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HORTICULTURE 



August 22, 1914 



SEED TRADE 



AMEWCAN SEED TRADE AiSOClATMJN 



Offlcern— President. Lester L. Morse, 

 San Francisco. Calif.; Fir«t Vice-Preet- 

 dent. J. M. Lmpton, Mattituck, L. 1., 

 S«ond Vie^President. E; C- D^-K^- 

 Philadelphia, Pa.; Secretars and Tr»s 

 nrer C ■. Kendel. Cleveland, O.; As- 

 "ist^t Seeretary, S. F. WUlard, Jr., 

 Cleveland. O. 



Effect of War on Seed Trade. 



We assume that the trade in general 

 has considered the probable effects ot 

 the European war on their business. 

 It may be accepted at once that they 

 will get nothing from Germany or 

 Austria-Hungary, not only during the 

 continuance of the war, but tor a long 

 time after, as the demoralization of al 

 business systems, and the practical 

 annihilation of the German merchant 

 marine will prevent the exportation or 

 importation of anything but foodstuffs, 

 and for which the few ships escaping 

 capture or destruction will be urgently 

 needed. What we shall get from Great 

 Britain France, Denmark and Holland 

 is problematical. Until the seas are 

 cleared of hostile cruisers, commerce 

 will be restricted to bare necessities, 

 and the need of many ships as trans- 

 ports, and conversion of many of the 

 largest lines into cruisers or commerce 

 destroyers does not augur well for the 

 seedsmen getting delivery of their con- 

 tracts from any of the European coun- 

 tries. This will be most keenly felt in 

 the line of small seeds, particularly in 

 radishes and biennials, and flower 

 seeds, for excepting sweet peas, 

 Europe furnishes seventy-five to ninety 

 per cent of the flower seeds used in 

 the United States. It Is generally 

 known that many of our seedsmen 

 have placed large orders for garden 

 peas with German and British firms, 

 including New Zealand. The high cost 

 of producing peas in Montana. Idaho 

 and other Northwestern states, and 

 the lowering of the duty, has enabled 

 our German and British friends to un- 

 derbid American growers, thus secur- 

 ing a considerable volume of business. 

 It looks now as if those who are de- 

 pending on foreign contracts would do 

 well to face the situation as It Is, and 

 at least secure a part of their require- 

 ments before what seems now like an 

 Inevitable advance in prices occurs. 



It seems unlikely that such a seri- 

 ous situation can have escaped the at- 

 tention of the officers and directors of 

 the Wholesale Seedsmen's League, 

 and an early meeting to take suitable 

 action in the matter is not improbable. 

 A general advance on nearly all lines 

 seems 'inevitable, and we learn that 

 wholesalers are rather chary about 

 quoting on large quantities, and two 

 sets of quotations which we have been 

 permitted to see within ten days from 

 two of the leading wholesale houses, 



Pot-Grown 



show advances of 50 to 100 per cent, 

 over the prices of last season. 



Bean, Pea and Corn Crops. 



The condition of bean crops in 

 Western New York and Michigan was 

 very serious a week or ten days ago, 

 the result of many days of intense 

 heat and drought, but some rain which 

 fell over the bean-growing sections 

 within the past few days has greatly 

 relieved the situation, although there 

 is no question but that bean crops 

 have been Irretrievably damaged, and 

 that yields will fall far below last 

 spring's estimates. It also is certain 

 that peas will not give us the bumper 

 yields of a year ago, and the market 

 is growing stronger every day. This 

 is especially true of the long pod and 

 fancy early varieties. We advise any- 

 one who has to buy, to get busy, and 

 buy at any quotations made, as today's 

 prices will look low in sixty or ninety 

 days, and we believe this w'ill apply 

 to most items In seeds. Speaking of 

 crops, we must not overlook corn. The 

 prolonged drought has caused per- 

 manent damage, but further injury has 

 temporarily at least been arrested by 

 recent rains. With favorable weather 

 conditions from now until maturity, 

 the damage will not prove serious. 



Strawberry Plants 



;i^ :.hi»wi, Iti ilie cut are much 

 the liesl The roots are all 

 there - and yood roots, loo. 

 If set out in August and Sep- 

 tember will produce a crop 

 of berries next June 1 have the 

 finest slock of plants In the New 

 England States. Hend for CatO' 

 tootte and Price List 

 C. S. PRATT, Keadlng. Mass. 



Next Canners' Convention. 



Some weeks ago we stated that New 

 York City had been selected as the 

 place for holding the next convention 

 of the National Canners' Association 

 and allied Industries. Last week con- 

 tracts were closed. Grand Centra! 

 Palace will house the exhibits of the 

 Canning Machinery and Supplies As- 

 sociation, and Hotel Astor has been 

 chosen as official headquarters. We 

 understand that the management of 

 the Astor has promised the conven- 

 tion a minimum of four hundred 

 rooms. Those desiring rooms at the 

 headquarters should act quickly, as 

 they will not last long. The probable 

 date of the convention will be the 

 week beginning February 7th. 



Washington, D. C. — President Wil- 

 son has submitted to the Senate 

 the name of Carl Schurz Vroo- 

 man. of Bloomlngton, 111., as the 

 successor to Dr. Beverly T. Galloway 

 as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture 

 Mr. Vrooman was born October 2.5, 

 1872, in Macon, Mo., and his early 

 education was obtained in the middle 

 west. He attended Washburn College 

 in Topeka, Kan., going from there to 

 Harvard where he was a student from 

 1891 to 1894 and attained considerable 

 prestige as a member of the debating 

 club which met a similar club from 

 Yale University in 1893. Mr. Vrooman 

 sprang into national prominence fol- 

 lowing the year 1894 by his able ar- 

 ticles on political and economic ques- 

 tions. He is the author of "Taming 

 the Trusts." and "American Railway 

 Problems." and others of his articles 

 found their way Into the magazines. 

 At about this time he went abroad for 

 the purpose of investigating and writ- 

 ing upon conditions in Europe. Dur- 

 ing the years 1898 to 1900. he was a 

 regent ot the Kansas State Agricul- 

 tural College. At present he is en- 

 gaged in scientific farming on ' more 

 than two thousand acres of land in 

 central Illinois and Iowa. 



"^ I 



Mignonette Michell's Colossal 



sow NOW FOR FALL CROP 



A strain wliicli cannot be sur- 

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 •I'racle pkt.. 40c.; ?4.00 per oz. 



' Also all other Seasonable Seeds > 

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Seed Growers and Merchants 

 5 1 8 Market St.. - Phila 



NEW CROP SEEDS 



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 A«k for 1914 Catalognes 



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Seedsmen 

 47-S4 No Market St., BOSTON, MASS. 



"SEEDS WITH A LINEAGE" 



Seeds with a generation of finest 

 flowers and vegetables back of them 

 carefally selected — really tested. 

 Write today for Catalog. 



CARTER'S TESTED SEEDS, Inc. 



166 Chamber of Commerce Bldff. 

 Boston, MaNH. 



Burpee's Seeds 



PHILADELPHIA 



BLTTE LiIST OF WHOI.ESAI/E PRICKS 

 UATLED ONLY TO THOSE WHO PliANI 

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SUPERIOR GLADIOLI 



JOHN LEWIS CHILDS 



FLOWERFIELD, L. I., N. Y. 



