718 



HORTICULTURE 



November 20, 1909 



Seed Trade 



"Future" Peas and Beans. 



Reference was made in last week's 

 issue to probable advance in peas and 

 beans of the 1910 crop, or, as we might 

 say with our canner friends, "future" 

 peas and beans, and, while the heavi- 

 est advance will be on these lines, 

 many others will be in the ascending 

 scale. It is but repeating a well- 

 known fact to say we have not had 

 an average yield of peas or beans since 

 1905 or 1906. In tact the average for 

 the last four years has been below 50 

 per cent., or to place it in the ver- 

 nacular of the trade, or at least 

 growers, it has been under three-fold. 

 The question of yield or "fold" has 

 heretofore been discussed in HORTI- 

 CULTURE. Five-fold on peas has 

 been the standard for a quarter of a 

 century or more, and while this may 

 have represented average yields when 

 established by general consent of the 

 growers, it has not been a fair esti- 

 mate for at least ten years. One of 

 the largest producers of this line of 

 goods last year struck an average of 

 the yields for the past ten years, and 

 found it below four-fold, and there- 

 upon changed their standard to four- 

 fold. The wisdom of this move has 

 been amply vindicated the present sea- 

 son, and has enabled this concern to 

 make more liberal deliveries on their 

 contracts than most of their com- 

 petitors, with one or two possible ex- 

 ceptions. It looks as if all of the 

 growers will have to i-ecognize the 

 four-fold standard as the proper one, 

 and far more just to their customers 

 as well as themselves ultimately. 



Effect of the Decreased Averages. 



As prices have been based on a five 

 fold yield, this decrease of 20 per cent, 

 will have to be taken note of, with a 

 consequent new basis of prices. To 

 advance prices without changing the 

 standard of yield would be an injustice 

 to their customers, a policy vhich 

 would reflect scant credit on the grO'W- 

 ers' sense of fairness, hence there must 

 be a very complete readjustment as 

 to peas. With reference to beans, the 

 issue is not so clear, but it would cer- 

 tainly seem as if a readjustment were 

 necessary to meet the new conditions, 

 as returns ficm plantings in recent 

 years indicate plainly that a perman- 

 ent decrease in yield must be reckoned 

 with, and of course this leads at last 

 to an inevitable advance in prices of 

 both peas and beans. 



I — MichelFs Seasonable Seeds — i 



VERBENA SEED S^'ra'nTy 



Strain. This is without doubt the finest strain ever 

 offered to the trade, combining large size, purity of 

 color and free fl-weting qualities. 



Tr. Pkt. Oz. 



Blue 30c.. .$1.25 



Scarlet.... 30C. . - 1.25 

 White 30c .. 1.25 



SWEET PEAS, ( 



FloteiloQ) 



Tr. Pkt. 



Pink 30c.. 



Striped... .30c.. 

 Mixed 30c. . 



Oz. 



$1.25 

 . 1.25 

 . 1. 00 



Christinas Pink (Pink and White) White 

 (Florence Dcnzer). Mrs. Alex. Wallace (Lav- 

 ender). 



Price 25c per oz; 1 4 lb. 75c; per lb. $2. 



Also all other v arieties as listed in our Wholesale 

 Catalogue a copy of which is yours lor the asking. 



MOSS, Green Lump. '" 



Bags Containing About 

 One Barrel 



75c per Bag 



' — Henry F. Michell Co. 



1018 Market DL.il-, 



Street F lllla. ' 



side of the case from several of their 

 clasF, and has deemed it only fair to 

 state such facts as have come to his 

 notice. Harmony and good will are 

 the great desidera,tum between the 

 growers and their clients, and this can 

 best be brought about by a frank and 

 full understanding of the conditions 

 between them. 



In Justice to the Growers. 



These repeated short crops have 

 been most discouraging to the farmers 

 and therefore they Jiave demanded 

 more for their share in producing 

 these crops. In the end this advance 

 must be paid by the seedsman and 

 canners, and it is only just that it 

 should be, as the growers certainly 

 cannot bear it, and remain in busi- 

 ness. Few, probably none, have grown 

 wealthy in this business, aJid most of 

 them have acquired little more than a 

 modest competency. There have been 

 years when they not only made no 

 money, but suffered actual loss. Of 

 course there is another side to the 

 story, and the writer holds no brief 

 from the growers, but has heard their 



The Bean Situation. 



The situation affecting beans clears 

 up verj' slowly, but it becomes more 

 evident as it develops, that the warn- 

 ings given in HORTICULTURE on 

 several occasions were not scareheads, 

 but founded on a pretty intimate 

 knowledge of conditions. The estim- 

 ates of contract deliveries sent out by 

 growers in September and at a later 

 date were regarded by a few well in- 

 formed persons as entirely too optim- 

 istic and the latest information fully 

 confirnis their views. Early estimates 

 placed Black Valentines at 50 to 70 

 per cent., but it is known now that 

 these figures are far too high. This 

 is but an illustration of how mislead- 

 ing were these early reports. We have 

 information of a sale of 100 bushels of 

 these beans at $5.00 per bushel, and 

 the buyer made a good purchase, as it 

 is believed that in 60 days they will 

 bring $fi.OO. It looks now as if String- 

 less Greenpods will be very short, and 

 in fact most of the greenpod varieties 

 will prove to be much scarcer than 

 expected some weeks ago. Wax vari- 

 eties promise better results, but defin- 

 ite information or even a close esti- 

 mate is impossible at this time. 



About Limas. 



It was confidently believed that 

 Lima beans were nearly a full crop, 

 hut the most recent information clips 

 o££ a goodly percentage from the early 

 estimates on the bush sorts, and par- 

 ticularly of Burpee's Bush. Instead of 

 delivering 100 per cent, with a com- 

 fortable surplus, it is not improbable 

 that a cut of 10 to 20 per cent, may 

 have to be made, and the same may 

 be said of the Dreer's, and Henderson's 

 Bush. Burpee's two new introductions 

 are procurable at what may be con- 

 sidered reasonable prices — $7.50 for 

 the Fnrdhook, and $8.00 for the Bur- 

 pee's Improved. Pole Limas are be- 

 lieved to be in suflicient supply to 

 meet the requirements of the trade. 

 We hope to have further crop news 

 for next week's issue. 



The seed business formerly con- 

 ducted by H. D. Garwood, of Rocky 

 Ford, Col., has been absorbed by the 

 Elbert Seed Co. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



John Lewis Childs, Floral Park, N. 

 Y.— Trade Price List of Gladioli. 



California Rose Co., Pomona, Cal. — 

 A prettily illustrated catalogue as usu- 

 al, with a very taking cover illustra- 

 tion. 



W. Atlee Burpee, Philadelphia, Pa. — 

 Advance Wholesale Prices for the 

 Trade Only, Seeds for 1910. Vegeta- 

 bles and sweet peas. A very compre- 

 hensive list of the latter. 



Dervaes Freres, Wetteren, Belgium. 

 — General Catalogue of Trees, Hardy 

 Herbaceous and Tender Plants. The 

 list of roses is extensive as is also 

 that of Nymphieas and other aquatic 

 plants, which are a specialty. 



Sluis & Groot, Enkhuizen, Holland. 

 — Advance Price List of Vegetable, 

 Flower and Agricultural Seeds, Fall 

 1909. Printed In English. Contract 

 offers for delivery in Fall 1910 and 

 1911 will be sent out in December. 



F. C. Heinemann, Erfurt, Germany. 

 —Special Illustrated Trade Offer of 

 Novelties 1910 and Others of Recent 

 Introduction. Printed in the English 

 language. A colored plate of new 

 things in carnations, antirrhinums, del- 

 phiniums, cinerarias and beans is en- 

 closed. 



V. Lemoine et Fils, Nancy, France. — 

 Catalogue and Price List of Hardy and 

 Tender Plants, 1909-1910. The novelty 

 list is, as usual, full and interesting. 

 Full page halftones of Begonia Patrie, 

 Heliopsis scabra fl. pi., Deutzla cre- 

 nata magnifica, Deutzia discolor ele- 

 gantissima, D. discolor densiflora and 

 Philadelphus Lemoinei Virginal, are 

 presented. 



M. Rice & Co., Philadelphia, Pa.— 

 Catalogue of Florists' Supplies, Rib- 

 bon Specialties, etc. This beautiful al- 

 bum 11 X 14 inches, in covers of moss 

 green with watered silk effect and 

 embellished with halftone illustrations 

 on heavy coated paper, is a credit to 

 Messrs. Rice & Co., and the industry 

 which they so worthily represent. 

 "Don't turn your back on a good 

 thing" Is the motto on the introduc- 

 tory page. We should say that the 

 florist who has not this useful book 

 on his desk is certainly turning his 

 back on a good thing. The illustra- 

 tions are beautiful reproductions of 

 beautiful handiwork, many of them 

 new and representing every item of 

 value to the up-to-date florist, from 

 a complete wedding outfit of gates, 

 kneeling stool, bell and vases, down 

 to a toothpick. The issuing of such 

 an elaborate work is an evidence of 

 notable enterprise. The typographical 

 make-up and finish are also of a high 

 order. 



