142 



HORTICULTURE, 



July 31, 1909 



Seed Trade 



Seed Trade Latitude. 



"Eastern seed dealers are fast losing 

 their supremacy in the seed business of 

 the country," said C. N. Page, president 

 of the Iowa Seed Company, who has just 

 returned from a two weeks' visit in the 

 east. "It was but a tew years ago when 

 the east had all the seed business," con- 

 tinued Mr. Page, "but the west is now 

 taliing t6e rank which it should have in 

 this line of business." — Des Moines, la., 

 News. 



There are houses in the seed trade 

 that stand so high that they do not 

 only a continental but a world-wide 

 business. Many more cover the whole 

 United States. Still more numerous 

 are those who operate in given sec- 

 tions — as the New England, the Mid- 

 dle Atlantic states, the north west, the 

 west, the south, etc. But the great 

 ma.1ority of houses cater to a distinct- 

 ly local trade — mostly within a radius 

 of a hundred miles of some populous 

 center. The latter class has naturally 

 been increasing wherever the growth 

 of population has been most manifest. 

 This is not a case of "supremacy.'' or 

 lack of it, for the East or West; but 

 merely a case of healthy and natural 

 evolution. Wherever a good local con- 

 cern establishes itself, it ought to get 

 a great deal of the business that would 

 otherwise go further afield. But much 

 of this is new business, and with pop- 

 ulation increasing elsewhere there is 

 plenty of business for all — including 

 the big continental- houses. Wliat the 

 latter lose in one direction they gain 

 in another. To talk about "suprem- 

 acy" of one section over another, as 

 Mr. Page is reported to have done, is 

 as incorrect as it is misleading. That 

 rivalry in well-doing (the giving of 

 agriculture and horticulture the best 

 quality of seeds that brains, energy 

 and capital can produce) of one sec- 

 tion with another should ever cease, 

 ■would be a calamity to the welfare of 

 the whole country — aye, even the 

 whole world The "supremacy" of 

 one section over another — or in other 

 words the "monopoly" of the trade of 

 one section by any other agency than 

 "quality" would be the most disas- 

 trous thing that could happen to the 

 citizens of any community. But, hap- 

 pily, such is impossible; climatic con- 

 ditions form the bulwark; as the best 

 quality in any given item has usually 

 to be sought for at points thousands 

 of miles apart. So in reality there is 

 no such thing as "supremacy" in the 

 sense meant by Mr. Page. "Suprem- 

 acy in quality," on the other hand, 

 knows neither latitude nor longitude. 

 It was a "wild and wooly" remark, and 

 one can only hope that Mi-. Page was 

 Incorrectly i-eported. g. C. WATSON. 



A Short Crop of Peas and Beans. 



There is no longer any doubt that 

 we are again slated for a short crop 

 of peas. The only question now is, 

 what will be the extent of the short- 

 age? Several reports from trustworthy 

 sources are to the effect that the short- 

 age will be as severe as last year, and 

 particularly on early sorts. This is 

 most unfortunate for the growers, as 

 the repeated shortages have so dis- 

 appointed and disgusted the farmers 

 that they are practically in a state of 

 revolt against growing peas and beans, 

 for while beans have not reached the 

 stage of maturity that peas have, the 

 conditions affecting them are very bad. 

 and that thei-e will be a heavy short- 



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Write for our Midsummer Wholesale Catalogue. 



Henry F. Michell Go,, m'^MaiMst., Philadelphia, Pa. 



age is the practically unanimous opin- 

 ion of everyone familiar with the sit- 

 i:ation. The writer saw a letter from 

 one of the most prominent growers, 

 stating as a fact that beans which had 

 been in the ground nearly tour weeks 

 had not even sprouted. Of course, the 

 recent rains will probably start germi-' 

 nation, but such a crop is a forlorn 

 hjpe at best, as it would be a race with 

 .Jack Frost in which the latter would 

 rule favorite at 100 to 1. There is 

 practically no chance of such a crop 

 maturing seed, and all indications are 

 that beans will rule much firmer and 

 higher than last year. 



As usual the heaviest shortage in 

 peas will be in the canners' varieties 

 and the Dwarfs. Rains of the past ten 

 days will be of benefit to many of the 

 late varieties which had then Just come 

 into blossom. They will also indirect- 

 ly aid many of the medium early sorts 

 by arresting further deterioration, but 

 with reference to first and second 

 earlies, the crop is made and quite be- 

 yond help. It only remains to ascer- 

 tain what has been saved. 



Several authorities estimate the 

 yields of Alaskas, Extra Earlies, Amer- 

 ican Wonders, Notts' Excelsior, Gems, 

 Gradus, Laxton and others of Uiis class 

 at 2 1-2 to 3 fold. Later varieties are 

 expected to average half to one fold 

 better. Canada Field will be very 

 short again. 



California Seed Crops. 

 With reference to California crops, 

 sweet peas will be fair to good. Let- 

 tuce excepting a few varieties promises 

 well. There will be enough onion seed 

 to satisfy the cravings for this odorous 

 but populai vegetable, and no famine 

 piices are likely. The whites and flat 

 reds will be a little on the short side, 

 but not enough to cause alarm. Rad- 

 ish will be a fair crop and as for beets 

 and carrots, California's quota in the 

 grand total is not a very imiJortant 

 factor. As to Lima, and other varie- 

 ties of seed beans grown in California, 

 renditions are as a i-ule distinctly fa- 

 vorable. Reports all say the stand is 

 much better than a year ago, though 

 as has been m.ore than once pointed 

 out in these columns, no crop of either 

 peas or beans is actually sate until 

 housed. On more than one occasion, 

 both in California as in the East, a 

 fine crop has been i-uined by rain at 

 harvest. Actual conditions at time of 

 writing is all that can be given, and 

 this should be borne in mind. 



About Vine Seeds. 



Vine seeds are generally promising 

 at this date, and in the West, sugar 

 corn is looking well. The outlook in 

 the East is not so good, but not quite 



hopeless. This is a fair summary of 

 the leading stoclcs at this time. 



Notes. 



Percy Milks of E. Randolph, N. Y., 

 has taken a position with the Ran- 

 dolph Seed Co., Louisville, Ky. 



Kansas City, Mo.— Heller & Co. 

 have opened a branch store for the 

 sale of their mice proof seed cases, 

 store fixtures, etc. 



Webb City, Mo. — The seed store of 

 the Tucker Seed Co., has been closed 

 for the summer but will be opened 

 again in the early fall. 



The law suits between C. P. Bras- 

 Ian, of The Braslan Seed Growers Co. 

 San Jose, and The A. G. Pieters Seed 

 Co. Hollister, Cal., have been compro- 

 mised and settled out of court. 



It is hoped that Mr. P. W. Brugger- 

 hoil v.'ill return with health fully re- 

 stored. His popularity has vastly in- 

 creased in these later years and he may 

 be called "The Grand O.ld Man of the 

 Seed Trade." 



The recent sad death of Mr. C. W. 

 Smith of the Leonard Seed Co. will be 

 greatly regretted by all who knew him. 

 He was a very bright and capable 

 : oung man, quiet, refined and very 

 companionable, and his death from any 

 jioint of view is a public calamity. He 

 was drowned while bathing at Chicago 

 Beach, Chicago, and at last reports his 

 body had not been recovered. 



J. P. Noll & Co., Newark, N. J., have 

 incorporated tor $100,000. Names of 

 otficers and directors have not yet been 

 published. Something interesting' is 

 likely to be hoard from this quarter in 

 the near future. There is a broad 

 ici.ndation here for the building up of 

 a splendid seed business, and this is 

 likely to be done. Great credit is due 

 Mrs. Noll, who, with the assistance of 

 her late husband's brother has carried 

 on the business since the death of the 

 former eighteen months ago, with con- 

 spicuous ability and success, showing a 

 gratifying increase over the previous 

 year. 



CABBAGE. Succession, Flat Dutch and Savoy. 



$i.co per tooo. $8.50 per 10.000. 

 CELERY. White Plume and Golden Self BUnching. 



$1.00 per looc. $8.50 per $10,000. 

 PAKStEY. J5 cts. per 100. $1.25 per 1000. 

 Cash with Order 



R. VINCENT, JR., & SONS CO. 



White Marsh, Md. 



CATALOGUE 



Designing and Illustrating 



For ilorists, .'^ecrtsmcn. etc. I'hotocirapha 

 ami designs of ;ill kiiitls carefully mad 

 aud promptly submitted. 



CEO. E. DOW 



^178 Wasiiington St, Boston, Mass 





