a portion and 

 rented the remainder of the Furlong 

 ranch near Gilroy, Calif. II. M. Wolfe 

 is president, and it is stated that Ah 

 Him, who ha.s had charge of the field 

 department of C. C. Morse & Co., will 

 be manager. 



The L. L. Olds Co., of Clinton, Wis., 

 have opened temporary quarters in the 

 Isham building. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



C. Van Tol, Katwijk, Holland.— Illus- 

 trated Descriptive Catalogue of Bulbs 

 and Roots. 



Thaddeus N. Yates Co., Philadelphia, 

 Pa.— Trade List of Trees, Shrubs, 

 Vines, etc., for spring, 1908. 



ies, Bo.skoop, Holland. — -Wholesale 

 Trade List of Nursery Stock. 



T. C. Thurlow & Co., Cherry Hill 

 Nurseries, We.st Newbury, Mass. — Se- 

 lect list of Peonies, Iris and Phlox; 

 also wholesale nursery catalogue. 



Iowa Seed Co., Des Moines, la.— 

 Emergency edition and condensed seed 

 catalogue. Issued because the regular 

 edition issued last December has been 

 exhausted. 



F. E. Conine Nursery Co., Stratford, 

 Conn. — Catalogue of nursery stock, 

 spring and fall, 1908. A well gotten up 

 list, freely illustrated. This company 

 is rapidly forging ahead. 



S, G. Harris, Rosedale Nurseries, 

 Tarrytown, N. Y. — Descriptive Cata- 

 logue, with supplement for 1908. A. 

 McFarland production, consequently 

 typographically perfect. 



■ Bay State Nurseries. No. Abington, 

 Mass. — Special Price-List for Garden- 

 ers and Owners of Estates only. Trees, 

 vines, roses, herbaceous perennials, 

 etc , are listed in full variety. 



W. W. Hunt & Co., Blue Hills Nur- 

 series, Hartford, Conn. — Catalogue of 

 fruit and ornamental trees, hardy 

 plants, dahlias, etc. A very full list, 

 bearing the lineaments of prosperity. 



.Vmerican Nursery Company, 150 

 Broadway, New York. — A very hand- 

 some illustrated catalogue, on the 

 same order as the well-known previ- 

 ous publications by Fred. W. Kelsey. 

 Also wholesale price list for spring, 

 190S. Bloodgood Nurseries, F. & P. 

 Nurseries and N. J. & L. I. Nurseries 

 are now represented in this company. 



SchauiQ & Van Till, Hansa Nurser- 



Horticultural Products 



W. ELLIOTT & SONS, =^'"^"^^°''"- 



') NEW YORK 



