36-2 



AMERICAN SEH) TRADE ASSOCIATIOW 



Officers — President, Lester L.. Morse, 

 San Francisco, Calif.; First Vice-Presi- 

 dent. J. M. liupton, Mattltuck, L. I.; 

 Second Vice-President, E. C. Dnngan, 

 PhUadelphia, Pa.; Secretary and Treas- 

 urer, C. B. Kendel, Cleveland, O.; As- 

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

 Cleveiand, O. 



The Import Situation. 



Writing to you one week ago, Mr. 

 Editor, we did not use a very cheer- 

 ful tone about the import situation in 

 the seed trade. The advices received 

 during the past tew days do not re- 

 lieve the gloom. In fact they rather 

 accentuate it. We hear, for instance, 

 of 60 per cent of the flower of the seed 

 houses of Europe, being called to the 

 front; of crops unharvested: of trans- 

 portation stopped; of general collapse 

 and stagnation. 



This applies not only to the bellig- 

 erents but to a large extent also to the 

 neutral nations. We have got our 

 French bulbs all right and a large part 

 of our Dutch. But how many more 

 will we get? The ocean lanes may be 

 free but how about the other condi- 

 tions? How about the transportation 

 from field to warehouse and seaport. 

 As far as can be seen now we are fac- 

 ing a situation that calls for patience 

 wisdom, philosophy, from everybody. 



The Cheapest Commodity. 



One distinguished Englishman 

 writes that most of his men have gone 

 and that nearly all his horses were 

 commandeered. He was allowed three 

 hundred dollars a head for the horses, 

 but nothing for the men. Another 

 thing that seemed to loom large in his 

 mind was that there would be no 

 pheasant shooting this year. The sit- 

 uation over there seems to be like 

 what the old fishwife described in the 

 "Antiquary:" "Herrings are dearer 

 than men's lives." And the price of a 

 pound of Agrostis stolonifera will be 

 more considered than two hundred 

 pounds of human being. Such is the 

 madness of a mad world! 



The Deluge. 



The tremendous cost to every na- 

 tion, neutral or combatant, both in the 

 destruction of commerce and the feed- 

 ing of fighting men is so great at this 

 stage of the world's civilization and 

 the nations are so interdependent on 

 each other that it looks to an unpreju- 

 diced onlooker that the whole ghastly 

 calamity must collapse in short order 

 for lack of provender — or as Dugald 

 Dalgethy put it "Provant." The very 

 bigness of it must tend to bust it. 



Humanity. 



In the meantime we all suffer, 

 whether engaged in export or import, 

 for we all gain by both operations and 

 not on one only as many suppose. This 

 is a time to try men's souls and it be- 

 hooves everybody to keep their heads 

 level and their emotions under con- 

 trol; also to he willing to forget self- 

 interest for a wliile and be for once 

 real men in the brotherhood of men — 

 "each for all and all for each." 



Geoi<(:k C. W.msox. 



HOETICULTUKE 



European Seed Outlook. 



In a recent issue of Horticulti ke 

 we called attention to the possibility 

 of American seedsmen receiving no 

 seeds from Europe for the coming sea- 

 son's trade. It seemed a practical cer- 

 tainty that we would get nothing from 

 Germany or Austria-Hungary, but 

 there did seem a fair prospect of get- 

 ting these stocks usually supplied by 

 Great Britain, and possibly from 

 France, Denmark and Holland. Dur- 

 ing a war waged with the savage en- 

 ergy characterizing the one now rag- 

 ing in Europe, changes are of kaleido- 

 scopic rapidity, and it now looks ex- 

 tremely doubtful of getting any stock 

 from France, and only a little less 

 doubtful from Holland and Denmark. 

 Up to within two weeks, Mr. Dicks, of 

 Cooper-Taber Co., was very optimis- 

 tic as to shipments from Great Britain, 

 assuring his customers that there was 

 scarcely a doubt of our seedsmen get- 

 ting their usual supplies from the 

 British Isles. Mr. Dicks generally ex- 

 tends his American tour into late a\i- 

 tumn, but he is already about to sail 

 for home, and before going expressed 

 his conviction that some seeds may 

 get through from Great Britain, but 

 that anything approaching the quanti- 

 ties ordered will be received, looks 

 like the long end of a good betting 

 proposition. Under such conditions 

 we repeat what we said in our issue 

 of two weeks ago, that anyone who 

 has to buy. should act on any quota- 

 tions named now by a reliable dealer, 

 as few it any of us fully appreciate the 

 gravity of the situation. Should we 

 have to rely wholly on stocks on hand, 

 values of many items are likely •" 

 reach a higher level than ever known 

 before, for it will surely dawn on every 

 wholesaler that not only for the sea- 

 son of 1914-1.5, but for 1915-16 there 

 will be little or nothing from Europe 

 and particularly in biennials, as few 

 if any stocks for 1915 seeding will be 

 saved. This country has but a small 

 quantity of stocks for seeding in 1915. 

 and but few items at that, and it will 

 require from two to four years to meet 

 the requirements. About the only bi- 

 ennials produced in this country in 

 suIRcient quantities to be a factor in 

 the general situation, are garden beets, 

 carrots, salsify, onions and perhaps 

 turnips and celery. What percentage 

 of these go to make up the grand to- 

 tal we are unable to say at this time. 

 We are advised that Mr. Dicks and the 

 representative of David Sachs & Co. 

 booked orders for considerable quan- 

 tities of garden peas as also field peas. 

 These will not be shipped and should 

 Xew Zealand follow the lead of the 

 mother country, there will be a consid- 

 erable vacuum for American seed 

 Growers to fill in the line of peas. 

 Inability to get any of the German 

 grown field peas, will cause what are 

 known as "Canada Field" to reach 

 almost prohibitive prices. 



September 5, 1914 



Local Conditions. 



There have been no material 

 changes in crop conditions since our 

 last report, but the very warm weath- 

 er of the past week will greatly bene- 

 fit late corn and in fact most late 

 crops. 



Most of the seedsmen are home 

 from more or less restful vacations, 

 and are carefully studying their inven- 

 tories to learn what shorts they must 





' I Nu) iinil Silt'. 



Michell's Mignonette 



"COLOSSAL'' 



A strain which canuot 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 Seeds ' 

 I and Supplies for the Florist > 



HENRY F. MICHELL CO. 



Seed Growers and Merchants 



518 Market St., - Phila. 



cover, and by the way, it seems to us 

 it would be wise to get busy. There 

 are rumors already, that several 

 houses which usually issue wholesale 

 |irice lists are seriously considering 

 omitting them next year, and they are 

 among the best informed in the trade 

 as to general conditions. Make note! 



Notes. 



Denver, Col.— The liarteldes Seed 

 Co. will open a retail seed store at 

 821 Fifteenth street about September 

 1st. 



Rumors have reached us that the 

 old established nursery, seed and plant 

 establishment of .T. Backhouse & Son, 

 York, England, is in financial difficul- 

 ties. 



The following communication from 



