14 



HORTICULTURE. 



January 1, 1910 



MICHELL'S 



NEW CROP 



FLOWER SEEDS 



MICHELL'S 



Tr. Pkt. Oz. 

 $U.l5 $0.40 



ACERATUM 



Blue Perfection 



ALYSSUM 



Little Oem 10 .30 



Sweet .10 -'5 



CALENDULA 



Grandiflora .10 .IS 



, Prince of Orange .10 .15 



CENTAUREA 



Candldisslma .25 .75 



Qymaocarpa .'5 .40 



COBAEA 



Scanden«, Purple .10 .35 



IMPATIENS 



Holstll 

 Sultani 



Tr. Pkt. Oz. 

 $0 50 

 .30 



MOON FLAMER 



IpomaeaNoctifloraper ><Ib. $1.50 .15 $0.50 



MAURANOYA 



Rarclayana Purple .20 1.25 



Mixed .20 1.25 



PYRETHRUM 



Auremls .10 .25 



Per a lb. $1.00 



SMILAX 



.30 



ASPARAGUS 



PLUMOSUS NANUS 

 New Crop. Greenhouse Grown 



100 Seeds 

 SCO " 

 1000 " 

 SnOO " 



10000 " 



ASPARAGUS SPRENGBRI 



100 Seeds 

 1000 " 

 5000 •' 



S0.50 



2 00 



3.50 



16. UO 



30.00 



.15 



75 



3.00 



HENRY F. MICHELL CO., Philadelphia 



Seed Trade 



The Westerwold Ryegrass. 

 In reply to inquiry as to the quali- 

 ties of this, it may be stated that it is 

 the annual variety of the Italian Rye- 

 grass. It is a quick grower, giving 

 three or four cwts. (cwts. equals 112 

 lbs.) the same season it is sown, and 

 must be cut at once when it has 

 reached Us full development, else it 

 will turn yellow and hard at once. It 

 is good for one purpose only: in case 

 a clover or alfalfa field has gone off 

 too much, this Lolium sown early in 

 March will fill the gaps with plants 

 quickly and fully, and when the re- 

 mainder of clover or alfalfa is being 

 cut the ryegrass will increase the bulk 

 and make the yield a satisfactory one 

 as to bulk of hay better than any 

 other method. But the plants will 

 die off the same year, no trace being 

 left for a second season, which of 

 course is a drawback. So far this 

 variety has not found much favor 

 with the European seed trade general- 

 ly, although it is being used in fair 

 quantity in its home locality in the 

 Westerwold district, which is north of 

 Arnhem a few hours by rail. The 

 Arnhem exporters, Barenbrug, Burg- 

 ers & Co., can doubtless supply the 

 item and give full particulars to any- 

 one interested in this country. The 

 ordinary Italian ryegrass is now being 

 largely used in America in combina- 

 tion with the summer sowing of Tri- 

 folium incarnatum (crimson clover). 



Why Irish Cynosurus Is Cheaper. 



The south of Ireland several years 

 ago used to be one of the principal 

 centers for the grass popularly known 

 as crested dogstail (Cynosurus crista- 

 tus), but is not so now. The reason 

 for this falling off in popularity tor 

 Irish seed is the gradual demand in 

 the United States, as elsewhere, for 

 high quality — irrespective of price — 

 for the valuable natural grasses best 

 suited for lawns and permanent pa^;- 

 tures of vaiious kinds. Cynosurus is 

 still being collected in the south o£ 

 Ireland, but discriminating buyers ob- 

 ject to the large amount of shelled 

 Holcus lanatus which the Irish seed 

 contains. It is almost impossible to 

 separate shelled Holcus from Cynos- 

 urus, and as only the more expert can 

 detect its presence it is left in the 

 sample on the chance of disposal to 

 those not wide-awake. Of course ev- 



erybody knows that Holcus lanatus is 

 quite out of the question tor lawns — 

 too broad in the leaf and too pale in 

 color — also rank and persistent in 

 growth and almost certain to crovifd 

 out the valuable Cynosurus and other 

 desirable varieties. It should never 

 be allowed in lawn mixtures under 

 any circumstances. Many a good or- 

 der has been lost to the Holland grow- 

 ers on account of the lower price of 

 the Irish Cynosurus seed. And a big 

 mistake at that — even if the sample 

 did look all right. Even now, the 

 facts in the matter are not as widely 

 known in the American seed trade as 

 they ought to be. hence this note of 

 warning and explanation. Cynosurus 

 is wanted in every mixture for lawns, 

 but it must be absolutely free from 

 Holcus. 



its advocates and importers can come 

 up and show us that we are wrong, is 

 equally pestiferous and in the same 

 class with dodder. The plough, the 

 grub, the hoe, the harrow, and many 

 a sore back — have we officiated at in 

 Triticum repens — and the bonfires 

 that followed are the brightest beacons 

 of memory that remain of the old 

 life on the farm as far as Triticum 

 repens is concerned. 



A Grass Question. 



Why should any U. S. seedsman im- 

 port Triticum repens? The writer is 

 credibly informed that this seed is 

 being imported. Any seedsman who 

 is doing so will please reply to this 

 query, giving reasons, and can use a 

 nom-de-plume; his real name being 

 held in strict confidence in this office. 

 It may be that this heretofore execrat- 

 ed grass may have good qualities im- 

 portant to the world to know. If so, 

 it is important and obligatory on the 

 part of the seedsmen referred to, to 

 square themselves with the public. 

 They are of good standing all of them, 

 and not confined to one city. This 

 note is written by one who has stood 

 up through thick and thin for the 

 past 25 years for the honor of the 

 seed trade of America. Trefoil in al- 

 falfa, Canadian in Kentucky Blue, are 

 venial offences in comparison. Dodder 

 is bad enough and is rightfully 

 tabooed by most progressive govern- 

 ments. Bat Triticum repens, unless 



American Seed Trade Association. 



The annual meeting of the execu- 

 tive committee of the American Seed 

 Trade Association was held at Young's 

 Hotel, Boston, December 2Sth, with 

 the following members of the com- 

 mittee in attendance: President J. C. 

 Robinson, secretary C. E. Kendel, S. 

 F. Willard, W. S. Woodruff, Alex. 

 Forbes, C. N. Page and George S. 

 Green; C. D. Boyles, Kirby White, 

 M. H. Duryea and Albert McCullough, 

 members of the committee on seed 

 legislation; and, on invitation, C. H. 

 Breck, W. H. Grenell, John Fottler, 

 Jr., and Curtis Nye Smith, Esq., who 

 were present to confer with the Asso- 

 ciation of Official Seed Analysts, which 

 was holding sessions in connection 

 with the meeting of the American 

 Association for the Advancement of 

 Science. 



The St. Charles Hotel was selected 

 as headquarters for the seed trade 

 convention to be held at Atlantic 

 Citv. June 21. 22 and 2?,. 1910. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Iowa Seed Co., Des Moines, la. — 

 General Catalogue for 1910. Covers 

 bear bright colored roses, garden 

 plants, annual flowers and improved 

 tomatoes. Chrysanthemums and zonal 

 geraniums form the subject ot a col- 

 ored insert. 



Barteldes Seed Co., Denver, Colo. — 



NEW SEED 



PHOENIX ROEBELENI 



THE ONLY SEED TO BE OFFERED 



SANDER 



T. MEUSTROM 235^Bro^adway ff^„York 



RottrBSon ta tlvo 



Room I 



