682 



HORTICULTUEE 



November 16, 1912 



Seed Trade 



Effects of Weather Vagaries on 

 Trade. 



There are reports that the continu- 

 ance of warm weather has had the ef- 

 fect of retarding activity in the bulb 

 trade and that there is lilielihood of a 

 considerable carry-over on certain 

 lines, but with the advent of colder 

 weather — whenever that arrives — the 

 probabilities are that there will be no 

 large quantities left in the hands of 

 the dealers. It is certainly a fact that 

 we are having exceptionally warm, 

 open weather for the time of year, 

 though it is now so late that a sudden 

 change to wintry conditions need not 

 surprise any one. 



The Potato Question. 

 Despite the Government report that 

 we have harvested the largest crop of 

 potatoes in the history of the country, 

 prices continue fairly high and this Is 

 explained by reports of rot of a more 

 or less serious character. If one may 

 judge from the quality of the tubers 

 served on our tables, there must be 

 some foundation for these reports, ag 

 a really fine mealy potato is a raiity. 

 Just how the stock w-ill winter and 

 what the situation will be next spring 

 the future alone can answer. 



Onions Keeping Poorly. 

 We have already called attention, 

 not only to the potato question but to 

 the condition of onions, and addition- 

 al information has only served to con- 

 firm earlier reports that a very large 

 percentage of the crop is soft and will 

 have to be consumed speedily or will 

 have to go to the dumps. Where 

 onions have been grown on a sandy or 

 gravelly loam they are geenrally of 

 very good quality, but those grown on 

 low muck land, on account of contin- 

 ued late rains, did not ripen down, 

 and many had green tops when they 

 were harvested. Under such condi- 

 tions it is of course evident that such 

 stock cannot be carried far into the 

 winter, and a further evidence of this 

 is that late buyers who usually store 

 onions for spring shipments are buying 

 very sparingly and are allowing the 

 farmers to winter the bulbs. As the 

 latter in most instances have not the 

 best of facilities for caring for them 

 over winter, the shrinkage when 

 spring arrives will be very heavy. 



Cabbage and Bean Crops. 



The cabbage crop is a very heavy 

 one and prices at this date are rul- 

 ing very low, — from $3 to $3.50 per 

 ton in marked contrast to the prices 

 ruling last spring, — ranging from $40 

 to $60 per ton. However, it has hap- 

 pened more than once that extremely 

 low prices in the fall have been fol- 

 lowed by a strong high market in the 

 spring, and history may repeat itself. 



It may seem somewhat absurd, yet 

 the fact remains that no definite in- 

 formation concerning the bean crop 

 has yet been issued by the growers, 

 and it is well along towards the mid- 

 dle of November. Such a situation is 



certainly most unsatisfactory, yet no 

 one can be held responsible as condi- 

 tions are certainly very much mixed 

 and one would not be able to give 

 probable percentages without a more 

 or less blind guess. It is of course 

 known, in a general way, that the crop 

 has been very badly damaged, especial- 

 ly in Michigan, where the situation is 

 reported to be much worse than in 

 New York State. However, time 

 solves all problems, and we shall learn 

 seme time before the planting season 

 opens another year what the crop real- 

 ly is. 



The Celery Stringency. 



There has been considerable discus- 

 sion in the trade regarding the avail- 

 able stocks of Golden Self-Blanching 

 celery seed and it seems to be very 

 clearly established that never in the 

 history of the trade has this item been 

 so scarce as this year. We have been 

 reliably informed that the large re- 

 tailers are getting from $20 to $30 per 

 pound for the French grown stock, 

 and cannot supply the more or less re- 

 stricted demand even at these prices. 

 Not only is the French grown stock 

 well nigh a failure, but the California 

 crop is but a little better, deliveries 

 from the best growers averaging from 

 10 to 20 per cent. It really begins to 

 look as if the trade would have to 

 turn their attention to the develop- 

 ment of some other variety to take 

 the place of the Golden Self-Blanching 

 as the present type is so lacking in 

 vigor that it seems incapable of pro- 

 ducing seed. Just at the moment 

 there is no other variety which can be 

 considered as in the class with the 

 Golden Self-Blanching, but it is one 

 of the fortunate features of our human 

 existence that generally something is 

 found to meet the requirements when 

 the necessity becomes pressing 

 enough, and doubtless the situation 

 will be met in this instance. 



Notes. 

 Lawrence, Kan. — The Busch Seed 

 Store has moved into the Pearson 

 building. 



Ravenna, Ohio — The Ford Seed Co.. 

 742 North Chestnut street, is building 

 an addition to their store. 



George C. Watson, of Philadelphia, 

 is on his southern business trip. 

 Grass seeds of highest quality and 

 other good things. 



Shenandoah, Iowa — The Henry 

 Field Seed Co. intends to move its gar- 

 den seed department into a building 

 recently purchased by them. 



Paul Heil, formerly with M. M. 

 Ayres, florist, 815 North Grand avenue, 

 has taken a position with F. H. Weber, 

 350 North Boyle avenue, St. Louis, iMo. 



DePorest Reichard. v>'ith the Morris 

 & Snow Seed Co.. 425 South Main 

 street, Los Angeles, Calif., was mar- 

 ried on Oct. 24 to Miss .Ada Deven- 

 dorf. 



Thomas W. Chisholm, sales manager 

 of the Braslan Seed Growers' Com- 

 pany, Inc., left California on Novem- 

 ber 10th for his annual visit to the 

 trade. 



Albany. Ind. — The New Albany Seed 

 & Implement Co. has been incorporated 



MICHELL'S SPECIAL 

 OFFERS 



LILY OF THE VALLEY (Cold Storage) 

 Michell's Fancy ( 250 500 1000 

 Giant Flowering \ $4.50 $8.50 $16.00 

 Hamburg Brand. 4.00 7.50 14.00 



LILIUM GIGANTEUM (Michell's Special 

 Brand, New Crop) 



liulljs Per I'er 



Per case 100 1000 



6-S incb 400 $4.00 .$3(i.00 



7-9 " .SOO 6.50 00.00 



8-10 " 225 9.50 90.00 



9-10 " 200 11.00 1(10.00 



10-12 " I'M 10.00 150.00 



LILIUM GIGANTEUM (Cold Storage, 

 Special Price to make room) 



P.ulbs Per Per 



per ease case 1000 

 6-S inch VM $10.75 $45.00 



LILIUM MULTIFLORUM (Michells 

 Special Brand) 



Bulbs Per Per 



per case 100 1000 



6-8 iDch 400 $3.75 $33.50 



7-9 " .300 5.75 54.00 



8-10 " 225 8.25 77.50 



9-10 " 200 9.25 87.50 



SHAMROCK SEED True IrUh) 

 Trade pkt. 'J.'e : "."ic per oz. 



Send for Our latest Wholesale Catalogue 



MICHELL'S SEED HOUSE 



5(8 Market St., Phiia.. Pa. 



with a capital stock of $5000. Incor- 

 porators are H. Brown. Sr., L. Brown 

 and H. Goetz. 



Mattoon, III. — Fire recently did a 

 small amount of damage to the base- 

 ment of the building occupied by the 

 J. S. Ashbrook Seed Co., at Cham- 

 ))aign avenue and I. C. R. R. 



Mr. Frank Selnow, who has bsen 

 with Mr. George H. Price of Alba y, 

 X. Y., for many years, has formed a 

 connection with J. F. Noll & Co., Inc., 

 of Newark, N. J. Mr. Selnow has been 

 very well and favorably known to the 

 retail trade, and has been conside.ed 

 one of the best all-around seedsmen in 

 the country. Those who know Mr. 

 Selnow will extend to him the best 

 wishes for success in his new venture 

 and will also be disposed to congrat- 

 ulate J. F. Noll & Co. on securing so 

 valuable an addition to their organi- 

 zation. This firm has made one ex- 

 cursion in th9 direction of securing 

 outside assistance with results that 

 were more or less unsatisfactory, but 

 it is confidently believed that the pres- 

 ent experiment will prove a marked 

 success. 



CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 



Dammann & Co., San Giovanni a 

 Teduccio, Italy — Novelties in seeds for 

 the season of 1912-1913. 



NEWS NOTES. 

 Kansas City, Mo.— E. O. Pratt has 

 leased the greenhouses of W. A. Rule. 



Frankfort, Ky. — A state nursery will 

 be established here by State Forester 

 J. E. Barton on land adjoining the 

 State Fair grounds. 



Rochester, N. Y.— Lord & Burnhara 

 Co. have just opened up a branch of- 

 fice here which is to be located in the 

 Granite Bldg.. on the corner of Main 

 and St. Paul Sts. This office will be 

 in charge of H. E. Bates, formerly of 

 the King Construction Co. 



