142 



HORTICULTURE 



July 29. 1916 



SEED TRADE 



AMERICAN SBED TRADE ASSOCIATION 



Officers— President, Klrby B. White, 

 Detroit Mich.j First Vice-President, T. 

 W. Bolgiano, WasljinBton, D. C; Sec- 

 ond Vice-President, I-. L,. Olds, Madison, 

 Wis.; Secretary-Treasurer, C. E. Kendel, 

 Cleveland, O. 



The Pea Pack. 



It is some weeks since we have given 

 any crop news, as tbere lias really 

 been very sliglit changes in crop con- 

 ditions since our last item in Seed 

 Trade Notes. Some crops liave devel- 

 oped sufficiently to indicate what the 

 final results will he and we are ahle 

 to state at the present writing that 

 the pea crop of 1916 will fall far below 

 that of 191.5, both for seed and can- 

 ning purposes. 



The pack of canned peas this year 

 will hardly be more than 50 per cent, 

 of that of 1915 the country over. We 

 have been informed that the average 

 number of cases per acre packed in 

 1915 was about 120. This year it is 

 estimated that it will not exceed 70 

 and maybe less. In New York State 

 the average for 1915 was close to 100 

 cases; 1916 will not be above 50. The 

 two states — Wisconsin and New York 

 — produce more than 75 per cent, of 

 all the peas packed in this country, 

 but smaller producing states, such as 

 Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland and 

 Delaware have all fallen much below 

 their production of a year ago. 



Reduced Yield of Seed Peas. 



As to the seed crop nothing really 

 definite can be said at the present 

 writing, but indications are that early 

 peas, such as Alaskas and the Extra 

 Early types will not average more 

 than two-thirds of last year's yield. 

 The other canning varieties, such as 

 Admiral, Advancer and Horsford will 

 give better returns than the early sorts 

 but will fall considerably under their 

 yields of last year. It seems to be the 

 general judgment of the growers that 

 all of the large-podded varieties, both 

 late and early, will be quite short. In- 

 stead of there being a surplus of these 

 varieties in the hands of the growers 

 after contracts have been filled the 

 coming autumn and winter, it is very 

 doubtful if growers will be able to de- 

 liver 100 per cent. In fact it is prac- 

 tically certain that they will not, 

 though the extent of the shortage can- 

 not now be estimated in figures. 



Beans. 



It is rather early to give any esti- 

 mate of the bean crop, but in a general 

 way it is known that it started with 

 something of a handicap, particularly 

 in the east where planting was at least 

 two weeks later than usual. There are 

 rumors that the crop in Colorado is in 

 danger owing to shortage of water; 



how serious this may prove we are not 

 prepared to say. 



We will endeavor to furnish further 

 crop news covering California and 

 European crops in general within the 

 next week or two. Such information 

 as we have is not quite up to date and 

 we, therefore, will omit details. How- 

 ever, in a general way with the excep- 

 tion of salisfy and one or two other 

 specialties., California crops are ex- 

 pected to make a fair average. Euro- 

 pean conditions are not as well known. 



Onion Seed Crop Prospects in Canary 



Islands. 



iCousul George K. Stiles, Tenerltfe, 

 Juue 10.) 



Onion seed constituted one-fourth of 

 all exports to the United States from 

 the Teneriffe district in 1915. The 

 coming crop, which should begin to 

 move next month, shows a decided in- 

 crease in the amount of choice, expen- 

 sive wax (or white) seed. The ordin- 

 ary canary-yellow onion seed, however, 

 has suffered because of the winter 

 drought, and shows a loss estimated at 

 40 to 50 per cent. The red seed, which 

 is in less demand, also suffered from 

 drought, but to a smaller degree than 

 the yellow. Yellow seed will conse- 

 quently be scarce, and there may be 

 difficulty in filling contracts for this 

 grade, while the stock of "wax " seed 

 will be in excess of orders. 



The average contract prices are re- 

 ported as follows, per pound: Fancy 

 white "wax," $1..50 to $2; yellow, 85 

 cents (American gold); and red, 80 

 cents. 



The stocks of onion seed last year 

 were fairly cleaned out, so that this 

 season there appears to be less prob- 

 ability of old seed being mixed with 

 the new. Both adulteration and in- 

 ferior quality of onion seed are diffi- 

 cult to detect until after sowing. 



As practically all onion-seed con- 

 tracts to the United States are made 

 on an f. o. b. basis in a Canary port, 

 the higher freights of this year must 

 be met by the American buyers. Last 

 season a number of complaints of bad 

 seed were caused through long delays 

 in trans-shipment via England. Owing 

 to this fact the Liverpool route has 

 been largely abandoned this year, ac- 

 cording to statements made by prom- 

 inent shippers. 



The larger percentage of the crop 

 will be routed via Porto Rico to New 

 Orleans or via Habana to New York. 



The crop is slightly earlier than last 

 year and first shipments are expected 

 to be made by July 15 and should ex- 

 tend to the end of August. 



Generally speaking prices may be 

 taken as somewhat lower and showing 

 a tendency to weakness this season. 



A statement of interest to American 

 onion-seed growers is contained in a 

 report made by two of the larger deal- 

 ers growing their own seed, to the 

 eifect that too Intense a selection of 

 onion seed for the points of size and 

 color shows poor results in the quan- 

 tity of seed obtained at the next har- 

 vest. 



"Seeds with a Lineage" All Varieties 



Thoroughly tested at our trial grounds, Raj^nee 

 Park, London, England. S^id for Catalogue 



CARTERS I ESTED SEEDS, Inc., commerce BldgTBo'slon, Me.s. 



One Week's Imports. 



Imports at the port of New York, of 

 horticultural material, for the week 

 ending July 14, were recorded as fol- 

 lows: 



Bulbs— England, $16; Bermuda, $71. 



Plants— Italy, $4; England, $584; 

 Bermuda, $8; Guatemala, $60; Ja- 

 maica, $6; Venezuela, $256; British 

 Indies, $63. 



Red clover seed — Prance, $20,125; 

 Italy, $95. 



Clover seed — France, $5,018. 



Grass seed — Prance, $103. 



Other seeds— France, $4,968; Eng- 

 land, $3,899; British East Indies, 

 $1,552; Hongkong, $267. 



Nitrate of soda— Chile. $61,260. 



Other fertilizers— England, $334. 



Notes. 

 Tampa, Fla.— The Allen & Rails 

 Seed Company will open for business 

 August 1st with a complete line of 

 seeds and supplies. 



The hop crop in Vermont is in good 

 shape and very even throughout the 

 state. The recent hot weather has 

 done much for the squash and corn 

 planters. 



Doylestown, Pa. — Appraisers of the 

 estate of the late W. Atlee Burpee, 

 have filed an inventory in the Regis- 

 ter of Wills office, which appraises the 

 estate at $1,211,990.62, including real 

 estate valued at $298,450. The "Ford- 

 hook Farm" property, the Burpee 

 home here, is appraised at $122,500. 



We are pleased to learn through 

 Curtis Nye Smith, counsel, that the 

 Agricultural Appropriation Bill as 

 amended and passed by the Senate, 

 contains (p. 25) an item of $3,000 to 

 cooperate with horticultural organiza- 

 tions in the standardization of botani- 

 cal names. 



Of course the House will have to 

 concur in this amendment before it 

 becomes effective. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Jackson & Perkins Company, New- 

 ark, N. Y.— Select Peony List. 8 

 pages, illustrated. 



J. Bolgiano & Son, Baltimore. Md. — 

 Wholesale Summer and Fall Catalogue 

 for Market Gardeners, Truckers and 

 Farmers. 



W. E. Marshall & Co., New York.— 

 Fall Bulbs for 1916. A neat business- 

 like catalogue. Daffodils in dark 

 green tone are the cover subject. 



A. T. Boddington Company, Inc., 

 New York — Midsummer Garden Guide, 

 containing a list of Strawberry Plants, 

 Bulbs tor Pall Planting, Seasonable 

 Seeds and Sundries. Illustrated. 



Schenectady, N. Y. — Henry A. Miller 

 and John F. Korman, doing business 

 under the name of the Mohawk Green- 

 house Company, have begun business 

 on Van Vranken avenue, growing 

 plants, shrubs and flowers, both whole- 

 sale and retail. 



