330 



HORTICULTURE 



August 29, 1914 



SEED TRADE 



The catalogue men are having their 

 own troubles just now. First sections 

 of the December editions usually go 

 to press in August, but while all was 

 ready as in former years the war in 

 Europe came along and the question 

 arose whether to re-arrange the pages 

 — omitting impossible items — or to 

 make an errata insert. The latter 

 seems to have most advocates; but in 

 large editions the reductions in num- 

 ber of pages counts a good deal when 

 the matter of postage is considered. 



Another puzzler is the zone system. 

 Whether to make a flat rate as in the 

 old days of the eight-cents-a-pound; 

 or quote according to distance. The 

 main objection to the latter course 

 seems to be that prospective buyers 

 do not enjoy doing a lot of figuring 

 to get at the cost, consequently the 

 house that quotes a flat rate would be 

 likely to get the business. There 

 might be a loss in a few cases, but 

 the gain in other directions would 

 more than make up for that. The 

 mail-order business owes its success 

 very largely to the ease and sympli- 

 city of ordering with the all important 

 proviso of price delivered. Firms like 

 Sears, Roebuck & Co., never could 

 have built up their wonderful busi- 

 ness without that feature. 



Latest advices from the fancy grass- 

 seed districts in Holland give a rather 

 gloomy view of the situation owing 

 to the transportation difficulties in 

 moving the seed in the rough from the 

 fields to the warehouses tor cleaning 

 and putting in marketable shape. Some 

 items will undoubtedly be very short 

 and this combined with the no sup- 

 ply at all from Germany sources is 

 sure to put an abnormal strain on 

 the Holland supplies. Messrs. Baren- 

 brug. Burgers & Co., writing under 

 date of August 14 state that things 

 are all upset, but that they are strain- 

 ing every nerve to meet the situation 

 and will do everything humanly pos- 

 sible to satisfy all demands. Natur- 

 ally they may be expected to give 

 the preference to their old and steady 

 customers first; but without prejudice 

 to any. As is already well known the 

 financial situation over there is very 

 acute and bankers have curtailed their 

 usual accommodations. Business is 

 being done on an absolutely cash basis. 

 This means a great curtailment unless 

 the credit system can be again estab- 

 lished and there seems little hope of 

 that at present. 



Geobge C. Watson. 



In sustaining a protest by Henry & 

 "Lee, the Board of General Appraisers 

 holds that fern balls are not to be re- 

 garded as nursery or greenhouse stock 

 as assessed by the Collector, but are 

 entitled to enter at the rate of 20 per 

 cent, ad valorem as unenumerated 

 manufactured articles. The Collector's 

 assessment at the rate of 25 per cent, 

 ad valorem is reversed. 



WATER HYACINTH AS A FIBER 

 PRODUCER. 



(Consul Gener.il Georp:e E. Anderson, 



Hongkong, China.) 

 As a result of the usual spread of 

 the water hyacinth (KUhornia cras- 



sipes) in the waters of Cambodia and 

 other portions of Indo-China there has 

 been considerable investigation in that 

 colony as to possible uses the plants 

 could be put to as a means of clearing 

 the rivers for navigation. 



In connection with the discussion a 

 French professor named Perrot has an- 

 nounced to the Chamber of Commerce 

 at Saigon the results of experiments 

 he has made with the plant as a fiber 

 producer. He has extracted the fiber 

 from the stock by means of a Duche- 

 man machine and finds that after dry- 

 ing, preferably by gradual process, it 

 can be made into serviceable rope and 

 twine as well as coarse thread suitable 

 for matting and sailcloth, and its use 

 in Indo-China particularly is possible 

 in bags for rice and other grain ex- 

 ports in place of the jute bags now 

 imported. On a native loom it affords 

 a strong flexible cloth of about the 

 same quality as jute. The fiber takes 

 dyes readily and has high tenacity. Its 

 weight is about the same as that of 

 jute, but can be reduced by treatment 

 with chrome alum, which makes the 

 product waterproof. By the process 

 followed and carried out by native 

 workers 100 kilos (220 pounds avoir- 

 dupois) of green stems yields 4.5 kilos 

 (9.9 pounds) of fiber, as compared 

 with from 3.5 to 4 per cent of fiber 

 from sisal. 



LOOKS LIKE A RASCAL. 



New Brunswick, Aug. 14. — A term 

 of three months in the county 

 jail and a fine of $200 was the sentence 

 imposed yesterday afternoon upon Oli- 

 ver J. Ris3 by Judge Peter F. Daly on 

 a charge of selling bad seed to farm- 

 ers. There were two indictments 

 against him. The State Agricultural 

 Experiment Station assisted in prepar- 

 ing the case against him. 



Farmers throughout Mercer. Hunter- 

 don. Bergen, Somerset and Middlesex 

 comities were interested in this case. 

 It was alleged by the state that Rice 

 had sold millet and clover seed for No 

 1 red clover. He had paid $1.75 a 

 bushel for the millet and had sold it 

 as red clover for $10 a bushel, it was 

 said. Harvey S. Clayton and Harvey 

 S. Dey of Dayton testified yesterday to 

 buying the seed. Neither had planted 

 it after it had been analyzed. 



The testimony showed that Rice had 

 been operating in Middlesex County at 

 Jamesburg, Rhode Hall. Spotswood. 

 Cranbury, Plainsboro and Monmouth 

 Junction. Rice did not take the stand, 

 his counsel, August C. Streitwolf. de- 

 claring that he did not want his client 

 to give any information to the State 

 seed analyst. — Newark, N. J.. Evening 



Xeics. — 



A FRAUD. 



We have been notified that a young 

 man has been operating in Massachu- 

 setts, claiming to be a grandson of Pe- 

 ter Henderson, and has succeeded in 

 obtaining money from some florists. 

 He is a fraud pure and simple and the 

 trade should be warned against him. 

 Peter He.nderson & Co. 



It is our BUSINESS to supply 

 you with 



SUPERIOJ[GLADIOU 



JOHN LEWIS CHILDS 



FLOWERFIELD, L. I., N. Y. 





Michell's Mignonette 



"COLOSSAL" 



A strain which c.inuot be sur- 

 passed for forcing; a robust 

 grower, and produces immense 

 flower spikes. Our seeds are saved 

 from greenhouse grown speci- 

 mens and give splendid results. 

 Trade pkt., 40c. ; $4.00 per oz. 



Also all other Seasonable beeds 

 and Supplies for the Florist 



HENRY F. MICHELL CO. 



Seed Growers and Merchants 



518 Market St., - Phila. 



NEW CROP SEEDS 



FOB FLORISTS 



Ask for 1914 CataloKoes 



Joseph Breck & Sons Corp. 



HecdHDoeD 



•47-54 No. Market St.. BOSTON, MASS. 



"SEEDS WITH A LINEAGE" 



Seed* with a generation of flneit 

 flowers and vegetables back of tbem— 

 carefBlly selected— really te«ted. 

 Write today for Catalnc 



CARTER'S TESTED SEEDS, Inc. 



166 Chamber of Commerce Bide 

 Bofltnn. MaHH. 



Burpee's Seeds 



PHILADELPHIA 



BLUE LIST OF WHOI.ESALK PRICES 



MAILED ONLY TO THOSE WHO PLANT 



FOB PROFIT. 



