600 



HORTICULTURE 



October 28, 1911 



prices as given in this list. We are 

 of course, not criticising it in any way, 

 as we assume that those who formu- 

 lated these figures are better qualified 

 to deal with the matter than we are, 

 but we simply could not help a long 

 breath when we first beheld these 

 prices. It is the general opinion of 

 the trade that abnormally high prices 

 are unhealthful and likely to produce 

 demoralization in some form in the 

 not distant future. One of the usual 

 results is that every producer will 

 si lain to the utmost to produce crops 

 of the very short varieties, with the 

 result, as has frequently happened, that 

 in from one to three years an exact 

 reversal of form has taken place. We 

 doubt very much if prices will ever 

 revert to the low levels of ten or fif- 

 teen years ago, but we certainly look 

 for a sharp reaction from what in a 

 sense may be termed "present artifi- 

 cial values." 



An Unusual Request. 



In this connection a circumstance 

 rather unusual thing has come to our 

 knowledge and one on which the trade 

 seems to be more or less divided. We 

 are informed that the representative of 

 a great European seed house has been 

 interviewing their customers who have 

 contracts with them for the crop of 

 1912 of beets, carrots and other bien- 

 nials with a view of inducing them to 

 agree to pay an increase, varying 

 from 4c. to 5c. per pound over the con- 

 tract figures agreed upon previously. 

 The reason for this, it appears, is that 

 the supply of roots for these crops in 

 1912 is very short, many of them being 

 so small that the farmers will not take 

 the trouble to save and transplant 

 them unless they receive an additional 

 price from the seed grower. The lat- 

 ter firm claims it is not willing to 

 bear this advance and cannot afford 

 to; therefore, it has called on all of 

 its customers to agree to pay the pre- 

 mium demanded by the farmers, which 

 so far as we have heard, the seed trade 

 of this country has unanimously agreed 

 to do. We do not wish to criticise 

 this concern, but it would seem to us 

 that it was rather up to them to pay 

 the bonus which they are asking the 

 seed trade to pay for them, and they 

 could have easily recouped themselves 

 by the advanced prices which they will 

 naturally ask during the next two or 

 three years. However, this matter is 

 really of only indirect interest. 



We have referred already to the 

 scarcity of seed stocks of peas, and it 

 would seem to be the part of good en- 

 lightened business to place contracts 

 at as early a date as possible for peas. 

 We have been repeatedly told by well 

 informed persons in the trade that 

 there will not be seed stocks enough 

 to satisfy the demand of the seedsmen 

 and canners, and those who do not 

 want to be left at the post should ar- 

 range for their requirements as soon 

 as the growers have issued their con- 

 tracting prices for the 1912 crop. Many 

 tardy ones had their orders turned 

 clown last spring, and the same fate 

 awaits the tardy again this year, only 

 earlier than usual. We shall try to 

 continue reporting the latest bulletins 

 on this subject until the actual situa- 

 tion becomes known. 



Wholesale Seedmen's League. 

 In looking over the list of prices 

 issued by the Wholesale Seedsmen's 

 League, we find many items omitted 



Stocks for Easter 1912 



MICHELL'S FLOWER MARKET STOCK 



The best of all winter flowering stocks. Sown 

 now will be ready for cutting Easter. Colors : 

 Pure White, Flesh Pink, Rose Pink, Light 

 Blue, Dark Blue, Blood Red and Mixed. 



1-2 Trade Pkt., 30c; Trade Pkt., 50c; Qr. 0z.,$1; Oz., $3.50 



~^^^^ZZ^^^^^= Write for Current Wholesale Catalog 



HENRY F. MICHELL, niUd'U^. K el 



Oats 

 Barley 

 Wheat 



Swedish Specialties 



Grown Under Government Control by the 



ALL. SVENSKA UTSAEDES AKTIEB, 

 SVALOEF, SWEDEN 



Descriptive pamphlet, prices and samples on application 



SOLE AGENTS: 



Loechner & Co., 



11 Warren St. 

 New York 



Oats 

 Barley 

 Wheat 



entirely, though in some instances a 

 note informs the dealer that last year's 

 prices are considered applicable at the 

 present time; but there is one impor- 

 tant item which seems to have been 

 entirely overlooked — that is spinach. 

 No prices are given and no mention is 

 made of this item, which we assume 

 is simply an oversight. We are in- 

 formed that Lem W. Bowen was elect- 

 ed a member of the Wholesale Seeds- 

 men's League at its recent meeting 

 in New York, also that Mr. Bowen was 

 elected a director. We think that the 

 seed trade is to be warmly congratu- 

 lated in securing the active coopera- 

 tion of so important a house as D. M. 

 Ferry & Co. 



The Onion Crop. 

 We have not received information 

 regarding the total onion crop of the 

 country thus far this year, but such in- 

 formation as we have indicates that 

 there is a heavy shortage which is 

 fully borne out by the strong prices 

 now ruling. Very few onions are still 

 in the first hands — that is, the farm- 

 ers. Almost all of them have been 

 bought by the dealers who, whether in 

 a combination or not, seem to be ship- 

 ping them to market just fast enough 

 to keep the appetite keen, without ai 

 any time causing congestion and the 

 lowering of prices. This is generally 

 regarded — that is the high price of 

 onions — as an exceedingly favorable 

 sign that onion seed will be in active 

 demand the coming season. Experience 

 has shown quite conclusively that 

 when onions have sold readily at 

 strong prices there has been active de- 

 mand for seed. So mote it be. 



Wholesale Grass Seed Dealers' Asso- 

 ciation. 



An adjourned meeting of the Whole- 

 sale Grass Seed Dealers' Association 

 of the United States and Canada was 

 held Oct. 18, at the Sinton Hotel, 

 Cincinnati, O. This meeting, which 

 was adjourned from the annual con- 

 \ < 1 1 1 ion at Marblehead, Conn., last 

 June, was called together to complete 

 the work of the year, as the election 

 of officers, reports of committees, etc. 



The following firms were represent- 

 ed at the meeting: Albert Dickinson 

 Company, Chicago; Illinois Seed Com- 

 pany, Chicago; Plant Seed Company, 

 St. Louis, Mo.; Charles E. Prunty, 

 St. Louis, Mo.; Schisler-Cornelli Com- 

 pany, St. Louis, Mo.; D. L. Bushnell & 

 Co., St. Louis, Mo.; S. G. Scarlett & 

 Co., Baltimore, Md. : J. Charles McCul- 

 lough, Cincinnati; The J. M. McCul- 

 lough Sons Company, Cincinnati; S. 

 N. Flower & Co., Toledo, Ohio; Joseph 

 Breck & Sons Corporation, Boston, 

 Mass.; National Seed Company, Louis- 

 ville, Ky. ; Henry Nungesser & Co., 

 New York, and Barteldes Seed Com- 

 pany, Lawrence, Kan. 



The following officers were elected: 

 President, Albert McCullough, of the 

 J. M. McCullough Sons Company, Cin- 

 cinnati; vice-president, Charles D. 

 Boyles, of the Albert Dickinson Com- 

 pany. Chicago, 111., and secretary and 

 treasurer, S. G. Scarlett, of S. G. Scar- 

 Id i & Co... Baltimore. Md. 



Waco, Texas — The M. L. Webster 

 Co., seedsmen, of Independence, Iowa, 

 has opened a branch office here. 



Samuel Whitefield. for the ikisi 

 eleven years bookkeeper for Weeber & 

 Don, has resigned his position to take 

 charge of the office of W. E. Marshall 

 & Co., 145 West L''.rd Street, New York. 



Portland, Me. — A new seed store 

 has been opened at 49 Exchange street 

 miller the firm name of Allen, Sterling 

 & Lothrop. S. Coleman Allen, senior 

 member of the firm, was formerly with 

 Kendall & Whitnev. 



