508 



HORTICULTURE 



October 8, 1910 



Seed Trade 



Discouraging Estimates on Peas and 

 Beans. 

 The growers of peas and beans are 

 sending out their preliminary esti- 

 mates of deliveries, and they are cer- 

 tainly depressing. Scarcely an item up 

 to 50 per cent, and many down to 10 

 and 12 per cent. Never before in the 

 history of the industry have such de- 

 plorably low deliveries been made. So 

 far as we know the seedsmen and can- 

 ners have not been heard from, prob- 

 ably because the estimates have not 

 been out long enough for them to re- 

 cover consciousness, and get their 

 paralyzed faculties into working order. 

 They will, however, in time, and then, 

 save us from their wrath. Right here 

 it may be well to say that only one 

 or two estimates have thus far come 

 to our attention, and if more have 

 been issued we have not seen them, 

 therefore there is hope that at least 

 some of the growers may make a bet- 

 ter showing than those who have 

 ventured to send out their figures. 

 One of the features of the estimates 

 •we have seen is the number of va- 

 rieties marked as total failures, and 

 several of these are of important and 

 popular varieties. 



Enormous Los33s to Growers. 



Bad as are the estimates submitted, 

 ■we are convinced that they are the 

 best the growers can do, at least in 

 the few instances we have investi- 

 gated, and that they are the victims 

 of the whims of old Dame Nature" 

 quite beyond their control. We have 

 learned of one instance wfhere the 

 yield of 5000 bushels of Alaskas was 

 but a few hundreds of bushels in ox- 

 cess of the seed planted, and in many 

 others where plantings varying Irom 

 20 to 200 bushels were absolute fail- 

 ures, not even the seed being rsturnod. 

 In the majority of such cases r.ho seed 

 grower who furnished the seed gets 

 absolutely nothing back, as the far- 

 mer rightfully argues that the entire 

 loss of his crop, representing r3erhai)s 

 a large part of his summer's *ork, is 

 all he can bear, and in most cas;s re- 

 fuses to pay for the seed. Appreciat- 

 ing this fact, one can readily imagine 

 the enormous losses in seed In such a 

 year as this, which at market value 

 represented to the growers a loss of 

 from a few hundreds to many thou- 

 sands of dollars to each grower ac- 

 cording to the quantities planted. At 

 market value the total loss in seed 

 this year will not be less than $200,- 

 000. This is an enormous figure, but 

 it can readily be shown that u 's nui 

 exaggerate-1 in the least, although ;o 

 one not fam'.Kar with the bua'ness it 

 may ses'n so. Of course it requiits 

 no argument to satisfy any thinking 

 man that under such conditions ibo 

 growers are making no monev tMs 

 year, while on the other hand all have 

 suffered considerable losses, many 

 running into tho tuousands. Th'^y 

 have suffered from a succession of 

 poor crops, culminating in this year 

 well nigh fj<ilin-e. and few ni' ihem 

 have made any money for the past 

 four or five years; therefore it 

 would not be surprising If some of 

 them should hoist signals of distress 



WE WANT EVERY FLORIST 



TO GROW 



Michell's "Distinctive" Giant Cyclamen 



WE OFFER COMMERCIAL COLORS EXCLUSIVELY 



CRIMSON looseeds, $1.25 



PURE WHITE " 1.25 



DELICATE SALMON PINK " 1.25 



DEEP PINK '< 1.25 



WHITE WITH CLARET BASE, " 1 25 



MIXED, a splendid assortment, " 1.00 



ALL ORDERS FILLED FROM SEEDS CROP 1910 

 SOW IN OCTOBER 



HENRY F. MICHELL CO., Z^'l PHILADELPHIA 



in the not distant future. While the 

 soul of the seedsmen and canner Is 

 filled with disappointment and wrath 

 towards the seed grower, let these 

 gentlemen put themselves in the grow- 

 ers' place for a short time, and while 

 they can now see their profits slipping 

 away, the growers see their living 

 going by the board, and "it is less im- 

 portant about the rich man's profits, 

 than the poor man's making a living." 



Where Is the Favored Land. 



One subject that is engaging the 

 serious attention of the seed growers 

 is when they can hope for reas.)uable 

 crops year after year. Michigan has 

 been the grave of their hopes, and 

 while Wisconsin has responded more 

 generously heretofore, she has done 

 but little better this year. Canada has 

 generally done better than Michigan, 

 but the heavy duty is practically pro- 

 hibitive. Dakota has been tried, and 

 the result has been a sad disappoint- 

 ment, and the cry of the grower may 

 well be, "Lord, whither shall I turn." 

 This subject will receive further atten- 

 tion in future issues of HORTICUL- 

 TURE, but it may be remarked in pas- 

 sing, that while no spot is really ideal, 

 many sections are favored above 

 others, in that average crop returns 

 are much better. 



Reaord Prices. 

 It has several times been remarked 

 that more high price levels would be 

 reached on peas this year, and there 

 is not a doubt of it. The writer has 

 heard that a prominent canner re- 

 cently called on one of the leading 

 seedsmen who, by the way, is a heavy 

 grower of peas and beans, and asked 

 for a price on 1000 bushels of Alaska 

 peas. The seedsman declined to quote 

 a price, but volunteered the opinion 

 that Alaskas would sell as high as $7 

 in any quantities procurable before 

 January first next. Many well in- 

 formed seedsmen are suggesting prices 

 that even a year ago would have been 

 considered absurd and prohibitive — ■ 

 $6.00 to $7.00— for Extra Earlies and 

 Alaskas, $8.00 for Telephones, Alder- 

 man and Duke of Albany, $10.00 for 

 Gradus and Thomas Laxton, $7.00 for 

 Nott's Excelsior and Am. Wonders, 

 $6.50 for Gems, $7.00 for Advancers, 



Admirals, Horsfords and Surprise, 

 $4.00 for Marrowfats, $6.00 for Cham- 

 pion of England and all other varieties 

 proportionately high. It looks as if 

 some varieties of peas can be offered 

 in quantities not larger than pecks or 

 half bushels by retailers, and green 

 peas will probably be something of a 

 luxury next summer. Where the can- 

 ners are going to secure enough pea 

 seed to meet their requirements is one 

 of the problems which the future must 

 solve if it is solved at all. 



The Aster Seed Crop. 



James Vick's Sons report that the 

 aster seed situation is very promising 

 at present and they will undoubtedly 

 have a full crop of very choice seed. 

 The past season has been very favor- 

 able. There is in the neighborhood of 

 one hundred acres of asters planted in 

 the vicinity of Rochester annually for 

 seed. 



Salinas, Cal. — A seventeen acre nur- 

 sery has recently been started by the 

 Salinas Nursery Co. O. C. Onken Is 

 manager. 



Sweet Pea 

 CHristmas 



Pink and White 

 Pure Wliite 



$ .25 $2.00 

 .25 2.00 



George C Watson 



SEEDSMAN- 



Dobson BIdg., 9th and Market Sts., 

 Phiiadelphia 



^^W^ Other varieties of Sweet Peas at usual 

 market prices. 



c 



AULIFLOWER s 

 ABBAGE I 



MANGOLD, SWEDE, TURNIP J) 

 LILY OF THE VALLEY PIPS 



HJALMAR HARTMANM & GO, 



COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. 



