October 2, 1009 



HORTICULTURE 



473 



NOW YOU ARE TALKING 



^! iPj^*^'^^^ ***^* order of Fall Bulbs. Why not send it to a concern 

 which buys the best imported stock regardless of cost ? Our bulbs come from a grower who 

 has furnished us good stock year after year. Not a single complaint was made to us about 

 the quality of our regular wholesale stock last year. Isn't that worth considering ? 

 MOREOVER YOU WANT TO SAVE MONEY 



The new Tariff Bill established lower duties on nearly all kinds of Bulbs. We have so adjusted 

 prices as to give you the benefit of every cent of the decrease. Isn't that an advantage worth 

 taking ? 



Don't delay. Send your order before the most popular kinds are sold out. Mention this paper when 

 yoo write. 



JAMES VICK'S SONS. - - ROCHESTER. N. Y. 



Seed Trade 



Seed Corn. 



Rei)orts at this time about the corn 

 crop are just a trifle conflicting, but 

 a careful analysis of them leaves con- 

 ditions much as last reported, though 

 possibly showing a slight improvement 

 in the grand total. Summing up the 

 situation as nearly as it can be gauged 

 at this writing, we should say corn 

 will be short, but withal there will be 

 enough to go around. Quality will not 

 be as good as in some years, and it 

 ■will not be easy to fill orders for ear 

 corn to the satisfaction of the buyer, 

 and only nubbins and generally im- 

 perfect ears will lemain for shelling. 

 Even in seasons when the corn crop 

 is fiine, the cream of the crop is sold 

 on the ear by many dealers, and those 

 buying the shelled article seldom or 

 never get high grade seed, as a large 

 percentage of it comes from the culls. 



Seed Peas. 



The anticipated scvamlile to cover on 

 pea seed has commenced, but offerings 

 are few, and if high class pedigree seed 

 is offered, prices are quite high enough 

 to cause a gasp from the buyer, who 

 quite likely will consider them too 

 high, and will lay low and wait for a 

 break. If he waits long enough it may 

 come, but not before March or April, 

 and then only tag ends will be offered, 

 and because every one will want to 

 clean up on the high market by cut- 

 ting slightly under prevailing prices. 

 Those who want new high grade stocks 

 must cherish no illusions as to prices. 

 If they succeed in getting such stocks 

 they must pay tlie prices demanded, 

 and be thankfiU at that. 



Pea Quotations. 

 Up to the past week no quotations 

 liad been made on spot seed peas, but 

 within a few days the writer has seen 

 figures from two sources prominent 

 enough to establish the market for the 

 general trade, and it may be no breach 

 of confidence to mention a few of the 

 leading items. One concern quoted 

 Alaskas at $5.50, Admirals at $.5.00, and 

 Hartford Market Garden at $5.00 for 

 immediate acceptance. Another quoted 

 American Wonders at $5.50, Nott's Ex- 

 celsior at $5.00, Gems at $4.75, First 

 and Best at $5.00, Thomas La.xton at 

 $6.00, Gradus at $6.00, Telephone at 

 :$5.00, Champion of England at $4.50, 

 Ameer at $5.50, Duke of Albany at $5.50, 

 Yorkshire Hero at $5.00, Canada Field 



at $1.60. These are staggering prices 

 at the opening, but in sixty days they 

 will not look so high, as there will 

 probably be an advance on even these 

 figures before the top is reached. 



The Shortage in Vine Seeds. 



Warnings of a probable shortage in 

 vine seeds have been given several 

 times in these columns, and while defi- 

 nite information is not obtainable at 

 this writing, enough is known to con- 

 firm the fears of a short crop, and at 

 this time it looks as if conditions 

 would at least be as bad as last year, 

 wiih much smaller reserves. This is 

 certainly the case as regards cucum- 

 ber seed, and indications are that mel- 

 ons are in no better condition, though 

 it will require a week or two to get 

 anything like exact information. Pump- 

 l.ins and squashes, while far from sat- 

 isfactory, a:e in much better shape 

 than melons or cucumbers. 



We Told You So. 



Gentlemen, if you are on the short 

 side, get to cover as quickly as possi- 

 ble. HORTICULTURE gave ample and 

 timely warning oi the shortage in the 

 pea seed crop, but many doubting 

 Thomases refused to be convinced, 

 while ill-informed correspondents of 

 other trade .iournals attempted to dis- 

 credit these statements. How well- 

 founded they were is probably pretty 

 well understood by now. There are 

 certain thickheads who pride them- 

 selves on their skepticism, and one is 

 often reminded of a passage in holy 

 writ beginning: "Seest thou a man 

 wise in his own conceit," etc. The 

 rest will be readily recalled, and duly 

 appreciated. By the way, don't forget 

 sugar corn: there will be no famine 

 prices in all probability, but good seed 

 will have a pronounced and definite 

 value, and particularly eastern-grown 

 stock. This admonition is worth re- ' 

 peating. 



California Beans. 



Barring damage by rain, the Cali- 

 fornia bean crop is assured, and Limas, 

 both bush and pole, will be a fair crop. 

 Si'ch varieties as Lazy Wife, Golden 

 Cluster Wax, Kentucky Wonder, South- 

 ern Prolific, Golden Carmine, etc., are 

 in doubt — that is, information to hand 

 does not make it positively clear what 

 the yields will be, though it is general- 

 ly believed they will be up to average 

 excepting Golden Cluster Wax, and ex- 

 act information about that hag not yet 

 come to hand. 



The Corn Pack. 

 The corn pack will be decidedly 

 short, and New York state will have 

 one of the lightest in its history. Job- 

 bers who have been most persistent 

 bears will wake up to the fact too late, 

 and if the canner has an opportunity 

 of "getting back" at the jobber, he 

 should have no hesitation in doing so, 

 as the course of the latter for the past 

 two years has been one of cold-blooded 

 selfishnes.s, and he has not only made 

 i!o effort to co-operate withi the can- 

 ner, but has taken merciless advantage 

 of the latter's necessities and squeezed 

 him to the last farthing he would bear. 

 Yet the canner continues to delude 

 himself with the idea that his and the 

 jobbers' interests are identical. He 

 tells the jobber all he knows, and then 

 the latter proceeds to pluck him. A 

 little co-operation would have relieved 

 the congested condition of the canned 

 goods market to a considerable extent. 

 But what's the use? Its none of our 

 funeral. 



Notes. 



Tomato seed will be short, but no 

 one need worry, as barring a very 

 few of the fancy varieties there will 

 be no famine in tomato seed. 



There is a strong probability of im- 

 portant changes in the personnel and 

 management of one or two well-known 

 seed houses within the next few 

 mouths, but HORTICULTURE is not 

 at liberty to disclose names or other 

 details at this time. 



A representative of one of the British 

 seed houses, nov/ on this side, is offer- 

 ing peas at a price, and reports the 

 sale of a car of Alaskas to a canning 

 concern at $5.00 per bu. He did not 

 state if this included duty of 40 cents 

 per bu., or if duty was extra. In addi- 

 tion to Alaskas, he was offering sev- 

 eral other varieties, but all at strong 

 prices; still, it stocks are right they 

 are good values. 



The Henry F. Michell Co. were fa- 

 vored this week with a commission 

 I'l'om the other side of the world from 

 Capt. Jesse M. Baker, Iloilo, Panay, 

 Philippine Islands, who writes: "Mi- 

 chell's seeds beat everything I have 

 seen yet." In filling the new order for 

 seeds and plants, Mr. Michell is mod- 

 estly flattered, that a Philadelphia 

 house should be selected in preference 

 to the many great concerns that dot 

 Uncle Sam's domains from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific. 



