818 



HORTICULTURE. 



Tune 22, 1907 



SEED TRADE, 



We have passed the safety line for 

 most crops, and only uninterrupted 

 favorable weather from now on can 

 assure average results from this year's 

 plantings, and this is especially true 

 of most cultivated crops. When corn 

 and potatoes are barely out of the 

 ground by the middle of June, there is 

 no question that we have lost our 

 margin of safety. To assume that 

 weather will be uninterruptedly favor- 

 able from now until harvest, is to 

 assume the improbable, and to fly in 

 the face of experience. We are cer- 

 tainly booked for a season of short 

 crops, and the prudent have already 

 accepted this fact. The only question 

 now is, as to the extent of the short- 

 age. Estimates are being made, but 

 estimates are not facts, though they 

 may be interesting. 



To begin with farm crops. Snow, 

 one of the most reliable crop experts 

 in this country, estimates the total 

 crop of winter and spring wheat of 

 1907 at .550,000,000 bushels, against 776,- 

 000,000 bushels In 1906. The indicated 

 oat crop is 8-50,000,000 bushels, against 

 930,000,000 bushels last year. No fig- 

 ures are given on corn, but he says 

 the crop will be hundreds of millions 

 less than 1906. 



While seedsmen are only indirectly 

 interested in these figures, they are 

 given to show how general are the un- 

 favorable crop conditions, and how 

 heavy will be the shortage in staple 

 crops. It is not conceivable that with 

 general farm crops showing so largo 

 a shrinkage from last year seed crops 

 can be up to average, and in fact they 

 will not be. So much is settled now. 



It is interesting to note that a calen- 

 dar issued in 1S56 predicted that the 

 year 1907 would be one of short crops, 

 and that the weather would be cold 

 and unseasonable. If this prophet 

 were now living, he could hang out 

 his shingle and do a rushing business 

 in his line. 



At various times there have been 

 rumors that F. B. Mills, of Rose Hill, 

 N. Y., was planning to move his busi- 

 ness to some point where he could 

 have better transportation facilities. 

 Mr. Mills does a large business in 

 seeds and plants, and very success- 

 fully, but "the wine of success is often 

 intoxicating," and Mr. Mills has, at 

 sundry times, been under the influence. 

 He has tried his hand at various 

 schemes outside of his seed and plant 

 business, such as railroad building, the 

 raising of fancy fowls, the making of 

 incubators, the growing of ginseng, 

 and finally, took a plunge into the 

 general merchandise business along 

 the lines followed by the Sears-Roe- 

 buck Company, but none of these 

 ventures has been a pronounced suc- 

 cess, and one or two have been rather 

 costly failures. It is true he is still 

 growing ginseng hut just how success- 

 ful from a financial point of view 

 cannot be leained. Oonsidering that 

 Mr. Mills never spent an hour's ap- 

 prenticeship at any seed house before 

 embarking in business for himself, his 

 great success in this business is all 

 the more creditable to him, as he is 

 the son of a poor farmer, and had 

 scarcely been out of his father's door- 

 yard before his first catalogue was 



issued. Returning to the question of 

 his removal, it can be said that while 

 he contemplates establishing a branch 

 in the West, his headquarters for the 

 present at least, will remain at Rose 

 Hill, as his investment here must 

 have cost at least $100,000, and is 

 altogether too large and expensive an 

 outfit to be abandoned without most 

 urgent reasons and compensating ad- 

 vantages. 



An organization to be known as the 

 Iowa Seed Dealers' Association was 

 formed recently at Des Moines. The 

 officers elected were: president, C. N. 

 Page; vice-president, Henry Fields, 

 Shenandoah; secretary, W. C. Adams, 

 Decorah; treasurer, J. T. Hamilton, 

 Cedar Rapids. In addition to these 

 oflicers the executive committee in- 

 cludes H. A. Johns, Sioux City and J. 

 W. Ratkin, Shenandoah. 



Among the many June weddings last 

 week one of especial interest to the 

 trade was solemnized on the 12th 

 inst. at "Briar Crest," the country 

 seat of Mr. and Mrs. William Henry 

 Maule whose daughter. Miss E. Vir- 

 ginia Maule was married to C. M. 

 Provost Herring. Owing to the re- 

 cent illness of Mr. Herring, only near 

 relatives and a few intimate friends 

 were In attendance. 



From the consular report of Solo- 

 mon Berliner at the Canary Islands 

 we learn that the crop of onion seed 

 for 1906 was enormous and far ex- 

 ceeded the demand. The export of 

 onion seed from Teneriffe to the 

 United States for the year amounted 

 to $14,729 and it is estimated that 

 over 40,000 pounds were left on the 

 hands of the dealers. 



Thomas J. Grey will sail for 

 Europe on the Columbia of the 

 Anchor Line on June 29. 



CELERY GROWING IN IRONDE- 

 QUOIT. 



Irondequoit, N. Y., is one of the 

 most prosperous celery-growing sec- 

 tions in this country. In carload lots 

 alone nearly $120,000 worth has been 

 shipped from there the past season, 

 besides a heavy trade with nearby 

 cities and express shipments to New 

 York and other points. 



There are many methods in use in 

 successful celery growing, but the 

 Irondequoit growers all follow the 

 same practice which is here described. 

 The first and most important factor 

 in growing celery is a good seed. 

 Much seed is grown in America and 

 for some reason gives more or less of 



I«1J:STIC 



HANGING 

 BA5KET5 



Doz. 100 

 10 ill. Bowl $1 10 $11 

 12 " " 1.25 13- 

 14 •' " 1.50 16 



W. Elliott & Sons 



-^'^-n 201 Fulton St., N.». 



soft, stringy and tasteless stock. Be 

 sure, then, that you get the right seed 

 to start with. 



Celery delights and thrives best in 

 a muck laud, but can be grown on any 

 good garden soil with proper cultiva- 

 tion. However rich and mucky the 

 land may be, it is positively essential 

 to good crops that it be annually fer- 

 tilized with about two inches of well- 

 rotted stable manure, carefully plowed 

 under. Ample moisture must at all 

 times be provided for. For early 

 varieties the seed should be sown in 

 hot beds from February 15th or March 

 1st. The seed must not be covered 

 too deep and the bed kept quite moist 

 until the seed germinates. A tempera- 

 ture of 60 degrees is about right. 

 When plants are two inches high thin 

 out and transplant to three inches each 

 way. When" four inches high, cut off 

 the tops (to make stocky,) and enough 

 of the roots to admit of straight plant- 

 ing. 



■The most desirable time for setting 

 plants depends much upon local cli- 

 mate. If good plants are used they can 

 be set out as late as August 15th, 

 but best results are obtained by set- 

 ting from the middle of June to 1st 

 of July, which brings the plants to 

 maturity in this section during cool, 

 moist weather. The old-fashioned 

 method of deep trenches in which to 

 plant celery has been abandoned by 

 the up-to-date market gardener as a 

 useless expense. The experience of 

 the best gardeners is that celery will 

 do much better planted on the surface 

 of the same quality of soil besides- 

 making a quicker and larger growth, 

 also saving the unnecessary labor and 

 expense of trench digging. 



It is well, under all circumstances, 

 to select damp or wet weather for 

 setting plants. Secure plants from 

 seed, of uniform size so that field 

 growth, by good treatment, may be 

 about the same. Set in rows from 

 five to six inches apart, and press 

 with the feet both sides of the plant, 

 wliich in a measure will prevent dry- 

 ins out. H. R. PEAGHEY." 

 To he continued. 



ZIRNCIEBEL'S GIANT PANSIES 



Fresh Crop Now Ready 



Famed lor a quarter of a century and when you buy them you get the best in exist= 

 ence. I am continuing the pansy business on exactly the same standard as carried on by 

 my father, the late Denvs Zirngiebel. None genuine anless sold by me. 



AUGUSTUS ZIRNGIEBEL, Needham, Mass. 



Q1.\NT MARKET. "The Variety for the Million." Trade packet, 2000 seeds, $1.00. 

 GIANT FANCY. The Ne Plus Ultra in Pansies. Trade packet, 1000 seeds, $1.00. 



