78-2 



nORTICULTUEE 



December 7, 1912 



Seed Trade 



Bean Prices. 

 Beans still remain one of the un- 

 solved mysteries of 1912. It is past 

 the 1st of December and yet we are in- 

 formed that few if any of the growers 

 have as yet submitted even a prelim- 

 inary estimate to their customers. 

 Tbis is certainly an extraordinary sit- 

 uation and it is hardly to be won- 

 dered at that the customers are becom- 

 ing somewhat impatient. Quite pos- 

 sibly, and we may say probably, the 

 growers have not sufficient definite In- 

 formation at hand to justify them in 

 making a statement of probable deliv- 

 eries. Of course time solves all mys- 

 teries and doubtless this one will be no 

 exception to the rule if we allow time 

 enough. Some progress has been 

 made, as Is evidenced by the prices 

 fixed at the recent meeting of the 

 Wholesale Seedsmen's League in New 

 York. As this meeting virtually fixes 

 the prices for the January or regular 

 annual wholesale price lists, the direc- 

 tors of the League were compelled to 

 take some sort of action, although ad- 

 mitting that the prices were not based 

 on very definite information. It is to 

 be hoped that conditions are not quite 

 as bad as the prices would indicate. 



Miscellaneous Staples. 



From information we have received, 

 we judge that no very radical changes 

 have been made in the prices named 

 at the October meeting of the League. 

 While they have been carried out more 

 fully, with a few exceptions changes 

 have -been slight. Garden peas remain 

 at about the same figures; carrots are 

 lower, and, we judge, no effort was 

 made to fix prices on the named va- 

 rieties of sweet peas. It is doubtful if 

 even the wholesale houses will be able 

 to offer the named varieties at all, and 

 the mixtures in only limited quantities 

 and at figures that would have seemed 

 high for the fancy named varieties a 

 year or two ago. The shortage in the 

 Southport Globe varieties of onion 

 seed, with the exception of the white, 

 has been fully confirmed during the 

 past two months, and it is exceedingly 

 difficult to procure either the red or 

 the yellow in quantities at any price. 

 Although the values named by the 

 League look high, many are of the 

 opinion that they should have been 

 even higher. 



Among the varieties which the past 

 two months have developed that are 

 not procurable are Hamburg and Plain 

 parsley. At least, they are reported as 

 crop failures and we learn are procur- 

 able only at retail and in very limited 

 quantities. Among the items on which 

 there has been some advance is corn. 

 We had supposed that there was an 

 abundant crop of corn this year, but 

 have been informed that much of it is 

 soft, and there is considerable risk at- 

 tending its curing and fitting for seed 

 purposes. This is probably why the 

 Directors of the League thought it ad- 

 visable to advance prices somewhat. 



preliminary estimates. A very few 

 items have been reduced and a few 

 have been increased, the net result be- 

 ing a slight average decrease from 

 their early figures. Just at the present 

 time we understand the growers are 

 wrestling with the problem of prices 

 for next year's crop, and we believe 

 the concensus of opinion is that prices 

 should remain about the same as those 

 of a year ago. There may be some 

 slight reductions in a few of the higher 

 priced fancy strains, but there will be 

 little or no change in standard varie- 

 ties we believe. We have already 

 called attention to the rather singular 

 fact that the heaviest shortages have 

 been in the standard varieties, and es- 

 pecially those used by the canning 

 trades. Whether this was due to the 

 crops or to being rather too closely 

 sold up on the canners' sorts is a ques- 

 tion which the growers can better 

 solve than we. 



The Seed Importation Act. 



The Secretary of Agriculture has 

 designated Tuesday, December 10, 1912, 

 as the date for a hearing on the rules 

 and regulations to be promulgated by 

 him for the enforcement of "An Act To 

 regulate foreign commerce by prohib- 

 iting the admission into the United 

 States of certain adulterated 'grain and 

 seeds unfit for seeding purposes." The 

 hearing will be held at ten o'clock A. 

 M. in the office of the Chief of the Bu- 

 reau of Plant Industry, United States 

 Department of Agriculture, Washing- 

 ton, D. C. 



This act prohibits the importation 

 into the United States of all seed of 

 alfalfa, Canadian bluegrass. Kentucky 

 bluegrass, awnless brome grass, clover, 

 meadow fescue, millet, orchard grass, 

 rape, redtop and timothy when adul- 

 terated or when containing more than 

 three per cent, by weight of weed 

 seeds. 



It also prohibits the importation of 

 seed of alfalfa and red clover contain- 

 ing more than ninety dodder seeds per 

 pound. 



It prohibits the importation of seed 

 of barley, buckwheat, field corn, Kaffir 

 corn, flax, oats, rye, sorghum, and 

 wheat intended for seeding purposes 

 when such seed is adulterated or con- 

 tains more than three per cent, by 

 weight of weed seeds. 



Notes. 

 Oklahoma City, Okla.— Otto Bofin- 

 ger succeeds J. F. Hickey as manager 

 of the business of the Barteldes Seed 

 Co. here. He was formerly in charge 

 of their house in Lawrence, Kan. 



Pensacola, Fla. — W. S. Vincent has 

 established a seed and nursery busi- 

 ness here which will be known as the 

 Pensacola Seed & Nursery Co. Their 

 nursery and seed farms are at Cottage 

 Hill. 



Garden Pea Percentages. 

 Within the past two weeks nearly all 

 of the growers of garden peas have 

 announced definitely the percentages 

 they will deliver on contracts, and 

 with very few exceptions these deliv- 

 eries do not vary widely from their 



George B. Woodward has succeeded 

 to the business of William H. Wood- 

 ward & Son at Latham, N. Y. His 

 father, William H. Woodward, passed 

 away a little over a year ago, and 

 the young man has been conducting 

 the business with marked success. 

 Young Mr. Woodward, we learn, is well 

 acquainted and very popular with the 

 market gardeners of his immediate 

 vicinity where he does an extensive 

 business, and he is also extending his 

 business to central and western New 

 York. He has our best wishes. 



HEADQUARTERS FOR 



Christmas Greens 



BO.VWOOD (out), GO tb. bo.x $7.00 



HOLLY (loose), selected, % case, $1.50: 

 V; case. $2 7.5; full case, $4.00; 5 cases, 

 $1S.7.5 ; 10 cases. $3.5.00. Extra selected, 

 Vi case. $1.75; V- case, .$:!.00 ; full case, 

 $5.00; 5 cases, .$22.50; 10 ca: es, .$42.50. 

 HOLLY WREATHS, extra flno per 



100 11.00 



Miohell's special, per 100 12.00 



Michell's extra special, per 100. 15.00 

 LAUREL WREATHING, 1st qual- 

 ity, 50 yds., at 4y2e. 



1st quality, 100 yds., at 4 c. 



l.st quality. 500 yds., at SVaC 



Extra quality, 25 yds., at 5 c. 



Extra quality, 100 yds., at 4%c. 



Extra quality. lOIIO yds., at 4 c. 



LYCOPODIUM (loose), 5 Ihs 60 



10 lbs., $1.10; 50 ll)s., $4.75; lUO 

 lbs., $0 00, 

 LYCOPODIl.W WREATHING, ex- 

 tra fine. 10 yds 70 



Extra fine. 100 yds ' 6.50 



ISlicheirs special. 10 yds 1.00 



Micbeirs special. 100 yds 9.00 



LVCOPODIIM WRE.\THS, 12 in., 



eacb 30 



12 in., dozen ^ 3.25 



MI.STLETOE (native), hi case, $3.00: 



Vj ca.se, $5.50; full case, .$10.00; lb. 



(Mexican), .50c ; 50 lbs. at 40c. per lb. 



MOSS (greeu lump). 1 bbl. bag, $1.2."i; 



.5 bbl. bag. $6.00; 1 bbl. bag (sheet). 



.$2..50; 1 l)bl. bale (shagnum), 60e. : 5 



bbl. Iiale, .$2.00; 3-5 bbl. bale, $5.7.5. 



NOTICE. Christmas Greens are sold 



on a very small margin of profit, and 



terms to approved customers are JTanu- 



ary 10th, 1013. New customers not 



rated in Bradstreet's or Dun's will 



kindly send cash, less 2 per cent on first 



order to insure quick shipment. 



We suggest ordering at once, as 

 stock may run short; also give us ship- 

 ping dates. 

 SPIREA (Just received) 



Doz. 100 1000 

 Astilboules Flori- 



bunda $ .90 $11.25 .$57.50 



Compacta Multiflora. .90 6.50 62.50 



Gladstone 1.30 8.00 77..50 



.Japonica 75 4.75 42.50 



Philadelphia 4.25 .'50.00 



FLOWER SEEDS New Crop) 



VERBENA SEED 



Mammoth Fancy Blue, Pink, Scarlet. 



Striped. White, 30c. tr. pkt., $1.25 oz. 

 Mixed, .30c. tr. pkt., $1.00 oz. 

 VINCA SEED 



Alba (white with eye). Alba Pura 



(pure white), Rosea (pink), 15c. tr. 



pkt., 50c. oz. 



Mixed (choice), 15e. tr. pkt., 40c. oz. 



S.*LVIA SEED Tr. pkt. Oz. 



Michell's Scarlet Glow $ .50 .$4.00 



Bonfire 40 2.00 



Zurich 50 4.00 



Splcndens 23 1.25 



SHAMROCK SEED 



True Irish $ .25 $ .7o 



BEGONI.\ SEED 



Seniperdorens Vernon $ .25 $2.50 



Gracilis Luminosa 40 



Rosea, Alba 30 



" Prima Donna 50 



ASPARAGUS SEED 



I'luniosHs Nanus, Greenhovise r;rown. 

 100 seeds, 50c,; $3.73 per 1,000 seeds; 

 5,01)0 seeds, $18,00; $:i4,00 per 10,000 

 seeds. 

 Send for Our I^atest Wholesale Cata- 

 logue. Flower Seed Order Sheet just 

 issued, shall we send ,vou a copy? It's 

 very handy to order your Flower Seeds 

 from this order sheet. 



Michell's Seed House 



518 Market St. 



PHI LA., - PA. 



