286 



HOKTICULTURE 



August 28, 1915 



SEED TRADE 



AMERICAN SEED TRADE ASSOCIATION 



Officers — President, J. M. Lnpton, 

 Mattitucit, L. 1., N. Y.; First Vice-Presi- 

 dent, Kirbjr B. VVIiite, Detroit, Micb. ; 

 Second Vice-President, F. W. Uolgiano, 

 Wasbin^on, U. C; Secretary-Treasurer, 

 C. E. Keoilel, Cleveland, O. ; Assistant 

 Secretary, 8. F. WUIard, Jr., Cleveland, 

 O. Cincinnati, O., next meetlne place. 



Beans Deteriorating. 



Reports reaching us within a few 

 days indicate that the bean crop is 

 deteriorating every day, and this ap- 

 plies particularly to wax pod sorts, al- 

 though green pods are also hard hit. 

 This situation has been brought about 

 as a result of excessive rains, and the 

 damage comes so late there seems lit- 

 tle hope of recovering. In fact, there 

 is none, and if deterioration should 

 cease now the crop situation would be 

 almost as serious as last year. 



There is much pessimism about 

 corn, and it will require a long open 

 autumn free from frost to mature the 

 crop. Both growers and dealers are 

 reluctant to accept orders for this sea- 

 son's crop, or even old corn, as it is 

 liable to be worth much more a few 

 months hence. The same may be said 

 of beans and peas, particularly beans. 

 We may say here that the reports on 

 the bean crops given herewith are 

 mainly from Michigan, and while our 

 information is not as authentic, we be- 

 lieve conditions in New York State are 

 little better. In fact it would be an ill 

 informed or rash grower or dealer who 

 would accept orders for beans in the 

 present circumstances. These dealers 

 who liave failed to cover their require- 

 ments will pay heavy toll for their pro- 

 crastination, and they will find little 

 sympathy anywhere. 



Tomatoes. 



Tomatoes are very late but there is 

 little cause for anxiety here. A total 

 failure of the crop no doubt would 

 prove embarassing, but that is wholly 

 improbable, and a considerable shrinlt- 

 age in the output of both seed and 

 canned tomatoes would be far from an 

 unmixed evil. It is regrettable that a 

 considerable shortage did not occur in 

 canned peas and the seed, also, of the 

 canning varieties. 



This is a good time for jobbing 

 houses to go slowly. Crop conditions 

 affecting most staples produced in this 

 country are either bad or doubtful, 

 while the European situation is an un- 

 known quantity. 



Crop Report on Dutch Vegetable Seeds. 

 The annual crop-report of Sluis & 

 Groot, seedgrowers and merchants, of 

 Enkhuizen, Holland, has been received 

 In which they state that although the 

 winter was very mild but a small per- 

 centage of the biennials did set seed, 

 generally speaking. By a continuous 

 wet period in the preceding autumn, 

 the plants were much weakened and 

 the following spring brought no recov- 

 ery for even then the weather was not 

 at all favorable. Drought, cold and, 

 worst of all. considerable frost in May 

 and June kept the vegetation back- 

 ward and many items could not be re- 

 planted, and under the circumstances 

 many growers simply ploughed up 

 those poor looking fields. They con- 



clude that there will be in almost all 

 articles a shortage more or less. Of 

 the following items tliey give a more 

 detailed account. 



Cauliflower — .Scarcely better than aver- 

 nae. 



Caliliage and Red Cabbage — Small plant- 

 ings in general aud some varieties almost 

 totally (ailing, especially Red Cabbage. 



Savoy, Brussels Sprouts and Borecole — 

 Little l>etter than the foregoing. 



Turnip and Swedes — SutBciently planted 

 but much pbiughed up. In some districts 

 the seed-pods are fearfully eaten by worms. 

 Wany sorts will give l)ut a small crop. 



Kohlrabi — Almost total failure. 



Mangels and Sugar Beets — Although the 

 stand is fair and in some places good, the 

 total yield will be small. 



Beets — As with Mangels and Sugar Beets, 

 much has been lost in consequence of the 

 persistent drought, especially on the light 

 grounds. 



Radish and Winter Radish — Small acre- 

 age; though the stand may be considered 

 good, the crop will not answer the usual 

 demand. 



Onion — Dutch flat yellow excepted, all 

 sorts fail, so to speak. Of the Dutch 

 blood-red there is some left, but Zlttau Is 

 a total failure. Up till now the stand of 

 what is left is very good. 



Garlic Bulbs— Small acreage. Stand 

 pretty good. 



Parsley— Sufficiently sown, but only little 

 remained. Here and there very weak In 

 consequence of the drought. 



Chervil— Very little left. Average stand. 



Spinach— We expect in general but a 

 small crop. 



Cucumber— Of our local sorts scarcely 

 sufficient is planted, of others very little. 

 In some districts late frosts have done 

 much harm. Generally speaking the stand 

 is poor. 



Peas— Extraordlnarllv small acreage, es- 

 pecially little of the wrinkled varieties. 

 Average stand. There Is a general expecta- 

 tion of a small crop. 



Dwarf Beans- The variety "Best of All," 

 white seeded, was sown on a very large 

 scale. Of other leading sorts the acreages 

 are scarcely normal and of the by-sorts 

 even very small. Up till the present the 

 stand Is pretty good, on average. 



Running Beans— Very small plantings, 

 especially of the improved long-podded 

 sorts. 



Broad Beans— Insignificant area sown. 

 Stand not bad. 



Parsnip— Small plantation. Stand not 

 bad. 



Scorzonera— Average plantation. Stand 

 good. 



Cornsalad— Dutch large seeded was but 

 little sown. Of the other varieties only 

 small patches, which look well 



Celery— Very small crop. 



Flower Seeds— In consequence of the per- 

 sistent drought in spring and even partly 

 still in summer, planting conditions were 

 very bad for the Annuals and scarcely a 

 middling-crop is to be expected. The sown 

 articles have partly suffered from late 

 frosts, especially Nasturtiums. Nasturtium 

 Tom Thumb Insufficient. Mav he Nastur- 

 tium Tall may produce a middling crop 

 Myosotls and some other Biennials did not 

 very well run to seed. The Perennials 

 promise a good average crop. 



Spades Versus Shovels. 



The Treasury Department has made 

 a ruling that is expected to go a long 

 way toward solving the perplexities of 

 customs men regarding the difference, 

 for classification purposes, of spades 

 and shovels. Up to this time there has 

 been a wide variation in the practice 

 at the several ports in returning these 

 articles for duty. It is announced that 

 following an investigation the depart- 

 ment has decided upon these rules: 



Spades, both long-handled and D- 

 handled and whether polished or 

 black, are chiefly used for agricultural 

 purposes, while ordinary shovels, both 

 polished and black, and whether long- 

 handled or D-handled, are chiefly used 

 for purposes other than agriculture. In 

 view of this conclusion, customs of- 

 ficials will hereafter pass free of duty 

 as agricultural implements, under Par- 

 agraph 391, spades of the kinds men- 

 tioned above, while shovels, either pol- 



ished or black, long-handled or D-han- 

 dled, are to be assessed at 20 per cent, 

 ad valorem as manufactures of metal, 

 under Paragraph 167. 



Notes, 

 Montgomery, Ala. — Greil Bros. Co. 

 will open a wholesale seed department 

 about September 1. 



The value of imports of horticul- 

 tural material at the Port of New York 

 for week ending August 14 is given as 

 follows: Grass seed, $15,478; palm 

 seed, $583; trees and plants, $22,373. 



TO PROMOTE SOIL FERTILITY 

 KNOWLEDGE. 



Believing that they can render ma- 

 terial assistance in the upbuilding and 

 maintaining of soil fertilizers, the Chi- 

 cago Feed & Fertilizer Co. have em- 

 ployed practical greenhouse men in 

 their research and laboratory depart- 

 ment, and in the handling of corres- 

 pondence pertaining to questions aris- 

 ing on soil requirements and plant 

 foods. 



Their object is to demonstrate the 

 practicability of making up soil mix- 

 tures and build up soils that are defi- 

 cient in plant foods through the addi- 

 tion of fertilizers or commercial man- 

 ures as the season progresses. In con- 

 nection with this work they are taking 

 into consideration the uses of stable 

 manures and legumes, supplemented 

 by commercial manures that carry 

 nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash 

 and also the scientific uses of florlcul- 

 tural lime to meet the greenhouse 

 soil's particular needs. 



This work is under the direction of 

 J. E. Pollworth. who has surrounded 

 himself with graduates of the floricul- 

 tural course of the University of Illi- 

 nois and Massachusetts, also three 

 leading growers who have held re- 

 sponsible positions with large green- 

 house establishments and who are 

 well versed in the practical uses of 

 commercial manures as practiced at 

 this time among the most successful 

 greenhouse establishments. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



S. G. Harris. Tarrytown, N. Y.— 

 Price List of Fall Bargains in Fall 

 Planting Stock— Including Trees, Her- 

 baceous Perennials and Bulbs. 



Peter Henderson & Co., New York, 

 N. Y.— Catalogues and Price List of 

 Wheats. Grasses, Clovers, Etc., Etc., 

 for Fall Sowing." An unique and very 

 interesting publication, illustrated In 

 blue ink. 



W. B. Whittier & Co., Framingham 

 Nurseries. Framingham, Mass— Trade 

 Price List of Evergreens for August 

 and September Planting. This list in- 

 cludes, besides the desirable conifers 

 in all sizes a fine line of hardy hybrid 

 and native rhododendrons. 



THE KFNILWORTH 



GIANT PANSY SEED 



lono seeds. 2.'!c.: ."iOOO, 



?1.0fl; M oz.. $1.2.J: 



o7... .$3.00. See my 



free offer in 

 Horticulture. Aug. 21. 

 Prinresg, new upright : 

 inoo seeds, Xic. ; % oz., 

 $1; Moz.,^: oz.. .$7.50., 



