490 



HOETICULTUEE 



March 28, 1914 



SEED TRADE 



AMERICAN SECT TRADE ASSOCIATION 



OtBcers — President, Chas. C. MasBie, 

 SdUnneapolis, Minn.; I8t vice-president, 

 t. M. Lopton, Slattitnck, N. T.; 2nd 

 Tlc« - president, W. F. Therkildson, 

 PalnesTlUe. O.; secretary, C. E. Ken- 

 del; assistant secretary, S. F. Willard, 

 Jr., both of Cleveland, O. 



A letter from some of our Washing- 

 ton friends indicates that they are 

 somewhat disturbed because of an 

 item published in Hobticulture two 

 or three weeks ago, saying that Wash- 

 ington was a pretty warm place in 

 late June. We supposed we were stat- 

 ing a fact but wish to add that Wash- 

 ington is no exception among our cit- 

 ies at that time of year. Nearly all 

 cities are very warm and the idea in 

 mind at the time was that if the execu- 

 tive committee of the Seed Trade 

 Association had chosen some summer 

 resort for the convention, it would 

 doubtless have been cooler and more 

 comfortable than Washington or any 

 other city is likely to be. We have no 

 disposition in the world to knock 

 Washington; on the contrary, we re- 

 gard it as a very beautiful town and 

 one that all Americans may well be 

 proud of, and if Washington has not 

 yet learned the secret of controlling 

 its climate, it has the weather bureau 

 and will probably be the iirst to bene- 

 fit from any information which may 

 come to those in charge about temper- 

 ing the heat of summer or the cold of 

 winter. 



There are unmistakable signs of 

 spring in the air, and in the odor of 

 the soil as one goes through the coun- 

 try which is very noticeable and un- 

 doubtedly the seed trade will be very 

 busy for the next sixty days. If the 

 spring is a little late in opening but 

 continues warm without any cold 

 snaps to set back vegetation, we may 

 get just as early crops as we do when 

 we have a warm genial March. We 

 shall try to have some special seed 

 trade notes in our next issue that may 

 be of general interest. 



Much sympathy is expressed for the 

 St. Louis Seed Co. in their second 

 catastrophe. They had adjusted their 

 fire claims on a basis of $85,000 the 

 day before their building was wrecked 

 and the little that was sated from the 

 fire is now a total loss, with seeds and 

 garden implements, chickens, birds 

 and gold fish under thousands of tons 

 of debris. The company has now 

 leased 406-408 N. Broadway and have 

 a large force working getting in shape 

 for opening their business this week. 



The new parcel post ruling about 

 seeds which went into effect March 

 10th is being worked out by the seeds- 

 men to the best of their ability. One 

 of the unsurmountables is the postage 

 on peas, beans and corn to distant 

 points like California. The postage 

 stated in most of the catalogues is not 

 nearly enough under the zone system. 

 Of course by they will gain a little 



on the nearbys but the customers 

 usually write for the stamps back. 

 Changes of that sort should not be 

 made in the middle of a season, after 

 the catalogues are all printed and dis- 

 tributed. 



Government Seeds. 



While it is too late to accomplish it 

 at this session of Congress no op]f)or- 

 tunity should be neglected by those 

 who realize the necessity of it to push 

 the idea for a reform in the distribu- 

 tion of government seeds, if the prac- 

 tice is to be continued. It is now used 

 as the means of bolstering up good 

 fellowship of the members of Con- 

 gress and becomes a favor of the leg- 

 islators rather than an effort which 

 was intended to work to the better- 

 ment of the fanners. It lias wandered 

 far from the original purpose. Today 

 the distribution of free seeds means 

 the sending of a package of tlie com- 

 monest variety with which each and 

 every person with a garden plot is 

 supplied or can be without any great 

 expenditure. 



The idea of this assistance on the 

 part of the Department of Agriculture 

 was to place in the hands of the agri- 

 culturists seeds of a known quality 

 which while not common could be ex- 

 pected to be of value in connection 

 with the development of the various 

 sections of the country. It is the in- 

 troduction of the new and rare seeds 

 which will prove of value and be ac- 

 cepted with appreciation by the tillers 

 of the soil. Whatever can be done in 

 that way as a contribution to scientific 

 farming and an encouragement and 

 suggestion for new crops has merit 

 which is likely to be recognized. It 

 would at least result in the giving of 

 adequate tests to such seed which un- 

 der the present method is a rank fail- 

 ure and waste of good money. The 

 reformers have a great opportunity 

 for work in this direction. — Norwich 



(Conn.) Bulletin. 



1 



Another Seed Postage Bill. 



You are probably aware that on 

 March 9th Congress passed the appro- : 

 priations act for the Post Office De- 

 partment, in which the Postmaster 

 General was authorized to transfer 

 seeds, bulbs, etc., to the parcel post. 

 On March 10th the Postmaster General 

 made a sweeping order transferring 

 all seeds, etc., so that they must now 

 pay postage at the rate of one cent for 

 each ounce or fraction thereof up to 

 four ounces; all packages in excess of 

 four ounces will pay pound postage 

 zone rates. This, of course, goes 

 farther than the seedsmen who de- 

 sired this transfer wished. 



I now call your attention to Senate 

 Bill 4980, filed by Senator Pomerene 

 on March 20th, which bill is to place 

 seeds, cuttings, etc., in fourth class 

 matter, and for the same rates of 

 postage: 



"Provided, that all packages thereof 

 containing eight ounces or less shall 



Mail 

 Your 

 Order 

 Today 



QUEEN OF THE MARKET 



Ejctra Early 



Trade Pkt. Oz. 



^Vliite $0.20 $0.76 



Blush Pink 20 .75 



Rose Pinii 20 ^75 



Light Blue 20 !76 



Dark Blue 20 .75 



Crimson 20 .75 



Choice mixed 20 ,65 



MICHELL'S IMPROVED 



Semples' Branching Aster 



I.avender ■ 30 i.oo 



Sllell Pink 30 1.00 



Wllite 30 1.00 



Kose Pink 30 1.00 



I'urple 30 1.00 



Crimson 30 1.00 



Choice mixed 30 1.00 



ASTERATUM 

 A Glorified Aster 



White 50 3.00 



Pink 50 3.00 



Lavender 50 3.00 



Mixed 60 3.00 



Write for Wholesale Catalog. 



MICHELL'S Seed House 



Dept. Q. 518 Market St., Phila., Pa. 



New Crop Seeds 



FOB FLORISTS AXD MARKET 



GARDENERS. 



SALVIA — Splendens, Bonflre. 



ASTERS— All varieties. 



VERBENA— SWEET PEIAS. 



Send list of wants. 



Stamford Seed & Nursery Co., 43 Atlantic St. 



ST.ilMFORD. CONN. 



"SEEDS WITH A LINEAGE" 



Seeds with a geueration of finest 

 flowers and vegetaljles back of them — 

 carefully selected— reall.v tested. 

 Write today tor Catalog. 



CARTER'S TESTED SEEDS, Inc. 



166 Chamber of Commerce Bldg. 

 Boston, Mass. 



be charged for at the rate of one cent 

 for two ounces or fraction thereof." 



This is evidently an effort to place 

 seeds in the same category as books. 

 CURTIS NYE SMITH. 



Seed trade visitors in Cleveland last 

 week were: C. N. Keeney, Le Roy, N. 

 Y.; W. F. Therkildson, advertising 

 manager for W. Atlee Burpee & Co.; 

 Bert Chadwick, with C. F. Meyer & 

 Co., New York. 



I More Red Devil Cutters Used Annually Than All Others Combined 



I SMITH & HEMENWAY CO., 



Send 6c. for sample No. 024 

 and Booklet 40 styles, and 

 understand why. 

 SEND FOB BOOKLET ANY- 

 HOW. 



161 CHAMBERS ST., NBW TOBK 



