78 



H ORTICU LT U R & 



July 17, 1909 



SEED LEGISLATION, ITS USES 

 AND ABUSES. 



Prof L. H. Pammel, Iowa State Col- 

 lege of Agriculture, presented a valu- 

 able paper on the above topic before 

 the American Seed Trade Association 

 at Niagara Falls. He said that cheap 

 seeds mean poor seeds. The passage 

 of laws in Europe while improving 

 quality there has thrown poor quality 

 seeds on the market here. Seed test- 

 ing work originated by Dr. Nobbe, at 

 Tharandt, Germany, in 1867, revealed 

 startling conditions in the German 

 trade in seeds. Later, other control 

 stations started in other parts of 

 Europe and laws were enacted cor- 

 recting abuses. Pioneer work was 

 done in this country* by Dr. Jenkins, 

 of Connecticut thirty years ago. Sub- 

 sequently by McCarthy, N. C; Dr. 

 Beal, Mich., Butz, Penna.; Deval, 

 Selby and Hicks, Ohio; Hillman, Nov.; 

 Roberst and Freeman, Kansas; Har- 

 vey, Maine: Garman, Ky.; Stewart, 

 Rolfs, Pammel and King, Iowa; Jones, 

 Vt.; Hicks, Pieters, Brown, Key, Hill- 

 man, of U. S. Dept. of Agriculture; 

 Clark, Paton, Saunders of Canada. 

 This work has revealed the necessity 

 of laws to restrict the sale of seeds 

 containing weed impurities, and to de- 

 mand a reasonable standard of vi- 

 tality. The average gardener and all 

 small consumers depend for their 

 seeds upon the seedsmen, who must 

 therefore furnish a good quality, rea- 

 sonably free from noxious weeds and 

 showing reasonably good germination. 

 The farmer is anxious to put all blame 

 on seed merchant, and the seed mer- 

 chant claims that he cannot be held 

 responsible for seed after it has left 

 his hands. The farmer in many cases 

 is responsible for weediness of seeds. 

 Tests made by the writer and Miss 

 Charlotte M. King in the spring of 

 1908 and 1909 on the vitality of grass 

 and clover seeds showed results in field 

 tests lower than in incubator and 

 greenhouse tests, more strikingly so 

 during the unfavorable season of 1909. 



The lecturer believed it would not be 

 wise to fix by law a standard of purity 

 and vitality as in Iowa but better to 

 allow a commission to fix these every 

 • year, especially as to vitality. Seed 

 will vary as to germinating power, de- 

 pending on many factors. Prof. Hol- 

 den has shown how poor the vitality 

 of corn was in Iowa under different 

 conditions there. The same is true of 

 other seeds. For a federal commis- 

 sion let the members be the Secretary 

 of Agriculture, a seed expert and a 

 seedsman; in the case of states, the 

 commission to consist of the State 

 Botanist, the director of the experi- 

 ment station and a seedsman. 



States should have uniform laws, so 

 that seedsmen can adjust themselves 

 to them; no law should be passed that 

 cannot be honestly and fairly well en- 

 forced, and buyer and seller should be 

 equally considered. Laws should 

 specify what noxious weeds are pro- 

 hibited, and when these are present 

 they should be specified on the label. 

 Every law should contain sections on 

 adulteration of seed. Substitutions of 

 Canadian Blue Grass for Kentucky 

 Blue Grass or Fescue for Awnless 

 Brome Grass should not be tolerated 

 nor should seeds be misbranded. The 

 farmer should be held equally respon- 

 sible with the seed merchant, and sub- 

 ject to the same laws without any 



favoritism to him. Clover and grass 

 fields should be inspected before har- 

 vesting, by an expert, and those foul 

 with weeds should not be harvested. 



The various experiment stations 

 should publish more bulletins about 

 seeds. The lecturer doubted the wis- 

 dom of publishing the names of seed 

 merchants who have sold seeds found 

 to be below standard requirements. 

 Co-operation is wanted between all in- 

 terests, seedsmen, farmers and seed 

 merchants. Imported seeds from Eu- 

 rope should be rigidly inspected, and 

 importations stopped of seeds contain- 

 ing Canadian Blue Grass, Canada 

 Thistle and Dodder 'in clover seed. 

 Prof. Pammel endorsed the bill- pro- 

 posed by Mr. Green to be introduced 

 in Congress. He called attention to 

 the variance in results of tests by the 

 various stations and U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture, and declared that until 

 methods are more uniform results will 

 continue to vary. He urged the Amer- 

 ican Seed Trade Association to pursue 

 experimental testing and conipaj-e re- 

 sults with those obtained by Mr. Edgar 

 Brown, of U. S. Department of Agricul- 

 ture in checking up the tests, by the 

 various stations, etc. 



PHILADELPHIA SEED TRADE 

 NOTES. 



Alfred L. Hart of the C. C. Morse 

 Co.. San Francisco, was a visitor on 

 the 10th inst. 



The three big B's of the seed trade, 

 Bruggerhoff. Buist and Burpee, sailed 

 on the "Cedric" on the 10th. Mr. 

 Buist will make but a short trip, his 

 main object being to get the benefit of 

 the ocean voyage. 



Simon & Son, the new seed firm on 

 North Water Street, are well pleased 

 with their first season's business, and 

 are hunting around for additional 

 warehouse space to make room for the 

 largely increased new crop seeds to ar- 

 rive from now on. 



The Philadelphia Seed Co., $5,000 

 capital, is the name of a new concern 

 chartered recently. The names of the 

 incorporatois are not known at this 

 writing. We have enquired at the prin- 

 cipal seed houses without results. An 

 enquiry has been sent to Harrisburg, 

 the state capitol. 



No. 518 Market St. takes on a new 

 aspect as the months roll by. More 

 light, better facilities, occur from time 

 to time to the bright minds of the 

 Michel! organization. The outfit will 

 be pretty nearly perfect by the time 

 the old home at 1018 is abandoned. 

 It's not evpi-y house that has such a 

 chance to make the new shell perfect 

 before shedding the old. 



VEGETABLE PLANTS 



CABBAAE. Field Grown, all leading varieties, 

 $i.co per looc. lo.ooo and over, S5C per icoo. 



CELERY. White Plume, Golden Self Blanching 

 and Giant Pascal, $1.00 per looc. 



EGG PLANT. N. Y. Improved and Black Beauty, 

 $3.00 per ICOO. 



LETTUCE. Bip Boston, Boston Market, Tennis 

 Ball and Grand Rapids, $1.00 per 1000. 



PEPPERS. Ruby King, Bull Nose. Sweet Moun- 

 tain and Neapolitan, $2.00 per 1000. Chinese 

 Giant and Cayenne, 5CC per 100. 



PARSLKY. $1.25 per 1000. 



Cash with Order 



R. VINCENT, JR., & SONS CO. 



White Marsh, Md. 



Everything "For the Land's Sake. ' ' 



The one firm in 

 Boston where all 

 good forms of plant 

 food may be ob- 

 tained, is the Bowker 

 Fertilizer Company, 

 opposite Faneuil 

 Hall at 43 Chatham 

 St. All greenhouse 

 chemicals, Nitrate of 

 Soda, Ground Bone, 

 Potash Salts, Sheep 

 Manure and Wood 

 Ashes can there be 

 had at first hands. 



BOWKER 



Everything "For the Land's Sake." 



FERTILIZER 

 COMPANY 



GIANlPANSYsiEiD 

 The KENILWQRTH Strain 



Is unsurpassed; the inimeuse Bowers of 3% 

 to \ inches are of perfect form and sub- 

 stance; every tint and shade is produced 

 in striking coml)inatiou and endless varia- 

 tion of beautiful colors and ruarkings; it is 

 the result of years of selection ; it embraces 

 tlic larjrest and best of English, French, 

 (ierman and Americau novelties; 1909 

 seed greatly improved by rich shades 

 of liro'.vii, bronze, "ed and mahogany. 

 New seed: lOUO, 25c; 2000,40c; 6000, 'Jl; 

 'i m.. Si.-)"; ''■ oz , $2.50; oz., $5. 



RAINBOW is a blend of over 

 50 of the latest introductions of 

 iriaiit pansies of the most 

 beautiful, gorgc?ous colors 

 blotched, striped, veined, 

 marfjiued, etc. With every 

 $1.00 worth of Kenilworth 

 strain. I will send lOliO 

 of K.iinbow free; and 

 with other amounts 

 in like proportion. 



c 



AULIFLOWER S 

 ABB ACE 



LILY OF THE VALLEY PIPS. 



HJALMAR HARTMANN & CO. 



Longanesstraed« 20, 

 COPENHAGEN. DENMARK. 



o R 13 K ri :?c c> x^^ 



French and Dutch Bulbs 



FOR FALL SHIPMENT 



Wholesale Price List mailed to Florists on 



application. 



Joseph Breck & Sons Corp. 



4r-S4 HO. MARKET ST., BOSTOH, MASS. 



In ordering goods please add"! saw 

 It In HORTICULTURE." 



