2:J0 



HORTICULTURE 



August 17. 1912 



EASTER COMES EARLIER! 



So Do Not Be Caught Napping 



100 1000 



5 to 7 St. David's Harrisii, plump bulbs I5.5.IX) ii!4S.0O 



7 to 9 St. David's Harrisii. plump bulbs 9.00 S.i.00 



9 to II Ver.v scarce 20.00 



WHITE ROMAN HYACINTHS 



101 lOlJO 



11 to 13 Ctnis.. Extra bulbs $2.'J5 $21.0'1 



13 to 15 ftms.. Extra bulbs 2.75 '25.00 



13 to 15 Ctms., Extra bulbs 3 2.3 ."lO.OO 



PAPER WHITES FANCY 



SI. 16 per 100; 1(18.50 per 1000 



FREESIAS 



Mammoth, ¥1.00 per 100; S9.50 per 1000 



WM. ELLIOTT & SONS 



42 VESEY ST., NEW YORK 



Seed Trade 



The Dull Season. 

 The American seed trade is enjoy- 

 ing its annual midsummer siesta, its 

 leading members recuperating from 

 the regular spring grind, and tlie con- 

 sequent strain on brain and body and 

 an occasional attacli of "nerves." In 

 a few weelis the bulb season will open 

 as a prelude to the more strenuous 

 •work required by the regular seed 

 business. There is little of interest 

 ■we can say aside from stereotyped 

 phrases and platitudes which are of 

 little or no value to readers, excepting 

 to give reliable crop news. This we 

 shall aim to do briefly and we hope 

 ^with reasonable correctness. 



average yield, and should there be as 

 heavy a demand as during the past 

 season prices are likely to reach 

 higher levels than for several years 

 past. The chief factor in determining 

 this will be the onion crop, both sets 

 and large onions. We have not been 

 able to get a line on these as yet, 

 therefore cannot express any opinion 

 in the matter. 



but such as we have are unfavorable, 

 though we believe not nearly so black 

 as last year. 



The European Situation. 

 So far as we can ascertain, but little 

 Thas transpired in the European situa- 

 tion excepting a confirmation of many 

 «f the early pessimistic predictions. 

 "We have not the data nor the space 

 to mention each item in detail, but 

 may say that biennials are generally 

 in a bad way, though we believe that 

 with a few exceptions, conditions are 

 not quite so serious as a year ago. 

 The heaviest shortages are in garden 

 beets, carrots and mangels. California 

 will relieve the situation on carrots 

 to a considerable extent, and while 

 many thousands of pounds of garden 

 beets will be produced in this country 

 this year, its relation to the total will 

 be comparatively small. It may be of 

 interest to note in passing, that the 

 annual famine in genuine French- 

 grown Golden Self-Blanching celery 

 ■will be in full force again the coming 

 season. 



California Seed. 

 California-grown garden seeds will 

 not match up with last year's either 

 in quality or quantity. It is well 

 known that sweet peas are largely a 

 failure. Onion seed will not return an 



Corn, Beans and Peas. 



Corn is late and the condition un- 

 satisfactory, but we need not despair 

 of a corn crop yet, though a warm, 

 open autumn and pretty continuously 

 favorable weather from now on is 

 needed to give us well matured corn 

 that will have the requisite vitality. 

 Everyone knows the difficulties of se- 

 curing sound seed corn that would 

 meet the germination requirements 

 the past season, and last year up to 

 this date was a more favorable one 

 for corn than this. 



Indications are that beans will be a 

 short crop, but barring damage by a 

 wet harvest, there should be enough 

 with the carry-over to meet all re- 

 quirements. There may be a harden- 

 ing of prices but no famine. In the 

 matter of peas, the situation is dis- 

 tinctly favorable and it looks as if we 

 were to be surprised with a good aver- 

 age crop or nearly so. It is the first 

 time in more than five years since 

 fortune has thus smiled upon the seed 

 trade and we almost fear to state the 

 good news lest we awake to find it 

 but a pleasant dream. After repeated 

 assurances, however, we make bold to 

 give out the information, with the ad- 

 ditional statement that harvesting is 

 progressing under generally favorable 

 conditions. Of course there are occa- 

 sional bad spots, enough probably to 

 prevent a bumper crop, and cause the 

 complete assimilation of what is pro- 

 duced. It may be well to remark that 

 the worst spot on the map in the seed 

 pea situation is Canada. We have re- 

 ceived but meager reports from there, 



Seed Legislation. 

 The Seed Import Bill is on the cal- 

 endar in the U. S. Senate, but greatly 

 changed from the original Bill as 

 passed by the House. Senator Gron- 

 na of No. Dakota has proposed, in Sec- 

 tion 4, a very unfortunate amendment 

 whereby all interstate commerce in 

 seeds mentioned in the bill must car- 

 ry a label stating kind of seed, per- 

 centage of germination, per cent, of 

 "adulteration" (?) name and address 

 of consignee and place where seed was 

 grown. To anyone acquainted with the 

 nature of seeds, their harvesting, 

 cleaning, grading, etc., this amend- 

 ment is very objectionable for obvious 

 reasons. However, such strong and 

 reasonable objection against this im- 

 practicable legislation has been 

 aroused by seedsmen throughout the 

 country, that there seems reasonable 

 certainty that the amendment will 

 fail. This may entail the failure of 

 passing any bill in the current session 

 of Congress. The bill as it passed the 

 House of Representatives is reasonable 

 and quite likely to perform a distinct 

 service to American Agriculture. 



CURTIS NYE SMITH. 



Notes. 



Champaign, III. — Work on the new 

 seed warehouse for Noble Bros, has 

 begun. 

 ■ Paducah, Ky. — New quarters are 

 being built for the Yopp Seed Co., 124 

 South Second street, to cost about 

 $10,000. 



New York, N. Y.— A. T. Boddington 

 has just received the new crop of sweet 

 peas from California and they are hav- 

 ing an almost unprecedented rush. 



Mr. Charles E. Robinson, formerly 

 with F. R. Pierson Co.. has decided to 

 embark in the seed business at Peeks- 



(Contiiiued on page 22!) 



