198 



iiORTICULTURE 



February 5, 1910 



Seed Trade 



Seed trade notes have been rather 

 neglected for the past two or three 

 weeks owing to press of other matters, 

 but more attention will be given them 

 in the future. 



The Canners. 

 The Canners' Convention, as has 

 been previously announced in HORTI- 

 CULTURE, will be held at Atlantic 

 City, N. J.. February 7th to 11th, with 

 The Rudolf as headquarters. It was 

 stated in these columns last spring that 

 there would be no exhibits this year by 

 the Machinery & Supplies Association, 

 and though several members of the or- 

 ganization have worked strenuously to 

 have the Association reverse itself, 

 they have not been successful. It is 

 barely possible that a few of the sup- 

 ply men may have samples in their 

 rooms, but anything approaching a 

 public exhibit will not be seen this 

 year. The few men who are now in 

 control of the Canners' organization 

 will probably learn that the Machinery 

 & Supplies Association, which as these 

 men have said, would be tolerated only 

 during good behavior, will not be sup- 

 plicants for their, favor any longer, but 

 will assert the right of an independent 

 self-respecting body, and unless the 

 Canners recede from their foolish and 

 untenable position of seeking to issue 

 orders to the Machinery & Supplies As- 

 sociation the latter will undoubtedly 

 break away and hold their own con- 

 vention and invite the Canners to at- 

 tend. It would be unfortunate to have 

 a break where honest co-operation 

 could effect so much more, but up to 

 the present time there hasn't been any 

 co-opera<ion, as the word implies vol- 

 untary action between two independent 

 bodies. The machinery and supply 

 men have had little or nothing to say 

 about the conduct and management of 

 their affairs, but have received their 

 orders from the Canners. which orders 

 have been in the main very meekly 

 obeyed. Let us hope that a spirit of 

 friendly co-operation may be the key- 

 note of the next year; each organiza- 

 tion recognizing the absolute independ- 

 ence of the other regarding its own 

 management. 



The Postal Deficit. 

 The agitation over the proposed in- 

 crors-e in the rates on certain classes 

 of mail matter has directed attention 

 once again to the abuse of the frank- 

 ing privilege by congressmen. A re- 

 cent estimate in one of the magazines, 

 placed the cost of the franking privi- 

 lege at over $1,000,000, which, of course, 

 is to all intents and purposes a dead 

 loss to the post office department. 

 When it is considered that the cost of 

 handling the free seed distribution 

 amounts to nearly $300,000 alone, the 

 estimated total of $1,000,000 does not 

 seem so tar out of line. It is quite 

 refreshing to note the attitude of the 

 leading agricultural journals of the 

 country lowards the free distribution, 

 and the following from "The Indiana 

 Parmer" is both pertinent and inter- 

 esting: 



It would be well If the f.irmers could be 

 heard from on the question of sending out 

 free seeds from congressmen to the voters 

 In their districts. Among the objections to 

 the system Is the great expense to the gov- 

 ernment for purchase of .seeds, putting up, 

 mailing, etc. There are about eight million 



packages sent out annually, or some twen- 

 ty thousand packages by each representa- 

 tive. Another objection is that the seeds 

 are rarely of any account, and they are 

 nothing rare or new, but such as can be 

 bought at any grocery store. It was the 

 intent «ben the law was first passed to 

 use the amount appropriated In buying new 

 and valuable seeds in foreign countries, 

 which were not to be had otherwise. It 

 was a wise and worthy purpose in that 

 early day when our seed establishments 

 were few and small, but is entirely un- 

 necessary now, when anything new and 

 good abroad Is quickly picked up and prop- 

 agated by our enterprising "seedsmen" and 

 put on the market. 



As to common varieties It seems much 

 the better plan to patronize well-known 

 and reliable firms, and thus be sure of get- 

 ting the genuine, well-grown article de- 

 sired, or hold the seller responsible if a 

 mistake is made or the plant does not 

 proA-e true to name and description. Do 

 the farmers desire to have the free seed 

 distribution system continued, is the ques- 

 tion. 



Pea and Bean Prices. 

 Notwithstanding the advance in con- 

 tiacting prices of p?as and beans, 

 growers report an exceptionally active 

 and heavy business. Many are already 

 finGing it necessary to restrict the 

 quantities of certain varieties which 

 their customers would like to order, 

 simply because they have not sufficient 

 seed stocks to properly care for all the 

 business offered them. This is very 

 gratifying to the growers and shows 

 that the advance which they have been 

 compelled to ask is considered' justi- 

 fiable by both seedsmen and canners. 

 It is well that they have taken this 

 view of the situation as it obviates a 

 good deal of unpleasantness and fric- 

 tion between the growers and them- 

 selves. 



Notes. 

 Fredonia, N. Y. — A decision against 

 Herman J. Westwood has been re- 

 turned by Justice Matcus. The man 

 sued Harlow L. Crlssy and Elton A. 

 Cole for a share in the profits in a 

 federal seed contract. The case has 

 been in the courts for some time. 



Shenandoah, la. — Field and Ratekln 

 are feeling very jubilant over having 

 the time extended for using their old 

 seed packets to a time when they ex- 

 pect to get rid of the supply on hand. 

 When the trouble arose between them 

 and postmaster Deater as to the legal- 

 ity of their packets, such as they have 

 always used, they at once appealed to 

 the department at Washington. Con- 

 gressman Jamieson took their case 

 in hand and succeeded in getting the 

 time extended for the use of these 

 packets until July 1. 



Judge McHenry of the law division 

 of the district court on .Tan. 20 direct- 

 ed a verdict favoring the Iowa Seed 

 Company of Des Moines, la., and dis- 

 missed the case brought against it by 

 A. A. Geil, who charged he had been 

 injured to the extent of $1,175 by the 

 failure of the seed company to give 

 him the kind of seed he ordered, as 

 noted in these columns last week. 

 Geil purchased one kind of clover 

 seed and the company gave him an- 

 other. He alleged that by reason of 

 the mistake he lost the value of the 

 entire crop, the use of ten acres of 

 land and his time in plowing and til- 

 ling the field. 



FRENCH BULB PRICES. 



Reports from France indicate that 

 prices on French bulbs will undoubt- 

 edly be much higher this year. Mar- 



GREEN 



Cane Stakes 



For Your Lilies 



6 to 8 ft., $7.00 per 1000 



WM. ELLIOTT & SONS, 



42 Vesey St., New York. 



Landscape Gardening 



A course for Home- makers and 

 Gardeners taught by Prof. Craig 

 and Prof. Batchclor, of Cornell 

 University. 



Gardeners who understand up- 

 to-date methods and practice are 

 ID demand for the best positions. 



A knowledge of Landscape Gar- 

 dening is indispensable to those 

 who would have the pleasantest 

 homes. 



250 page catalogue free. Write to-day. 



The Home Correspondence School 



Dept. Ht Springfield. Mais. 



Prof. Craig 



Aster 



SEED tor Sale of our 

 Unique Chrysanthe- 

 mum Type Variety, 



bred up the past eight 

 years to a high 5tan* 

 dard capable of rrotfucirg its entire bloom per- 

 fect, that is to say, free from yellow centers, and 

 also ward ( ff all the diseases so prevalent in all the 

 eastern states, viz.. Stem, f 'lot, rot. yel'ows, 

 blight, etc., and produce its btoom Stems of a stiff 

 wiry nature from 38 to 44 inc}ies in length, with 

 flowers 4"^ to S% inches in diameter, thus enabling 

 the grower to market the cut flowers in cities 2000 

 miles dislart wlthut deterioration ^ced of 

 this Aster, Lady Roosevelt, by name, is only ob- 

 tainable Irom me direct. Write for price of seed and 

 further information. Atidress — 



The Scientific Intense Culture Ranch. Salem, Oregon 



Formerly of Klmliurst, III, Dtp. A. 



NEW CROP FLOWER AND VEGETABLE SEEDS 



Vi)K FdRLiNG 

 Asters, Salvias, Vincas. Verbenas, 

 Stocks and Petunias, Tomato "The 

 Don." Onion "Ailsa Craig.** Mush- 

 room Spawn— English and Pure Cul- 

 ture' ^/'(ciiiifriLn and caialogite on 

 af'plicatioi. 

 UImmIia^ Rnn ^^""'"^ Merchants & Growers 



WeeDer U UOn, lu diambers street, NEW YORK 



Peas and Beans 



If you want our growing prices iov 

 Crop 1910 please let us know, 



Alfred J. Brown Seed Co. 



Grand Rapids, Mich. 



tial Bremond writes under date of Jan. 

 24th, that the crop is very bad and the 

 farmers e.vpect high prices tor their 

 products. Of course, no definite prices 

 have been quoted yet, but there is no 

 doubt that Roman hyacinths especial- 

 ly will be higher and Paper Whites 

 also. Recent reports from other grow- 

 ers all indicate the same conditions. 



PATENTS GRANTED. 



947,45.5. Combined Cultivating and In- 

 sect-Destroying Machine. 

 Joseph Peil, Bloomer, Wis. 



947,.5]9. Plant Protector. Alexander 

 G. McAdie, San Francisco, 

 Cal. 



947,711. Pipe Coupling. Joseph E. 

 Costa, Downey, Cal. 



