June 25, 1910 



HORTICULTURE 



953 



had the same result. But the pros- 

 pects are that future state laws will be 

 guided by wisdom and this is ardently 

 hoped for. 



Chas. N. Page, vice-chairman in 

 charge of state seed legislation, in 

 his report dealt with the state aspect. 

 He declared that seed dealers have 

 never seriously objected as a class to 

 reasonable legislation which was in- 

 tended to serve a good purpose, but 

 most of the earlier bills introduced 

 were unjust, ill-considered and unfair, 

 and therefore met merited condemna- 

 tion at the hands of legislators, as 

 the proposers of such bills showed ig- 

 norance of conditions under which the 

 seed trade is conducted and it would 

 be absolutely impossible for seed deal- 

 ers to carry out the provisions in many 

 cases. But the seed trade protests 

 against any legislation which would 

 make law-breakers or criminals of 

 honest men who are engaged in a repu- 

 table and useful calling and who are 

 willing at all times to assist in the 

 preparation of reasonable legislation. 



A paper was read by Curtis Nye 

 Smith on the relation of State seed 

 laws to interstate commerce in which 

 he congratulated members of this and 

 kindred organizations on the newly 

 awakened and effective interest taken 

 in this matter which will benefit seeds- 

 men and public alike. The problem 

 is a serious one as seedsmen are often 

 called to pay excessive license fees or 

 purchase stamps for tax where unex- 

 pected and not allowed for under their 

 contracts of sale. The legal relation- 

 ship of state and federal laws is a 

 question of constant and giowing per- 

 plexity and complication. The right to 

 sell in the original package in which 

 the article is imported into the state 

 is as much an inherent part of inter- 

 state commerce as is the actual trans- 

 poration of commodities between the 

 states. States have found a way to 

 exercise power not rightfully theirs by 

 what is termed, "Police power." The 

 speaker went on to deal with various 

 aspects of interstate commerce in 

 seeds, what constitutes delivery and 

 other interesting and vital matters to 

 seedsmen. He said it is inadvisable 

 at this time for sales to be made C. 

 O. D. in states of Iowa, Georgia, Ver- 

 mont, and possibly Colorado. Such 

 sales are safe in Alabama, Arkansas, 

 Illinois. Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, 

 Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hamp- 

 shire, New York, North Carolina, 

 Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia. 

 Further explanations of interesting 

 questions make the paper valuable to 

 all seedsmen and growers. Present laws 

 where impracticable and unconstitu- 

 tional cannot be too soon substituted by 

 legislation of uniform and sane kind, 

 fair to all interests. This Association 

 and the official seed analysts are to 

 be congi'atulated upon their cordial 

 co-operation along these lines. The 

 Association is capable of taking a 

 leading part in these necessary re- 

 forms and by so doing will merit the 

 commendation of all seedsmen and 

 the public generally. The paper re- 

 ceived the thanks of the Association 

 and Mr. Smith was re-employed as 

 counsel for ensuing year. 



Crop reports by Messrs. Keeney, 

 E. B. Clarke, Leonard, Robinson, were 

 an appreciated feature and will be en- 

 larged on at future conventions. Re- 

 port of the committee on postal laws 



presented by Mr. Vaughan. An inter- 

 esting feature of the report and discus- 

 sion was the matter of the recent 

 more stringent enforcement somewhat 

 extensively of the old regulation re- 

 garding the requirement of enclosing 

 seeds in transparent coverings. This 

 was discussed by Messrs. Allan, Bur- 

 pee, Robinson, Ford, Maule, Hastings, 

 Bolgiano and Page. The regulation 

 only applies to sealed packages or 

 packets. Paper manufacturers are 

 taking interest in finding proper ma- 

 terials for envelopes and covers. 

 Postmasters at the larger cities are 

 liberally disposed but unable to do 

 away with the regulation, while post- 

 masters at Fniall places at destina- 

 tions rigidly and literally enforce the 

 regulation oftentimes. Some general 

 remedy is necessary and in absence 

 of modification by the department, 

 seedsmen must find some practicable 

 means to comply with the law, which 

 they are endeavoring to do as speed- 

 ily as possible, but in many cases 

 large stocks on hand will entail loss 

 in compliance. 



A paper by George H. Clark, Can- 

 adian seed commissioner, was read. 

 In an interview with the reporter Mr. 

 Clark said: "The attitude of the 

 American Seed Trade Association both 

 at the Boston Conference with the 

 Association of Seed Analysts and 

 at this convention seems a clear 

 indication of a desire on its part 

 to deal fairly with the question 

 of seed trade legislation. It is my 

 opinion that after a few years 

 the present difficulties will clarify 

 themselves and through education on 

 seed matters will resolve themselves 

 favorably to all concerned. I am in- 

 formed that the quality of seeds now 

 demanded throughout the United 

 States as in Canada is markedly su- 

 perior to that of five years ago. Can- 

 adian experience has been that we 

 are not able to make good farmers 

 by legislation; the principal benefits 

 derived from the Canadian seed legis- 

 lation have arisen in the protection 

 of the legitimate trade against care- 

 less or unscrupulous and designing 

 vendors. Today there is a wider 

 range of prices paid to farmers as 

 between high class seeds and lower 

 grades which has had marked effect 

 in discouraging production of seeds in 

 lands that are foul with noxious 

 weeds." Clark's paper was discussed 

 by Messrs. Page, Robinson, Kendel 

 and others, and interesting points 

 brought out, with reference to effect 

 of striation on germination of hard- 

 coat seeds, and difference in percent- 

 age of germination in seeds of vary- 

 ing ages, those of greatest age some- 

 times showing greatest percentage of 

 germination. Replying to a query by 

 Asst. Com'r of Agriculture Hays the 

 speaker said sweating if not too pro- 

 longed favored germination otherwise 

 depleted vitality of seeds. 



A paper by Hon. Willet M. Hayes, 

 Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, on 

 Recent Science in Plant and Animal 

 Breeding, was listened to with close 

 attention. A very interesting paper 

 on The Spencer Type of Sweet Peas 

 was presented by W. Atlee Burpee. 



Dr. W. W. Tracy, of the Department 

 of Agriculture, Washington, D. C, 

 commenting on Mr. Burpee's paper, 

 said it was "Especially interesting be- 

 cause it brought out some principles 



of seed growing which are not gen- 

 erally recognized, namely, that there 

 is a gradual development in aspects 

 as a result of which we have a sud- 

 den break in varital character. Such 

 breaks may occur in a number of dif- 

 ferent locations, identical in each 

 case, the same variation, and when 

 occuring it is comparatively easy to 

 establish an entire new race based on 

 such variation. The same principle is 

 illustrated as developed in the case 

 of lima beans which in a single year, 

 in a number of different places and 

 from a number of different varieties, 

 developed the same dwarf habit, 

 something previously unknown. 



The Banquet. 



The banquet on Wednesday night 

 at the Strand Hotel was attended by 

 17.5. Albert McCullough was toast- 

 master and responses were made by 

 President J. C. Robinson, Frank C. 

 Woodruff, C. F. Wood, Kirby Wliite, 

 Herbert Quick, Editor Farm and Fire- 

 side, and others. The menu was in- 

 terspersed with monologues on Irish 

 humor and satire by Lawrence Shar- 

 key; vocal music by La Favorita con- 

 cert quartette; concluded after mid- 

 night. 



A ni'mber of members and ladies en- 

 joyed a sail on the yachts Princeton 

 and Viking on Wednesday afternoon, 

 while others went to Philadelphia to 

 visit Maule's establishment and Flora- 

 croft. 



On Thursday morning there was a 

 report by the committee on the presi- 

 dent's address and on the seed anal- 

 ysts' conference. The obituary com- 

 mittee reported on the death of Wil- 

 liam Eber, Quincy, 111.; James J. H. 

 Gregory, Msrblehead, Mass.; John H. 

 Allan, Picton, Ont., and Isaac Funk, 

 Bloomington, 111. A presentation to 

 President Robinson was a pleasmg 

 feature and agreeable surprise. " lil j 



List of Attendants. 



There were present on the opening 

 day the following named firms or their 

 representatives: 



E C Luck and wife, Kansas City, Mo.; 

 r H. Allen, Floral Park, N. Y.; F. W. 

 Bolgiano & Co.. Washington, D. C; Jos. 

 l-.ret'k & Son, Boston, Mass.; C. S. Bnggs 

 and wife. Rochester, N. Y.; Francis Brill, 

 Hempsted, N. Y.; Geo. R. Brunjas and 

 daughter, Brookl.yn, N. Y. : J. Bufflugton & 

 Co , Baltimore. Md. ; W. Atlee Burpee, Phila- 

 delphia, Pa.; Cadwell & Jones, Hartford, 

 Conn.; Arthur H. Goldsmith, Floral Park, 

 N Y • C H. Coy and wife. Valle.v. Neb.; 

 f'rabbs. Reynolds Ta.vlor Co., Crawfords- 

 ville, Ind.;"Cbas. Dickinson, Chicago, 111.; 

 The Albert Dickinson Co., Chicago, 111.; 

 E F Squires. A. W. Chaefer, Frank Lukes, 

 cii.ns' D. Boyles of S. W. Flower & Co., 

 Toledo Ohio; Ford Seed Co., Ravenna, O.; 

 W H Gi-enell, Pierepont Manor, N. Y. ; 

 Melvin S. Griffith and wife, Baltimore, 

 Md : Geo. W. Gurney, D. B. Gurney, Yank- 

 ton S D. ; Alexander Forbes of Peter 

 Hendei-son & Co., New York; Hogg and 

 LTtle Toronto, Canada; H. Holmes, Harrls- 

 biu-g Pa.; The Illinois Seed Co., Chicago, 

 111 ■ S M. Isbell & Co., F. G. Johnson, 

 Jac'ksoii, Mich.; J. Will Jefferson, Louis- 

 ville Ky • N. B. Keeney & Son, Leeroy, 

 N Y • C. E. Kendel, Cleveland, O.; S. L. 

 Lombard Co., Baltimore, Md.; S H. 

 Leonard. E. S. Leonard and wife, Chicago, 

 111.; Josiah Living.ston, A. Lruhm, Colum- 

 bus 0.; Albert McCullough, Cincinnati, O., 

 J Chas. McCullough, wife and daughter. 

 Cincinnati, O.; W. T. Fonda, Rochester. N. 

 Y • Wm Henry Maule, Philadelphia, Fa.; 

 W H May ."ud Son. Alexandria, Va.; P. 

 B.' Mingle Co., Philadelphia, Pa.; W. H. 

 Ulixon Seed Co., Charleston. S C. ; Max A 

 Feler.stein. Jerome Wills. Philade phia Pa.; 

 Northrup, King & Co., Minneapolis, Minn 

 Henry Nungesser & Co. New York City. 

 L. L. Olds Seed Co., Madison. Wis., B. L.. 



