August 18, 1917 



HORTICULTURE 



19:t 



J^ISBMENTS. 



The House of MICHELL 



Extends a cordial invitation to every florist, seedsman, nur- 

 seryman and others attending the S. A. F. Convention. August 

 21 to 23 in New York, to visit their Philadelphia establishment. 

 518 Market Street — within one block of Independence Hall — and 

 their nurseries at Andalusia, Pa. (16 miles from Philadelphia). 



You will find there up-to-date establishments, where a reputa- 

 tion for thoroughness, progressiveness and reliability has car- 

 ried it to the front rank — as a leader In the horticultural and 

 agricultural world. 



Our warehouses at 518 Market Street, 509, 511 and 513 Lud- 

 low Street and 19. 21, 23 Bank Street are well stocked. Our 

 nurseries at Andalusia will no doubt interest you. There are 

 over tifty acres devoted to the growing of Hardy Perennials, 

 Cannas, Dahlias, Roses, etc. There j'ou will have an oppor- 

 tunity to see the famous "Oaks of Andalusia," one of which 

 is reputed to be from 800 to 900 years old, and the finest, most 

 perfect white oak in Pennsylvania, if not in the United States. 



We anticipate the pleasure of your visit and personal ac- 

 quaintance. Our representatives will be on hand at the Con- 

 vention to give any information they possess that might be 

 helpful. _.^Jli4!M 



MICHELL'S SEED HOUSE, Philadelphia 



518 MARKET STREET 



AMERICAN SEED TRADE ASSOCIATION 



Officers — President, F. AV. Bolgiano, 

 Washington. D. C. ; First Vice-President, 

 Wm. O. Scarlett, Baltimore, Md.; Second 

 Vice-President, David Burpee, Philadel- 

 pliia. Pa.; Secretary-Treasurer, C. E. 

 Kendel, Cleveland, O. 



The Potato Crop. 



"This year the United States planted 

 its potato crop from the poorest qual- 

 ity of seed that ever went into the 

 ground, and naturally the harvest will 

 he potatoes of poor quality. Strict 

 grading, careful packing, common 

 sense storage, and careful shipping 

 are necessary to insure Just returns to 

 the growers. A conference between 

 the potato growers, local authorities 

 and experts from the Pood Administra- 

 tion was held recently at Boston. A 

 plan of action was mapped out at this 

 meeting which includes the following: 



1. Marketing of only one-third of 

 the crop at harvest time: another 

 third in ninety days, or placing in 

 storage and later distributed as de- 

 mand affords opportunity; the remain- 

 ing third to be stored by the grower 

 and marketed throughout the year. 



2. All potatoes to be graded with 

 care, taking out culls, cuts, cracks and 

 any that are bruised. It was recom- 

 mended that a wire screen grader be 

 used — one and seven-eighths-inch mesh 

 for oblong tubers and two-inch mesh 

 for round ones. Graded stock then to 

 be placed in good two-bushel sacks — 

 one hundred and fifteen pounds to the 

 sack — and the sacks sewed tightly so 

 as to prevent shucking and bruising. 



3. Increasing the load in each rail- 

 road car from the normal 30,000 

 pounds to 45.000 or 50.0<ni pounds. 

 That these cars be unloaded within 

 twenty-four to thirty-six hours of their 

 arrival at destination. 



4. That municipalities and other 

 bodies provide storage for as large 

 quantities as possible at the peak of 

 the harvest. 



The prospect which the growers of 

 the New England group of states face 

 is that of handling 45,000,000 bushels 

 of potatoes — one-tenth of the entire 

 I'nited States crop^without causing 

 an overstocked market and the result- 

 ing loss of all profit on the crop. 



catalogs. No time should l)e lost by 

 members of the trade in writing their 

 Senators and Representatives so that 

 the amendment as made does not meet 

 with their approval." 



A Snag in the Amended Revenue Bill. 



We are informed by Chairman 

 W. F. Therkildson, of the Postal Laws 

 Committee of the American Seed 

 Trade Association, that he was in 

 error in his advice which we published 

 in our issue of August 11, relative to 

 the exemption of all catalogues from 

 the provisions of the amended Rev- 

 enue Bill. Mr. Therkildson now says: 



"In my first advice from Senator 

 Penrose he stated plainly, that cata- 

 logs had been exempted and that all 

 other parcel post matter four ounces 

 and under was exempted. Thinking 

 that Senator Penrose had given me 

 the right information, I immediately 

 wired you that catalogs had been ex- 

 empted. Having received the amend- 

 ment clause it shows plainly that the 

 intent of the bill is to exempt catalogs 

 of four ounces and under only. This 

 does not make the amended bill much 

 better than the original one. 



-A. direct effort should be made by 

 every member of the trade to have 

 all catalogs exempt. Please advise the 

 members to write to their Senators 

 and Representatives at once, advising 

 that the amendment is not satisfac- 

 tory, that all catalogs should be ex- 

 empted regardless of weight. They 

 are intended tor business getters and 

 it is extremely unfair to tax an effort 

 to get business. It is a direct blow at 

 business in the making. 



I am sorry that my information 

 caused me to convey an erroneous Im- 

 pression, but I acted immediately up- 

 on receipt of the information, which I 

 felt to be authentic, and as originally 

 worded the clause could be taken to 

 mean that catalogs were exempted. 

 It is a case of everyone getting busy 

 and showing that we are not satisfied 

 with the amendment. It must be a 

 case of fight for the exemption of all 



The Pea and Bean Situation. 

 It is evident that the crop of garden 

 peas is going to be short. The middle 

 west had too much rain. Farther out, 

 in Colorado, Montana and Idaho, 

 they were parched up by too much dry, 

 hot weather. California crops are 

 quite fair except on Lima, Kentucky 

 Wonder and some other beans but the 

 southern part of the state is still very 

 uncertain. Crop speculation is sus- 

 pected in some quarters. Common 

 field beans made money the past sea- 

 son. The farmer found easy money 

 on such material and kept shy on the 

 crops requiring careful culture with 

 the results that the latter will soar. 

 The farmer really thinks he has been 

 imposed upon hitherto and doesn't 

 propose to be guilty of selling too low^ 

 now. He has been patted on the back, 

 has had a taste of easy money and' 

 likes it. Then again the country Is 

 full of rogues and the temptation is 

 great. 



Onion Seed Crop Prospects in Canary 

 Islands. 



(Consul George K. Stiles. Teneriffe. June 20.) 

 The first picking of the onion seed' 

 crop began in the islands of Teneriffe, 

 La Palma, and Gomera on June 10" 

 and constituted the principal export 

 from the archipelago to the United 

 States. Reports from the growers 

 tend to show exceptionally good re- 

 sults, especially as regards the yellow 

 and red seed, which is said to exist In 

 abundance. 



The so-called white "wax" seed ap- 

 l)ears to have suffered slightly from 

 sun scorch or "pasado" as it is called 

 by growers. There seems no reason, 

 however, to apprehend any inability to 

 fill orders. The "secano" or unirri- 

 gated onion seed acreage has done 

 well, especially in La Palma Island,. 



