666 



HORTICULTURE, 



April 30, 1910 



Micbell's Chinese Primrose 



Novif is The Time To Order 

 i^iciteii's Giant Strain 

 Citinese Primrose Seeti 



We have a very choice strain of Primula, which is grown for us by 

 the leading Primula Specialists in England and Germany. Flowers 

 of extra large size, and beautifully fringed. 



% Trade Trade 

 Pkt. Pkt. 



Alba Magniflca. White $0.60 $1.00 



Cbiswick Bed. Brilliant Red 60 1.00 



Holborn Blue 60 1.00 



Kermenina Splendeas. Crimson .60 1.00 



Rosy Morn. Pink 60 1.00 



Michell's Prize Mixture 60 1.00 



Oar Wholetale Catalogue free for the asking 



Henry F. Michell Co. 



518-1018 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa. 



Seed Trade 



About Onion Sets: Results of the 

 Cold Wave. 



We were misinformed as to the true 

 situation on onion sets, and find that 

 they are much more abundant than 

 what was generally supposed a few 

 weeks ago. On account of the warm 

 March onion sets are in a bad condi- 

 tion and are not selling at prices 

 which they usually bring at this time 

 of the year. It is said that mail or- 

 der houses find the trade has fallen off 

 greatly within the past two or three 

 weeks, but the recent cold spell should 

 make a renewed demand for a great 

 many items which had unwisely been 

 planted too early. Just how much 

 damage the cold wave has done is not 

 yet apparent, but unquestionably the 

 newspaper reports are greatly exag- 

 gerated. Inquiry among the trade in 

 New York does not show any great 

 demand for beans, peas and other 

 seeds, which naturally are sold early 

 in the Southern States. According 

 to the newspaper reports the cold wave 

 extended as far south as Alabama and 

 was down to thirty-two at Nashville, 

 Tenn. If this is correct it must have 

 seriously damaged early-sown veg- 

 etables and it may develop that such 

 is the case within the next few days. 

 In Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illi- 

 nois and a large part of Ohio, the dam- 

 age to fruit especially has been very 

 heavy and it is assumed, though we 

 have no positive information on the 

 subject, that early sowings of peas 

 which were out of the ground, have 

 been severely damaged, if not killed 

 outright. We shall be able to give 

 more definite information on this sub- 

 ject in next issue of HORTICULTURE. 



Henderson's Improvements. 

 Peter Henderson & Co. have at last 

 completed the improvements on their 

 store at 35 and 37 Cortlandt St., and 

 now have a thoroughly equipped and 

 np-to-date place of business. The new 

 front is very handsome and impressive 

 and presents favorable comment from 

 all who see It. They are usually In 

 the forefront of improvements and 



this is simply a further evidence that 

 they mean to remain "in the lead." 

 Business with them is reported to have 

 been exceptionally good and continues 

 to be very active up to the present 

 time. 



European Crop Conditions. 

 Reports from Europe as to this sea- 

 son's prospective crop of cabbage, tur- 

 nips, Swedes, beets, mangels and car- 

 rots indicate a very heavy shortage 

 and point to another season of ex- 

 ceptionally high prices on these lines. 

 This applies especially to cabbages and 

 turnips. Efforts on the part of some 

 of the trade in this country to increase 

 their contracts along these lines have 

 been largely unsuccessful as European 

 growers feel that they will be unable 

 to anywhere near fill orders already 

 hooked. ■ We shall probably have 

 something more definite as to crop 

 conditions within the next two weeks, 

 and same will be given in HORTI- 

 CULTURE as heretofore. 



Effects of the Freeze in the Chicago 

 District. 



The Leonard Seed Company reports 

 that at this date, the extent of the 

 damage to early crops in the Chicago 

 garden district cannot be fully deter- 

 mined. In most cases, the gardeners 

 are optimistic and hope for the best. 



It is generally conceded, however, 

 that the first planting of radishes is 

 lost and that carrots and beets that 

 have broken through the ground will 

 stand a poor chance of making a crop. 

 Head lettuce, which has been trans- 

 planted to the open ground from the 

 hot-beds, will be greatly damaged. 

 Early cabbage and cauliflower, simi- 

 larly set out, will likely stand the ad- 

 verse condition, but the serious check 

 to the growth will lessen the uniform- 

 ity of the crop and cut it down con- 

 siderably. Onions and onion sets will 

 not be hurt to any extent. Peas may 

 pull through, but any beans that were 

 sprouted will perish.. Early sweet 

 corn and other half hardy vegetables, 

 where sufficiently advanced to be 

 above the ground, will not recover. 

 Spinach, which in some places was 

 about ready to be cut for market is 

 wilted and practically unsalable. This 



will entail considerable loss, as many 

 of the gardeners have been depending 

 upon this for early money returns. 



In the localities where the soil Is 

 somewhat sandy and where early 

 planting is the rule, the crops are 

 much further advanced than in the 

 cold clay soil. It is a question 

 whether this advanced condition will 

 be of benefit. Some of the gardeners 

 seem to think that the further ad- 

 vanced the small vegetables are, the 

 greater the damage will be. On the 

 other hand, some of them are of the 

 opinion that where the crops are the 

 farthest advanced the damage will be 

 less. Taken as a whole, the loss will 

 be serious at best, and if re-planting is 

 to be done, there are many of the va- 

 rieties of seeds that are out of the 

 market and it will be hard for the 

 growers to secure the proper varieties 

 if re-planting is necessary. 



The weather, which has continued 

 cold and cloudy since the hard freeze, 

 is doing the right thing, for a sudden 

 return of sunshine and warmth would 

 have been wholly disastrous to the 

 stricken crops. 



Concerning Opaque and Transparent 



Seed Packets. 

 To the Editor: 



In view of the fact that seedsmen 

 enjoy a special mailing privilege in the 

 matter of rates it would come with 

 poor grace for any seedsman to even 

 hint at any objection to any reasonable 

 regulations that the Post Office De- 

 partment might see fit to impose. It 

 is plainly evident that no one in the 

 Department believes that seedsmen 

 have taken advantage of the lax en- 

 forcement of a rule as old as the one 

 to which attention has been recently 

 called, or extension of time to the end 

 of the season would not have been 

 given. 



Comparatively few will be affected 

 and no one will be especially burdened 

 except that it will eliminate the dark 

 paper that is forbidden. 



It is unfortunate that the matter 

 should have had bii th in petty politics 

 and is a case of the many suffering 

 for the indiscretions of a few. 



C. E. KENDEL, 

 Sec. American' Seed Trade Association. 



