530 



HORTICULTURE. 



April 20, 1907 



SEED TRADE 



Advices just to hand indicate an im- 

 provement in crop conditions in Cali- 

 fornia. The rains have ceased, at 

 least temporarily, and work can be re- 

 sumed in the fields; and it is high 

 time, as weeds are choking the crops. 

 After conditions become settled, and 

 an intelligent inventory of the damage 

 done can be taken, we can get a fairly 

 accurate estimate of the situation. 



While the floods were rampant and 

 conditions at their worst, opinions of 

 even cool-headed men were more or 

 less hysterical, and this is said with- 

 out any wish to minimize the damage, 

 as beyond all doubt it has been very 

 serious, quite possibly fully as bad as 

 imagined. In the meantime planting 

 is going on, and if fair weather con- 

 tinues, prospects will grow brighter, 

 and what is not already irrevocably 

 ruined, may prove less seriously dam- 

 aged than feared. 



Reference was made in last week's 

 Seed Trade Notes, to the danger of 

 the concentration of crops. The trade 

 received a severe lesson of what this 

 may mean in the failure of the vine 

 seed crops in Nebraska a few > ears 

 since. Due to congenial soil and cli- 

 mate and the still more important fac- 

 tor of prices, the growing of vine seeds 

 tad become concentrated in the vicin- 

 ity of Waterloo, Neb., to such an ex- 

 tent that fully seventy-five per cent, of 

 the cucumber, melon and squash seeds 

 used in this country and Canada were 

 produced in Nebraska. 



The prices at which these goods were 

 grown in the vicinity of Waterloo, 

 made it almost impc^sible for other 

 sections unfavorably placed in the 

 matter of soil and climate, to compete, 

 the result being a gradual concentra- 

 tion of the crops at that point, until, 

 as stated above, fully seventy-five per 

 cent of all the vine seeds used in the 

 United States and Canada were pro- 

 duced around Waterloo; then when the 

 failure of these crops followed two 

 years in succession, prices advanced 

 from five hundred to one thousand per 

 cent. 



Much of the seed sold was practi- 

 cally useless, and the firms sending 

 out this junk would better have 

 thrown it into their furnaoes; both 

 from the monetary point of view as 

 "well as in the matter of reputation. 



What occurred in Nebraska in 1903- 

 4, to the vine seed crops, occurred last 

 year in California in a less aggra- 

 vated degree to the onion seed crops, 

 and unless conditions are greatly ex- 

 aggerated, promises to be much more 

 serious the coming season. In short, 

 the outlook is regarded by most ex- 

 perienced seedsmen as the worst in a 

 -quarter of a century. 



The concentration of onion seed 

 growing in California was due to pre- 

 cisely the same causes as brought 

 about the concentration of vine seed 

 growing at Waterloo; but even a 

 larger percentage of the onion seed 

 used is grown in California, fully nine- 

 ty per cent, of the total being grown 

 there. 



What will follow on the heels of the 

 extremely short crop of last j'ear, 

 should this year's crop prove a general 

 failure, can be readily Imagined, and 

 it can only be hoped that this will not 

 be the case. 



Following the two years' failure of 

 the vine seed croi>s in Waterloo, they 

 have been more widely and generally 

 grown, and no doubt the same results 

 will follow this year's failure, or 

 very short onion seed crop, but con- 

 centration will again take place, if not 

 at Waterloo and in the Santa Clara 

 valley, then in some other section, 

 whenever the combination of soil and 

 climate assuring good crops is found, 

 coupled ^\ith the yet more important 

 matter of low prices. 



The sale of onion seed to the De- 

 partment of Agriculture two years ago 

 by prominent California seed growers 

 at 17 and 18c. per lb., was a blunder 

 in many respects. For one thing it 

 established absolutely false standards 

 of values at Washington, making it 

 impossible for any one to get a reason- 

 able price for onion seed from the De- 

 partment, and giving rise to a false 

 idea of the enormous profits made by 

 seedsmen. For that matter, the same 

 indictment can be brouglit against 

 them on many other seeds grown in 

 California which have been .sold to the 

 National Department of Agriculture 

 at from one-third to half the lowest 

 prices ever named to seedsmen, and 

 the Depaitment will not purchase 

 many lines of seeds unless at about 

 this basis of values. More may be said 

 along this line at some future time. 



In the meantime active preparations 

 are making for the planting of peas, 

 the acreage of which will be the larg- 

 est ever planted, and v/ith an average 

 yield the crop will be the largest ever 

 harvested. 



Arrangements for the program of the 

 forthcoming annual convention of the 

 American Seed Trade Association, to 

 be held at the Hotel Astor, Times 

 Square, New York City, June 25th, are 

 pro,gressing very well. Among some of 

 the most interesting matters already 

 ararnged for are the fo lowing: 



"Reminiscences of the Seed Trade," 

 by Mr. F. W. Bruggerhof, of J. M. 

 Thorburn & Co. Mr. Bruggerhof has 

 had an active experience of more than 

 fifty vears in the trade, and those who 

 are fortunate enough to have a per- 

 sonal acquaintance with him feel sure 

 that his paper will be a most interest- 

 ing and valuable one. 



Dr. B. T. Galloway. Chief of the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry, of the U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture, has agreed 

 to give a talk on "What the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture is doing for the 

 Seed Trade." 



Mr. J. Horace McFarland will pre- 

 pare a paper on "The Twentieth Cen- 

 tury Seed Catalogue." From Mr. Mc- 

 Farland's knowledge and experience in 

 this particular line, his treatment of 

 the subject should be both interesting 

 and profitable to the seedsmen. 



Mr. S. P. Willard will deliver a paper 

 on "The History of the American Seed 

 Trade Association," giving a review of 

 the principal and most notable events 

 of the Association's past history. 



The convention to be hold in New 

 York is the twenty-fifth anniversary 

 of the formation of the American Seed 

 Trade Association, and efforts are be- 

 ing put forth to make it a most no- 

 table occasion, in celebration of that 

 event. The selection of the Hotel 



Astor by the local Committee on En- 

 tertainment is a very happy and for- 

 tunate one. This hotel is one of the 

 most up-to-date in New York City, 

 with airy root gardens, etc., centrally 

 located, and its selection should add 

 verj- much indeed to the success of the 

 convention. 



SUMMER SCHOOL OF HORTICUL- 

 TURE. 



The Summer School conducted by 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural College 

 at Amherst, Mass., opeus on July 8, 

 1907, and continues four weeks. There 

 will be morning lectures comprising 

 four regular courses of study of 20 

 exercises each, one each day through- 

 out the term; afternoon exercises from 

 two to five o'clock; three Saturday ex- 

 cursions, and about two evening lec- 

 tures. 



COURSES OF STUDY. 



Course 1. Pedagogy of agriculture. In- 

 structor to be announced. 



a. Pedagogy of agricultural subjects In 

 general, b. Pedagogy of nature study. 

 c. Pedagogy of school and home gardens. 



Course 2. Plant structure and plant life, 

 in charge of Prof. E. A. White. 



a. Plant structure and plant life. b. 

 Arboriculture, c. Forestry. 



Cour.se 3. Plant culture, in charge of 

 Mr. E. H. Scott. 



a. Propagation of plants, b. Tree plant- 

 ing, c. Soils, d. Fertilizers, e. Tillage 

 (purposes, methods, tools), f. Farm crops. 

 g. Orchard and garden crops. b. Plant 

 diseases and spraying. 



Course 4. Animal life, in charge of Dr. 

 J. B. Paige, assisted by Dr. H. T. Pemald, 

 and Mr. E. H. Forbush. 



a. Domestic animals. b. Poultry. c. 

 Bees. d. General biology, e. Insect life. 

 i. Bird life. 



AFTERNOON EXERCISES. 



School gardens; Practical gardening, 4 

 exercises each, Mr. Hemenway. Nature 

 study tramps, 3 exercises, Mr. Monahan. 

 Forestry, Prof. White; Geology of soils, 

 Mr. Scott; Dairy practice. Prof. Cooley; 

 Field crops, grass crops. Prof. Brooks; 

 Orchards and gardens, nurseries, Prof. 

 Waugh, oue exercise each. 



An example of the manner of con- 

 ducting the practical exercises follows: 

 CROSSING NASTURTIUMS. 



1. Study structure of flower. Draw 

 vertical section. Note especially (a) posi- 

 tion of nectaries, (b) position of stamens, 

 (c) protecting hairs. 



2. How is the nasturtium pollinated 

 naturally? 



3. What is the character of the pollen? 



4. How can you determine when tb* 

 stigma is receptive? 



5. Are pollen and stigma ready simulta- 

 neously in a given flower? 



6. Practice emasculation. When should 

 it be done? 



7. Practice crossing. When should It 

 be done? How is the best way to transfer 

 pollen? 



8. Do emasculated or crossed blossoms 

 require protection? Give the reasons. 



Correspondence should be addressed 

 to the Dean, F. A. Waugh, Amherst, 

 Mass. 



BEGONIAS ii GLOXINIAS 



BEGONIA 



Ti'BERous Rooted 

 Single White $.50 $3.00 

 Red . . .60 3.00 

 Rose . . .."iu 3.00 

 Yellow . .M 3 00 

 Orange . .60 3.00 

 Mxd Colois.40 2.60 

 Double colors, sep- 

 arate or mxd. 1.00 6.00 



GLOXINIAS 



Mixed . . .GO 4.00 

 Sep'r'tecolors .80 6.00 



W. Elliott & Sons 



■-■^ 201 Fulton St., N.Y. 



