760 



HORTICULTURE 



November 28, 1914 



i 



THE BEST EVER 



That's what everybody exclaims on seeing the splendid stock now ready for shipment in our plant houses 



Cyclamen Are Superb. Lorraine and Cincinnati Begonias Can't Be 



Beaten Anywhere. Ardisias Have Never Been So Fine; Loaded 



With Berries Already Well Colored Up. 



Order Your Holiday Stock Now and Have It Shipped Before Freezing Weather Sets In. 

 Prices per doz., per 100, per 1000, on application. 



JULIUS ROEHRS CO., Rutherford, N. J. 



SEED TRADE 



AMERICAN SEED TRADE ASSOCUTK» 



Offlrers — Presid«'nt, lister L. Morse, 

 San Francisco, Calif.; I'irst Vice-Presi- 

 dent, J. .M. Lupton. Mattitack, L,. 1.; 

 Second Vice-Presiilent, E. C. DanRan, 

 Philadelptiia, Pa.; Secretary and Treas- 

 orer, C. E. Kendel. Cleveland, O.; As- 

 sistant Secretary, S. F. WUlard, Jr., 

 Cleveland, O. 



Faulty Conclusions. 



The Country Gentlemen of Oct. 31st 

 contained an article on tlie European 

 seed situation wliich shows that the 

 writer went to considerable pains to 

 fortify his position with statistics, but 

 like most persons who undertake to 

 treat a matter they are not familiar 

 with, this writer's conclusions are in 

 many instances misleading. 



We have pointed out in Hohtrti.- 

 TUBE that the seed situation another 

 year is liable to be embarrassing to 

 dealers in this country, especially on 

 biennials, but we have not looked for 

 any very serious difficulty in meeting 

 all ordinary demands the coming sea- 

 son. If one were to take the conclu- 

 sions of the writer of the article in 

 The Country Gentleman as facts, it 

 would certainly be cause for one of 

 anxiety on the part of the American 

 seed trade, but ways and means some- 

 times quite unexpected have been 

 found to meet nearly all situations con- 

 fronting the trade from time to time, 

 and we believe they will get by the 

 present crisis without any great de- 

 moralization. We expect to see prices 

 very materially higher but not so high 

 as to constitute a very serious hard- 

 ship, and should the European war 

 continue for two or three years this 

 country would be in position to supply 

 all standard and necessary varieties of 

 seeds, especially in the vegetable line. 

 There are a few varieties of flower 

 seeds that require so much patience, 

 care and experience to produce suc- 

 cessfully that we have doubts whether 

 any of our growers would be quite 

 equal to meet the demand. None of 

 these matters are necessities, and can 

 readily be dispensed with. Only those 

 seedsmen who make a specialty of 

 dealing in this class of goods would 

 feel the loss seriously. 



Canners' Convention Matters. 



We are advised that at a recent 

 meeting of the Board of Directors of 

 the Canning Machinery and Supplies 

 Association, it was decided by resolu- 

 tion of the Board to prohibit the giv- 

 ing away of souvenirs at Machinery 

 Hall during the period of the annual 

 Canners' Convention. This prohibition 

 applies to only one year and will be 

 open to discussion before the Conven- 

 tion of 1916 is held. Very few of the 

 seed trade will be affected by this de- 

 cision and we imagine it will meet 

 with the general approval. A test 

 vote was taken of the members, and 

 those who favored the giving of sou- 

 venirs proved a very small percentage 

 of the total membership and it is be- 

 lieved that after one year's trial that 

 this small number will be converts to 

 the present decision. There were 

 many protests against the adoption of 

 the uniform booth but we are told 

 that after one year's trial not one of 

 the exhibitors would care to go back 

 to the old style. It is impossible lo 

 adopt any new or radical change that 

 will be unanimously approved, but if 

 the proposed change is practical and 

 beneficial as a whole, it will generally 

 commend itself even to the original 

 objectors. 



The Bean Situation. 



About th^'' only important crop con- 

 cerning which there is any doubt is 

 beans. We have once or twice called 

 attention to the wide differences in the 

 percentages which the various grow- 

 ers estimated they would be able to 

 deliver, and as the situation develops 

 it turns out much as we expected, that 

 tho=;e who estimated high percentages 

 have been compelled to lower their 

 figures, not once but several times, 

 many dropping fully ,50 per cent, from 

 the oricinal estimates. Undoubtedly 

 this will satisfy even the doubters 

 that bepns are really very scarce, par- 

 ticularly wax varieties, the stringless 

 green-pods and the Black Valentine. 

 This latter variety we are informed 

 has been quoted recently as high as 

 $7.00 per bushel and it is thought that 

 this is not yet the top of the market. 

 Several of the wax varieties have been 

 quoted at even higher figures and are 

 not procurable excepting in very limit- 

 ed quantities. 



San Francisco's Prospects. 



We have been endeavoring to learn 

 the sentiment of the trade with refer 



ence to holding the next Convention 

 of the American Seed Association in 

 California. While the information we 

 have is not conclusive, it shows that 

 the west is pronouncedly in favor of 

 California, while the east is about 

 equally divided. The executive com- 

 mittee which has power to decide the 

 matter does not meet until sometime 

 in January and it is not known how 

 the members feel individually about 

 going to California, though it is be- 

 lieved the majority of the committee 

 favor it. Some fears have been ex- 

 pressed of extortions being practiced 

 by hotels in San Francisco (as the con- 

 vention would undoubtedly be held 

 there) but w-e believe these fears are 

 not w-ell founded. President Morse 

 will, no doubt, make all necessary ar- 

 rangements to locate the members at 

 some first-class hotel where the rates 

 will be about normal and most cer- 

 tainly he would not tolerate anything 

 approaching extortion; therefore we 

 believe the members may divest them- 

 selves of all fears in this respect. 



California Seed Notes. 



California seed dealers report a 

 strong demand from the east for string 

 bean seed. The crop here has been 

 light, and as they have little to offer. 

 high prices prevail. Red onion seed 

 is also scarce and high. Most of the 

 bulb houses are getting well cleaned 

 up on Dutch bulbs, and say the busi- 

 ness in this line has been very satis- 

 factory. Stock is now coming in of 

 some Japanese iris, Japanese lilies, 

 etc. These are meeting with a good 

 demand, and it is expected that prac- 

 tically everything will be cleaned up 

 within another month. Planting has 

 been quite heavy, for private gardens 

 and public parks, as well as by the 

 market nurseries. Some of the nur- 

 sery firms across the Bay have made 

 arrangements with many owners of 



OY^y- AU 1^ /A* WtUA^ 



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RED DEVIL GLASS CUTTER No. 3 in 1 



lias 3 wheels in the he.id, cutting 3 

 grades of glass— thin, medium and 

 thick, with equal facility. Comes with 

 a kid case. Sent on receipt of 12 cents 

 8tanips, Booklet on request. 



SMITH & HEMENAVAY CO. 



l«l Chambers St., New York City. 



