December 13, 1913 



HOETICULTUEE 



829 



SEED TRADE 



The new seed and implement store 

 of Burnett Bros, at 98 Chambers street, 

 New York, is now well arranged and 

 makes one of the most convenient and 

 attractive stores in the city, while the 

 location leaves nothing to be desired. 

 The building, which Burnett Bros, oc- 

 cupy entirely, consists of five stories 

 with basement and sub-basement with 

 elevator service from basement to top. 

 Fertilizers are stored in the sub-base- 

 ment and the packing rooms, insecti- 

 cide and sundries departments occupy 

 the main basement. The store with its 

 show cases, seed bins, etc.. which occu- 

 pies the street floor, is spacious and 

 well fitted up, the rear being devoted 

 to offices. The four upper floors are 

 devoted respectively to poultry sup- 

 plies, incubators, etc., vegetable seeds 

 in bulk, grass seeds, garden imple- 

 ments and tools. 



The firm is composed of George and 

 Samuel Burnett, who have been so as- 

 sociated since 1905. George Burnett, 

 the senior partner, has been identified 

 with the New York seed trade for up- 

 wards of a quarter of a century. His 

 two sons, William J. and Robert Mann 

 Burnett, are now associated with their 

 father and uncle in the store — one in 

 the office and the other on counter 

 trade. Both these young men have en- 

 joyed a good education and are gradu- 

 ates of the Spencer business college, 

 and give every promise of capability 

 to handle this growing business when 

 the time comes for their elders to pass 

 on. 



We have just been informed that 

 Senator Gronna of North Dakota, ex- 

 pects to have a public hearing in Feb- 

 ruary, on Senate Bill 480, to Regulate 

 the Sale of Seed in Interstate Com- 

 merce, before the Senate Committee 

 on Agriculture and Forestry in Wash- 

 ington. This bill is a very drastic 

 proposition and it should, and doubt- 

 less will, be strenuously opposed by 

 the seed trade. All those interested 

 should send to Washington for a copy 

 and study its provisions carefully. 



W. J. Collins, formerly employed by 

 Jos. Breck & Sons Corporation, has re- 

 cently accepted a position with Car- 

 ter's Tested Seeds, Inc.. Chamber of 

 Commerce Building. Boston. This is a 

 branch of the firm of Jas. Carter & 

 Co.. London. England. 



Luther A. Breck has been admitted 

 to the Joseph Breck & Sons Corpora- 

 tion, and has been chosen vice-presi- 

 dent of the company. This young man 

 is the fourth generation of Brecks 

 in this old established Boston house. 



HEARING ON POTATO QUARAN- 

 TINE. 



The Secretary of Agriculture has 

 called a public hearing at the Depart- 

 ment -of Agriculture. Washington, D. 

 C, at 10.00 a. m., December 18, 1913, 

 in order that all persons interested In 

 the importation of the common, or 

 Irish, potato from Canada and Europe 

 may be heard concerning the estab- 

 lishment of a quarantine, to be effec- 



tive January 1, 1914, forbidding the 

 importation of potatoes from these for- 

 eign regions. The contemplated quar- 

 antine extends to all parts of Canada 

 and Europe the quarantine at present 

 in effect against the British Isles, Ger- 

 many, Austria Hungary, Newfound- 

 land, and two islands belonging to 

 France in the St. Lawrence River, 

 called Pierre and Miquelon. 



The reason for considering the ex- 

 tension of the present quarantine to 

 all of Europe and to Canada, is the 

 belief that it is necessary in order to 

 prevent the introduction into the 

 United States of the powdery scab 

 (Spongospora subterranea) and other 

 diseases which would seriously affect 

 the potato production of the United 

 States. This disease is reported to be 

 widely prevalent in Ireland and Scot- 

 land and in other sections where there 

 is this year a large crop of potatoes. 



The powdery scab disease resembles 

 the common scab, which is found wide- 

 ly distributed in this country, although 

 the two diseases are readily distin- 

 guished by several characteristics. Af- 

 fected tubers first show rounded, blis- 

 ter-like spots, a sixteenth to an eighth 

 of an inch in diameter. The skin over 

 the pustules soon breaks, revealing a 

 dark-brown, powdery surface composed 

 mostly of spore balls which serve to 

 propagate the disease. The spots later 

 enlarge and deepen, and frequently 

 coalesce, forming large areas of dis- 

 eased tissue, which makes the tubers 

 unsightly and greatly reduces their 

 market value. 



Powdery scab is introduced into un- 

 infected areas through the use of in- 

 fected seed potatoes. Although prac- 

 tically unknown in the United States. 

 traces of it have been found In one or 

 two Instances and it is important to 

 maintain a close watch to see that it 

 does not become established and fur- 

 ther distributed. 



The contemplated extension of the 

 quarantine and the call for the hear- 

 ing are simply coincident and have no 

 direct bearing on the representation 

 made by Mr. T, P. Gill. Secretary of 

 the Irish Department of Agriculture, 

 that potatoes from Ireland be admitted 

 to this country. Mr. Gill's representa- 

 tion was that the danger from the 

 potato wart, which was one of the 

 major purposes of the previous quar- 

 antine order, had been so controlled in 

 Ireland that potatoes could be shipped 

 from there without danger of the 

 spread of the potato wart. The mem- 

 bers of the Federal Horticultural 

 Board, however, have found that the 

 existence of the powdery scab involves 

 an even greater menace to the crop of 

 this country. As a result, they feel 

 that even if there were no danger from 

 potato wart the quarantine against Ire- 

 land would have to be continued to 

 guard against this new disease. 



A NEW METHOD OF SUB-IRRIGA- 

 TION AND DRAINAGE. 



Lewis S. Woodruff addressed the 

 Boston Market Gardeners' Association 

 at the meeting held December 6. on 

 "Drainage and Sub-Irrigation." 



Mr. Woodruff is the inventor of a 

 new method of combined drainage and 

 sub-irrigation which has aroused con- 

 siderable interest by reason of the re- 

 sults shown in increasing yield of horti- 

 cultural land. It reduces the labor of in- 

 tensive cultivation and, according to 



MICHELL'S SPIREA CLUMPS 



Dr.z. 100 1000 



.4stilbe Floribanda...$0.85 $ 5.50 $ 52.50 



Compaota Multiflora. .90 6.00 55.00 

 Philadelphia (Dew) 



30c each 3.00 20.00 



Qneen Alexandra 1.25 7.75 72.50 



Gladstone l-O* 6.75 62.00 



Monster... 1.75 11.00 100.00 



Japoniia 65 4.75 42.50 



DIELYTRA SPEGTABILIS 



Maimtioth Boots, 90c per dozen ; $6.00 

 per 100; $52.00 per 1000. 



HEADQUARTERS FOR 



CHRISTMAS GREENS 



lliilly (Loose) 



Holly Wreaths 



I-aiirel Wreathing 

 Lyoopoflium (Loose) 



Lyeopotliuni Wreathing 

 Native Mistletoe 



^lexican Mistletoe 



Send for our Handy Flower Seed 

 Order Sheet, if you haven't received 

 a copy. 



HENRY F. MICHELL CO. 



Flower Seed Specialists 

 518 Market Street, PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



Mention HORTICDLTPRE when writing 



those who are using It, absolutely 

 eliminates all danger from prolonged 

 drought. 



After enumerating the reasons why 

 drainage pays and explaining some of 

 the scientific effects that drainage has 

 on the texture and plant food supply 

 of the soil, the speaker described his 

 system. He declared that there was 

 no meadow so wet or no hillside so dry 

 that they couldn't be brought to the 

 precise scientific degree of moisture 

 required for the production of the max- 

 imum crop. The new system was de- 

 scribed as a series of subterranean 

 wells which are so connected by metal 

 pipes that they will be emptied simul- 

 taneously at any time that water fills 

 them to a certain height. Water is 

 free to run into or out of these wells 

 through their open bottoms, and sub- 

 irrigation is afforded to dry lands by 

 supplying water to the upper unit of a 

 series. When the water rises to a cer- 

 tain level in the first well it will run 

 into the next one below, and so on un- 

 til the whole row of wells is filled. 

 This results in the formation of a sub- 

 terranean lake under the whole field. 

 The water from this underground lake 

 rises by capillary attraction from one 

 soil particle to another in thin films 

 and keeps the area above it damp all 

 the time. Every once in a while this 

 lake Is withdrawn by a sort of syphon 

 action which starts up whenever the 

 water in the wells gets too high and 

 continues until all the wells in the en- 

 tire system are drained dry. There- 

 upon the process is repeated. 



Mr. Woodruff explained that the sud- 

 den removal of the lake draws air into 

 the spaces in the soil vacated by the 

 water. A constant breathing action Is 

 thus obtained. He pointed out clearly 

 the advantage of this manipulation of 

 the water and the air within the earth 

 and went into considerable detail as 

 to the resulting improvement in the 

 texture, life, richness and healthful- 

 ness of the soil. 



