70 



HORTICULTURE^ 



January 19, 1907 



Seed Trade 



For many years the drift of popula- 

 tion towards the cities has caused 

 students of political economy grave 

 concern, but for the past two or three 

 years they have detected a lessening 

 of the tendency in that direction, and 

 now comes Commissioner Wieting of 

 the New York State Department of 

 Agriculture saying that the tide has 

 actually set in the opposite direction 

 — away from the cities and back to 

 the farms. The increased value of 

 larm products, improved methods of 

 communication, such as rural free de- 

 livery and suburban trolley lines tap- 

 ping the country districts in all direc- 

 tions and giving quick and easy access 

 to the towns, have made farming more 

 attractive than a tew years ago. There 

 is still a scarcity of farm laborers, 

 and with the present high prices paid 

 skilled labor in cities this condition 

 is not likely to improve materially for 

 a time. It is said that many abandoned 

 farms in New Hampshire, Vermont 

 and other eastern states are being 

 taken up, all of which is pleasing 

 news to seedmen and every one else 

 interested ih agriculture. 



In last week's issue reference wan 

 made to the plan which Dr. Galloway. 

 of the Department of Agriculture at 

 Washington, has been recommeding to 

 Congress, now that the handwriting 

 on the wall foretells the doom of "free 

 seeds", that old abuse which has been 

 a nightmare to seedsmen for many 

 years. While the Doctor's plan is a 

 long step, in advance of the old one, 

 and is in reality but a return to first 

 principles it is an open question if 

 Government assistance on any basis 

 is a present day necessity. With our 

 fine mail facilities and the prospect of 

 a parcels post at no distant day, and 

 with the hundreds of catalogs giving 

 information and offering for sale every 

 new and promising product of agricul- 

 ture, it cannot be said that Govern- 

 ment work is really needed. Still any 

 improvement on present conditions is 

 welcome and it may be well to give 

 the Doctor's suggestions a fair trial. 

 Eternal vigilance, however, will be 

 needed on the part of the seedsmen 

 to prevent a return to the system 

 from which we are now seeking relief. 



STORE OF THE JOHNSON SEED COMPANY. 



The catalogs for 1907 are a credit to 

 the seed trade taken as a whole, and 

 the fact that lake novelties are offered, 

 and exaggeration is the main feature 

 of a few catalogs, does not detract 

 from this fact. Some novelties of 

 sterling merit are offered, and it may 

 be safely predicted that they will soon 

 become standard varieties. 



C. C. Morse & Co. announce that in 

 common with the other seed growers 

 in California, they have agreed to 

 change the terms of payment on con- 

 tracts which have heretofore ruled in 

 the seed business, making them CO 

 days' net, or 2 percent, discount for 

 cash. This action, they claini, is made 

 necessary on account of general busi- 

 ness conditions on the Pacific Coast, 

 where there is almost a famine of 

 labor, and where nearly everything the 

 grower buys to conduct his farms is 

 bought on a "spot-cash" basis. They 

 claim they are only asking that the 

 seed dealers share a small part of 

 their burdens by consenting to these 



The Johnson Seed Company, 

 of which Herbert W. Johnson of 

 the old firm of Johnson & Stokes. 

 Philadelphia, Pa., is president, 

 was established in July, 190C. on 

 the expiration, by limitation, of 

 the last-named firm. In the 

 catalogue just issued by the new 

 concern Mr. Johnson says: "Be- 

 fore establishing the late firm of 

 Johnson & Stokes in ISSl, 1 

 served an apprenticeship of nine 

 years with one of the best- 

 known seed houses in Philadel- 

 phia, since which time I have 

 taken personal and complete 

 charge of the growing of and 

 contracting with private grow- 

 ers for the entire garden see 1 

 supply of Johnson & Stokes. 

 Thus I offer you the benefit of 

 thirty-four years' all-round ex- 

 perience^ as employee, partner, 

 seed-grower, business head and 

 manager of a successful seed 

 business. 



"It being my desire to give to 

 several of the old and deserving 

 employees an interest in the 

 business, by making them stock- 

 holders, the Johnson Seed Com- 

 pany was formed, of which I am 

 president and general manager; 

 also giving, as I have done in 

 the past twenty-five years, close 

 personal supervision to our seed 

 crops during growth. 



"Joseph F. Bradley, for twen- 

 ty-four years with the late firm 

 of Johnson & Stokes, continues 

 as manager of the order depart- 

 ment of garden and grass seeds 

 and poultry supplies. William 

 J. Sherry, for twenty-two years 

 with the late firm of Johnson & 

 Stokes, also retains his old posi- 

 tion as manager of the flower 

 seed, bulb and mail order de- 

 partments. Clifford Phillips, 

 who has had charge of the books 

 and accounts of Johnson & 

 Stokes for twenty years, .is sec- 

 retary and treasurer of the new 

 company. A large number of 

 other old and competent em- 

 ployees also remain in their 

 former positions." 



The Johnson Seed Company has 

 seed testing and plant growing 

 houses at Pavonia. N. J. In ad- 

 dition there are the Cedarcroft 

 seed gardens and trial grounds, 

 which comprise 28 acres of a 

 great variety of soils, for the 

 testing of flowers and vegetables, 

 and for growing and developing choice 

 high-grade seed stocks for planting at 

 Gardendale or on the firm's other seed 

 farms or those of its expert private 

 contract growers. The store illustrated 



M 



PSEEDSi 



IHPLElENTi 



herewith is located at 217 Market 

 street, Philadelphia. Over $7000 has 

 been expended on new fixtures and 

 modern equipment in all depart- 

 ments. 



reasonable business terms. They state 

 that their action in not sending a rep- 

 resentative among the Trade this year 

 and in not wishing to book advance 

 contracts against their onion crop 

 was not influenced in any way, shape 

 or manner by the attitude or action of 

 any other grower or any other seeds- 

 man, and was decided upon on ac- 

 count of the general conditions only. 

 Excepting in the matter of terms, they 

 state positively that they have no un- 

 derstanding or arrangements with any 

 other grower or growers, and they are 

 in no combinations. Any statement 



to the contrary is wholly without 

 foundation. 



A new seed firm has just opened up 

 in Los Angeles under the name of 

 Morris & Snow. O. M. Morris is an 

 old-time seedsman here and was for a 

 number of years with the Germain 

 Seed Co., of Los Angeles and of late 

 represented J. C. Vaughan on the 

 Pacific Coast. 



John C. Bodger of John Bodger & 

 Sons, seed growers of Gardena, Calif., 

 is about to leave for the East on an 

 extended business trip. 



