880 



HORTICULTURE 



December 30, 1916. 



cult to deal with; almost any price 

 quoted they regard as too high, and 

 the laborious task of educating them 

 up to appreciate values must be gone 

 through with times without number. 

 When seed peas were quoted the can- 

 ner at $.3.00 a bushel, which was prac- 

 tically cost, they were still too high, 

 and he was combing the country to 

 dig up some nondescript individual 

 who would undertake to grow the peas 

 for a little less money. The canners 

 did not seem to realize that what they 

 saved in dollars they lost in quality, 

 but without any conscience placed the 

 high-class seed grower with the non- 

 descript and irresponsible one. This 

 is a familiar plan of the canners and 

 they have very nearly exhausted the 

 patience of many of the seed growers; 

 still there are among them a number 

 of fair, honorable men who do not ex- 

 pect to buy all wool at the price of 

 shoddy and are willing to pay for all 

 wool. 



Notwithstanding the very high 

 prices that have been ruling on seed 

 peas, and the apparent scarcity a few 

 weeks ago. they are now coming to 

 light from unexpected quarters, and 

 being offered at slightly lower prices 

 than those ruling a few weeks back. 

 This simply means that the top price 

 has been reached, and that from now 

 on there is likely to be more or less 

 decline. 



The Seed Corn Situation. 

 The same situation exists with 

 reference to seed corn, ony in the case 

 of the latter prices have been more 

 exaggerated. We have believed all 

 along that while seed corn was genu- 

 inely scarce and worth a pretty high 

 figure, a point has been stretched, and 

 prices named as the result of more or 

 less of a panic caused by fear that it 

 would be next to impossible to secure 

 the desired quantity of seed corn, ex- 

 cepting at extravagantly high prices. 

 We expect to see a considerable drop 

 in most standard varieties of corn. 

 Such items as Golden Bantam are 

 genuinely scarce and quite possibly 

 the prices quoted on this item more 

 nearly represent values than anything 

 else in the corn line. 



When we consider that as early as 

 the middle of October seed corn was 

 quoted at from $8.0U to $10.00 per 

 bushel, with a fair cargo in prospect, 

 it is difBtult to account for the fear 

 which seized so many canners that 

 they were ready to pay for once al- 

 most any price named if they could 

 only secure the seed corn they want- 

 ed. We are reliably informed that 

 Stowell's Evergreen and Early Ever- 

 green have sold at $12.nn to .1:14.00 

 per bushel, while Country Gentleman 

 and Crosby's have sold as high as 

 $16.00 to $18.00 per bushel. That 

 there should be a drop from such 

 prices is what might be expected. 



Bean Crop Failures. 

 Since we last discussed crop news 

 there has been a marked change in 

 the situation on seed beans. Owing 

 largely to unfavorable weather the 

 crop has been reduced almost to the 

 point it reached last year. Six weeks 

 ago there were only a comparatively 

 small number of varieties listed as 

 crop failures, and deliveries from 2.5 

 to T.S per cent, were expected on most 



We have harvested this Autumn a satisfactory crop of 



SCARLET SAGE SEED 



And offer of our own growing on Bloomsdale Farms 



BONFIRE or CLARA BEDMAN at $18.00 per pound 



This Sage is fine strain and worth the price we ask. Terms: — Net 60 days, 

 2' 2 per cent, off 10, f. o. b. Bristol, Pa. 



D. Landreth Seed Company ^'"pT' 



Bloomsdale Seed Farms, Established 1784. 



"Seeds with a Lineage" All Varieties 



Thoroughly tested at our trial grounds, Raynes 



Peu-k, London, ELngland. Send for OitaJogue 



CARTERS TE5TE0 SEEDS; Inc., canmer«Bi<i(.,Bo.t», mm*. 



standard sorts. .\ow we are informed 

 that a large number of varietiesTiave 

 been called failures, while deliveries 

 on other varieties have been reduced 

 from 25 to 50 per cent. In-so-far as 

 values go, beans are almost if not 

 quite as scarce as last season and the 

 prospects for the future are far from 

 encouraging. Many growers lost a 

 part and in a few instances the whole 

 of their seed stocks of certain varie- 

 ties. Farmers who have experienced 

 a succession of crop failures growing 

 beans are not at all eager to try it 

 again and the growers are finding it a 

 strenuous uphill fight to secure their 

 required acreage. It is said that 

 prices for another year will be very 

 high, averaging in some instances 

 $2.00 per bushel over last year. While 

 the seed grower is powerless against 

 these advances the seedsmen and can- 

 ners seem to think that they are be 

 ing plundered and several have stated 

 that they would not pay such prices 

 but would take chances on buying 

 their requirements after the crop is 

 made. In this same connection it may 

 be well to say that there has been a 

 sharp advance in the prices of future 

 peas, but the bean situation is what 

 is claiming most attention. 



One Week's Imports. 



Imports at the port of New York, of 

 horticultural material, for the week 

 ending Dec. 15. were recorded as fol- 

 lows : 



Bulbs — France, $319: Netherlands, 

 $()4"; Kngland. $56; Japan. $5,172. 



Plants — France. $669; Netherlands, 

 $2,334; England, $311; Scotland, $277; 

 Colombia. $1,385; Japan, $25. 



Red clover seed — Russia, $690; 

 Chile, $4,311. 



Grass seed — Denmark. $18,800; Ire- 

 land, $5,879; Canada, $457; Brazil, 

 $33. 



Other seeds — France. $1,670; Italy, 

 $8; Netherlands, $1,356; England, 

 $1,315; British East India, $772; 

 Hongkong, $185; Japan, $20; Austria, 

 $4. 



Fertilizers— England, $2,239. 



M. Van Waveren & Sons have re- 

 moved their New York office to 26 

 Cortlandt street. 



About five thousand acres are now 

 devoted to the production of sugar 

 beet seed in this country.- 



J. Bolgiano & Son of Baltimore have 

 announced their intention of sharing 

 the profits with those employees who 

 liave been associated with them for a 

 number of years, as a recognition of 

 their loyalty and industry. This plan 

 was put into operation this week, 

 when substantial checks were handed 

 to all who were entitled to them for 

 the year ending September 1st, 1916, 

 which was one of the best of the 99 

 years of this firm's existence. At the 

 same time it was decided to increase 

 the salaries of those employees en- 

 titled to such increase through merit 

 and devotion to duty. 



Notes. 



Prices for timothy seed on Chicago 

 Board of Trade. December 20 were 

 $4.00 to $5.75. 



Plant Propagation, Greenhouse 

 and Nursery Practice 



By M. G. KAIN8 



We have had many inquiries from 

 time to time for a reliable and up-to- 

 date Itook on plant propagation, but 

 were always at a loss to find any pub- 

 lication that we could recommend. The 

 subject has been dealt with in fragmen- 

 tary manner only In books that have 

 come to our notice. So it Is well that 

 this new work has been issued, especi- 

 ally as It Is both comprehensive and 

 practical, and it should meet with a 

 ready sale among plantsmen, nursery- 

 men and gardeners. There are nineteen 

 chapters covering in detail topics of 

 germination and longevity of seeds, 

 propagating by buds, layering, cuttings, 

 grafting, etc., fruit tree stocks, dons, 

 etc., and there are eight pages of con- 

 densed cultural Instructions In tabu- 

 lated form, covering annuals and peren- 

 nials from seed, woody plants, ever- 

 greens, vines, bulbs and tubers, green- 

 house and house plants, ferns, palms, 

 water plaiUs, orchids and cacti. The 

 Illustrations are numerous, comprising 

 21.3 figures and halftone plates. There 

 are 322 pages well bound and on heavy 

 paper, teeming with helpful Information. 

 It Is a book which no cultivator can 

 afford to do without. It Is worth many 

 times Its price. Copies can be supplied 

 from tlie office of HORTICULTURE at 

 publisher's price, $1.00. 



Horticulture Publishing Co. 



1 17 t^lMMKK ST.. BOSTON, MASS. 



