542 



HORTICULTURE 



October 19, 1912 



Seed Trade 



Later Pea Crop Reports. 



Since our last issue some very unfav- 

 orable news affecting the pea crop has 

 reached us indicating that the prelim- 

 inary estimates submitted by the grow- 

 ers are likely to be materially reduced 

 when actual deliveries are made. We 

 learn that in Montana where a consid- 

 erable acreage of peas was grown this 

 year thev are experiencing most un- 

 favorable weather during threshing 

 operations. It is reported that both 

 rain and snow are of daily occurrence 

 and large quantities of peas are al- 

 ready ruined, and that the end is not 

 yet Should this information prove to 

 be correct— and the source from whence 

 it comes compels us to accept it as es- 

 sentially true— there will probably be 

 no surplus of any of the important va- 

 rieties of peas this year. In this con- 

 nection it may be well to say that we 

 learn that Canada field peas are so 

 neaily a failure that it is next to im- 

 possible to buy them in quantity. Ow- 

 ing to excessive moisture the vines re- 

 mained green until so late that a large 

 percentage of them have been killed by 

 frost while the peas are still immature. 

 It will doubtless appear rather strange 

 to the trade that common field peas 

 should be so very scarce whereas the 

 fancy large-podded varieties promise— 

 or we might better say, promised to be 

 in very fair supply. Such seems to be 

 the case, however, and is one of the 

 results of the freakish weather we 

 have been having the past season. 



We do not get any particular news 

 about beans, at least nothing of an en- 

 couraging character and assume that 

 conditions are about the same as last 

 reported, and the same may be said of 

 most other families of seeds. 



The Cumbersome Bourne Bill. 



Much adverse criticism of thi- 

 Bourne Bill continues to come, not 

 only from seedsmen and merchants 

 whose interests are affected, but even 

 from postmasters, many of whom de- 

 clare that the bill is so complex that 

 it is impossible of enforcement or at 

 least that It cannot be carried out on 

 its present lines, excepting by a large 

 increase of the clerical force at all im- 

 portant centers, as each and every 

 piece of fourth-class matter would have 

 to be handled and weighed to deter- 

 mine if it carried the proper postage 

 The main objection seems to be against 

 the ridiculous zone or zones provision. 

 The postmaster in one of the eastern 

 cities pointing out the absurdities Oi 

 this feature mentioned the fact that 

 one zone terminated in the center of 

 a street in a nearby city, thus making 

 two rates of postage necessary not only 

 tor the city but for this particulai- 

 street. While we perhaps are not au- 

 thority in such matters this zone mat- 

 ter certainly looks and always dd 

 look to us like a cumbersome and ill- 

 considered piece of legislation. It may 

 possibly work out more smoothly than 

 now seems probable, but we doubt it 

 It is unfortunate that important busi- 

 nesses are so often adversely affected 

 by legislation drafted and carried 

 through by men entirely ignorant of 

 the matters about which they are leg- 

 islating, but until the average business 

 man and citizen considers it his per- 

 sonal duty to see that the men elected 

 to make our laws are of a higher or- 



der than many wo now have, and feel 

 that they are largely responsible for 

 them, we shall find no deliverance 

 from the present evils. 



The Government Seed Distribution. 



(From U. S. Department o£ Agriculture, 

 Bureau of Plant Industry— Circular 

 M. 100.) 

 The number of packets provided in 

 the last distribution, which began De- 

 cember 2, 1911, and ended April 19, 

 1912, was 51,138,240 packets of vegeta- 

 ble seed and 12,226,315 packets of 

 flower seed, or a total of 63,364,555 

 packets. The kinds and quantities of 

 seed included in this distribution are 

 shown in the following table: 

 Vegetable Seed. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED 



J. G. Harrison & Sons, Berlin, Md. — 

 Trade List of Fruit and Shade Trees 

 and Conifers. A very neat, attractive 

 list. 



George Wittbold, Chicago, — Whole- 

 sale list of Ornamental Nursery stock 

 and Florists' Decorative Greenhouse 

 Stock. 



Bean 



(pole) 

 Beet 

 Brussels 



Sprouts 

 Carrot 

 Callarda 

 Corn 



Cucumber 

 Endive 

 Kale 



Kohl Rabi 

 Lettuce 



Zt> OCu 



7 "" >s . 



a a 



:^ a so 



•;: a" 



25,070 

 25,699 



3,740 

 19,450 



7,495 

 325,472 



11,259 

 8,383 

 4,008 

 1,832 



73,043 



Flower 



Musk 



Melon 

 Okra 

 Onion 

 Parsley 

 Parsnip 

 Pea 

 Radish 

 Squash 

 Tomato 

 Turnip 

 Water 



Jlelon 



Seeds. 



7 22,890 



3 9,094 



4 20,512 

 2 5,305 



2 10,482 

 9 174,600 



12 132,336 



3 7,500 



8 14,215 

 6 25,945 



20 19,155 



Quantity 

 Pounds. 

 5 

 354 

 108 

 378 

 1,780 

 2.052 

 100 

 8 

 1,181 

 807 

 580 

 1,427 

 1,798 

 weight 

 seeds 



Kind. 



Ageratum 



Antirrhinum 



Aster 



Balsam 



Calendula 



Candytuft 



Castor Bean 



Celosia 



Cosmos 



Dianthus 



Eschscholtziii 



Kochia 



Mignonette 



The . total 

 and flower 

 pounds, or over 497 

 twenty freight cars. 



Quantity 

 Kind. Pounds. 



Moruing Glory, 



dwart 447 



Moruing Glory, 



tall 3,425 



Nasturtium, 



tall 11,572 



Pansy 124 



Petunia 158 



Poppy, double 1,407 

 Poppy, single 1,172 

 Portulaca 349 



Sweet Pea 17,000 



Zinnia 1,608 



of the vegetable 

 alone was 994,116 

 tons, enough to fill 



Notes. 



Evansville, Ind. — A warehouse build- 

 ing. 48 X 125. is being constructed by 

 the Ohio Valley Seed Co. 



Petersburg, Va. — The Covington- 

 Harrison Seed Co. has been incorpo- 

 rated here with a capital stock of 

 $1500 to $5000. President, Peter W. 

 Covington; vice-president, George W. 

 Harrison; secretary and treasurer, 

 Thomas Covington, Jr. 



Boston, Mass.— As Thomas J. Grey, 

 formerly of T. J. Grey Co., was cut- 

 ting his lawn some weeks ago a blister 

 on his had broke and in some way 

 became infected. The hand and arm 

 began to swell, finally necessitating 

 two operations. He is well on the road 

 to recovery now and will not lose the 

 use of his hand. 



NEWS NOTES. 



Juan Balme, Jr., Queretaro City, 

 Mexico, — Descriptive list of collected 

 Mexican orchids and cacti. Trade 

 prices quoted only. 



Arnold Furst, Jette St. Pierre, 

 Brussels, Belgium.- — General Catalogue 

 of Fruit and Ornamental Trees, Coni- 

 fers, Border Plants, etc. 



F. C. Heinemann, Erfurt, Germany, 

 Special Trade Offers of Novelties 1913. 

 An interesting set of seed novelties, 

 of which attractive plates are given 

 in colors. 



W. J. Worrell, Leamington, England. 

 — Special Wholesale Offer of Peas. 

 Beans and Other Vegetable Seeds. H. 

 Youell, Syracuse. N. Y., is agent for 

 America. 



F. & F. Nurseries, Springfield, N. J. 

 — Trade List of Ornamental Nursery 

 Stock. This establishment, now thirty 

 years in existence, is a department of 

 the American Nursery Co. 



Fottler, Fiske, Rawson Co., Boston, 

 Mass. — "1912 Bulbs". A comprehen- 

 sive list of all the good things for 

 fall planting, not alone bulbs but hardy 

 perennials, small fruits, etc. Cover 

 neat in pearl gray and gold lettering. 



Stumpp & Walter Co.. New York. — 

 Bulbs for Autumn Planting. The 1912 

 edition of an always attractive and 

 useful general tall bulb and seed cata- 

 logues. Cover design very neat and 

 suggestive of the good things within. 



Plaistow, N. H. — Carl Lloyd will 

 grow vegetables in his greenhouses 

 this winter instead of flowers. 



Madison, Wis. — The new horticul- 

 ture building of the university has 

 just been completed at a cost of over 

 $60,000. The structure is a large three- 

 story building of paving brick and 

 stone trimmings, is 50 feet wide and 

 125 feet long. The building includes a 

 lecture room with capacity for 250 per- 

 sons and a smaller lecture room with 

 seats for 100 people; and about fifteen 

 class-rooms. 



Wm. H. Moon Co., Morrisville, Pa. — 

 "Some Autumn Leaves That Tell of 

 Fall Specialties." Every page is 

 adorned with bright tinted autumn 

 leaves scattered along the border. A 

 good list of material for ornamental 

 planting. 



Harlan P. Kelsey, Salem, Mass.— 

 Catalogue of Native American Plants 

 grown in the Carolina Mountains. 

 Native rhododendrons, kalmias, azal- 

 eas and shrubbery of a similar char- 

 acter are listed in all varieties and 

 quantities. 



E. S. Miller. Wading River, N. Y. — 

 Trade Price List for 1912 of Bulbs and 

 Hardy Plants for Fall Planting. An 

 excellent selection of hardy lilies, iris, 

 etc.. is listed in this useful pamphlet. 

 The quality of Mr. Miller's product is 

 well known. 



K. Velthuys, Hillegom. Holland- 

 Wholesale Trade List of Dutch Bulbs 

 and Plants 1912-13. Finely illustrated 

 and a very attractively gotten up 

 trade catalogue. Henry Youell, Syra- 

 cuse, N. Y., is American agent for 

 this old-established house. 



Wm. Elliott & Sons, New York.— 

 Flowering Bulbs, Fall 1912.— Sixty- 

 seventh edition of this well known 

 publication and as usual, a catalogue 

 that will command attention from the 

 amateur gardener. Darwin tulips are 

 nicely shown on the covers. 



