February 13, 1915 



HORTICULTURE 



213 



SEED TRADE 



AMERICAN SEED TRADE ASSOCIATIOW 



Offlrt-rK — Presklrnt. L«iitrr L. Morac, 

 San Franrinro. Cttlil.; Firnt TIcc-PfmI- 

 dent. J. M. Lupton, Mattituck. L. I.j 

 gerond VI('«-t>r<>Niilrnt. K. C. Donzan, 

 Fblladelphia, Pa.: Sr<-rptary and Treas- 

 ■rer. C. E. Kendfl. CIrTeland. O. ; A»- 

 •iRtant Swretary, 8. F. WlJUard, Jr., 

 Cleveland, O. 



General Business. 



The mail order houses report busi- 

 ness as rather unsatisfactory, and 

 place the blame largely on the weath- 

 er, which is doubtless just. We have 

 had a wretched brand of weather 

 since the first of the year, with com- 

 paratively few bright, pleasant days 

 Interspersed; and if weather prophets 

 are to be believed, we are destined to 

 experience something worse than has 

 yet happened. However, we will not 

 borrow trouble, even though prophets 

 are abroad in the land. The business 

 of the general trade is rather slow. 

 Growers are reporting a fair future 

 business, but as a rule are somewhat 

 disappointed because orders are small- 

 er than for the past few years. Gen- 

 eral wholesale business is at pretty 

 much of a standstill, but this is no 

 exception at thfs season of the year. 

 When the trade becomes really busy 

 it is generally believed that many 

 shorts will develop, and that there 

 will be considerable activity in a 

 wholesale way in spot goods. 



Pea Shortage. 



There are more or less authentic 

 rumors of a great shortage in the pi,a 

 crop of New Zealand. Also other 

 rumors that the government there in- 

 tends to lay an embargo on thf ex- 

 port of legumes. The purpose evi- 

 dently is to prevent the export of 

 anything that will aid the foreign 

 food supplies. If this statement 

 proves to be correct, many Canadian 

 and some American houses will be on 

 the short side on peas. In this con- 

 nection, it is known that an embargo 

 on exports of seeds from France has 

 been laid by the French gov.'rnment. 

 It is not definitely known whether the 

 embargo applies to all seeds, but a 

 reasonable supposition would be that 

 it_ does not apply to flower ;;epds, or 

 such other seeds as can not be used as 

 edibles. Advices by mail from the 

 French seed houses are anxiously 

 awaited by the trade in this country. 



Seed Trade Convention. 



The Convention of the Aiiifrican 

 Seed Trade Association we are ad- 

 vised is to be held in San Francisco, 

 June 22 next. Already many sefids- 

 men are making plans to attend. Due 

 plan discussed now is for a number 

 to meet in Chicago about a wpek prior 

 to the Convention and go via the Sau- 

 ta Fe, which will enable them to visit 

 the Grand Canyon. Others want to 

 have their tickets read via San Di<;go. 

 It Is said that the people of San Die- 

 go have an exhibition of their own 

 which, while not nearly as extensive 

 as the Panama-Pacific Exhibition at 

 San Francisco, has been described as 

 quite as unique and beautiful It is 

 understood that President Lester 



HARRY A. BUNYARD 



BEGS to announce that he has decided to start 

 in business on his owti account, trusting that 

 he will receive the same support from his friends as 

 in the past. 



Temporary address 131 West 28th Street, 

 New York City. 



HARRY A. BUNYARD 



Morse will make arrangements at the 

 hotels for all who contemplate at- 

 tending the convention; although it 

 will be necessary to advise him in ad- 

 vance of the reservations wanted, and 

 the price the visitor is willing to pay. 



Future Beans and Peas. 



Most growers of peas and beans 

 have found an eager and ready de- 

 mand for future beans, but the orders 

 for peas have been on the whole rather 

 unsatisfactory both from seedsmen 

 and canners. The prices at which 

 the so-called canners' varieties are 

 offered by the growers are little, if 

 any, above cost, and it would seem to 

 us an exceedingly unwise course for 

 those who are going to require seed 

 not to place their orders now. A new 

 feature has developed which will 

 probably make the seed growers more 

 independent, and that is the export 

 demand for dried peas. We are ad- 

 vised that more than one hundred 

 thousand bushels of dried peas liave 

 been shipped from Wii^consin within 

 the last three months, and the ship- 

 ments continue It is believed that 

 before the new crop of pea seeti is 

 harvested, there will be nothing 

 left in the way of dried peas in Wis- 

 consin except such varieties as are be- 

 ing carried for seed purposes, and 

 many varieties ordinarily grown for 

 seed purposes will be disposed of. 



At the present time growers can 

 get more for their peas for export 

 than the prices they are quoting to 

 canners, and there is already some 

 talk among the larger growers of can- 

 celling all quotations on future can- 

 ners' varieties because of the present 

 and prospective demand for export. 

 This would look like good business on 

 the part of the growers, and thus can- 

 ners who have not yet bought their 

 future requirements may have to pay 

 a heavy premium for their procras- 

 tination, although the lesson would be 

 lost because the first year that seed 

 can be bought at contract prices after 

 harvest will make them forget any 

 number of years they have had to pay 

 heavy premiums. 



The exhibition of canning machinery 

 at the Grand Central Palace was quite 

 a revelation to thousands who visited 

 the exhibition. The general public 

 was not admitted. Only those receiv- 

 ing tickets which were issued to the 

 wholesale grocers and by them dis- 

 tributed among their retail customers, 

 who in turn later distributed them 

 among their customers, were ad- 

 mitted. The local seed trade about 

 New York received complimentary 

 tickets from the president of the 

 Canning Machinery & Supplies Associ- 

 ation, W. C. Langbridge. The seed 

 trade has been honored by his elec- 

 tion to the presidency, which he has 

 held for the past two years. 



The novelty of the exhibits was gen- 

 erally appreciated by the trade, the 

 chief novelty being an exhibition of 

 moving pictures showing the canning 

 of fruits, vegetables and tuna fish. 

 The pictures started, in the case of 

 the fruits, showing peaches on the 

 trees; showing them being picked, 

 and all the various processes up to 

 the finished product ready to go on 

 the shelves of the retail grocer. It 

 was the same with the asparagus, the 

 peas and the tuna. The latter is one 

 of the most interesting pictures, show- 

 ing the method of catching tlie fish 

 which seemed to be very h\ingry for 

 no sooner was a line thrown in the 

 water than a fish was hooked. These 

 pictures proved one of the most in- 

 teresting features of the exhibition, 

 and the room where they were shown 

 was crowded every afternoon. 



Not a "Seed IVI end leant." 

 Editor of Horticultuke: 



Dear Sir: — Though seeds from the 

 free seed distribution reach me, I ob- 

 ject to being called a "seed mendi- 

 cant." I did not ask foi' tliosi' sr( ils. — ■ 



Canners' Convention. 



The CaTincrs' Convention which has 

 been held in New York the past week 

 has drawn a very large attendance. 



A HANDY TOOL FOR CUTTING GLASS 



"RED DEVIL" No. 6 



Has ilx whrelt Id tba handle and 



o\ittjists six ordin.'iry jrliifla cutters In 

 otllcti'ncy nnd ot-onomy. Sent postpaid 

 for r^O cents. Ilooklet on re<iuo.st. 



SMITH & HEMENWAY CO. 



181 Chamber* St., New York City. 



