46 



HORTICULTUEE 



January 17, 1920 



and abnormal prices in everything 

 that is sold or produced. If the Japa- 

 nese farmer cannot get the same high 

 average price for his lilies, he will 

 simply turn to other crops. Great 

 Britain has shown readily that it will 

 take up an enormous supply of Japa- 

 nese lilies at a price which is every 

 bit as much as the American florist 

 thinks that he can possibly stand, and 

 if they pay it there we will have to 

 pay it here. I suppose this will mean 

 a general reduction in the amount of 

 lilies used in America. 



It will be up to each individual grow- 

 er to plant what he thinks he can dis- 

 pose of at the high prices that will be 

 necessary. I have also heard it said 

 by another lily importer that if every 

 florist in America should combine and 

 decide to grow no giganteum lilies at 

 all, the price might be depressed a 

 little, but not to any great extent. As 

 I said before. England would take up 

 a large amount, the other countries 

 their proportionate part, and the Japa- 

 nese as you all know is shrewd in 

 every way, particularly commercially, 

 and if the lily crop won't pay him 

 what he expects, he can readily shift 

 to others. 



I heard a traveler say a few days 

 ago that the city of Toklo Is the high- 

 est priced city in the world In the way 

 of commodities. This was a great sur- 

 prise to me, but we know what that 

 must mean if we are going to buy any- 

 thing from the Japanese. 



How does the average grower feel 

 this year about his returns on Paper 

 White Narcissus? I believe that In 

 spite of the fact that he paid more 

 for them than under prewar conditions 

 that the returns have been high enough 

 to satisfy him. What Is he going to 

 do about paper whites for next year? 

 To begin with, the probabilities are 

 very strong that he will pay very near- 

 ly the same price. There may be a 

 slight deduction, but if there Is any, 

 it win be very small, and don't forget 

 that there will probably be no Roman 

 Hyacinths. 



BOSTON. 



H. J. Arrentshorst, representing 

 Baartman & Koning, bulb growers of 

 Lassenheim, Holland, has been visit- 

 ing the trade in Boston. 



S. S. Skidelsky, of New York, has 

 been spending consideralile time in 

 Boston the past week. 



Recent visitors also included An- 

 thony Ruzieka, rose grower, Chat- 

 ham, N. J.; Samuel Salsberg, commis- 

 sion broker. New York City; Mr. Peter- 

 son, son of J. A. Peterson, Cincinnati. 

 Ohio, exhibiting new seedling of Mrs. 

 J. A. Peterson and Socotrana Begonias, 



PROTECTION FOR PLANT 

 BREEDERS. 



Suggestions Which Will Be of Inter- 

 est to Novelty Growers. 



The question of giving adequate pro- 

 tection to the breeders of plant novel- 

 ties is exciting as much attention in 

 England as it is in this country, and 

 it seems likely that the Englishmen 

 will arrive at some solution first. At 

 any rate they are tackling the prob- 

 lem with energy, as may be seen by 

 the articles which appear in the over- 

 seas papers. Some pertinent sugges- 

 tions are made by Mr. A. J. Bliss, a 

 well-known grower, in the following 

 article, which appears in the Gardi- 

 ners' Chronicle: 



Though the protection of plant 

 breeders' work by the method of pa- 

 tenting can take no account of the 

 question of merit of the novelty, it Is 

 a matter of at least equal Importance, 

 and the success of any method of pro- 

 tection and its value to the community 

 will depend largely on completeness 

 with which the merit or improvement 

 can be authoritatively determined and 

 recognized. This will Include the test- 

 ing and proving of varieties, the grant- 

 ing of certificates of merit and the 

 recognition of the breeders' work. To 

 secure recognition I would suggest 

 that the Chamber of Horticulture 

 should make it an established rule 

 that in the trade lists of all its mem- 

 bers the name of the variety should be 

 followed by the name of the raiser, in 

 brackets. If, In default of knowledge 

 of the raiser, it should be thought ad- 

 visable to give the introducer's name, 

 a recognized distinction should be 

 made by using ordinary type, while 

 the raiser's name should always be In 

 italics. The same practice might be 

 followed in all lists and registers. To 

 insure accuracy, and as an essential 

 basis for determining and recording 

 the merit or value of new varieties, it 

 will be necessary to have a system ol 

 registration instituted and kept by an 

 authoritative and competent body. 

 The collaboration and assistance of 

 societies devoted to particular flowers 

 and eventually, I hope, of an associa- 

 tion of plant breeders can be confi- 

 dently counted on. 



It is a matter of so much importance 

 for the future of plant breeding from 

 both the scientific and economic point 

 of view that it deserves a Government 

 grant In aid If necessary. The testing 

 and proving of new varieties, so tar as 

 it was possible to undertake it, should 

 form an integral part of this work, 

 with the granting of certificates of 

 merit as its final outcome. Equally, 

 if not more desirable would be a com- 

 mittee of revision to weed out all obso- 

 lete varieties, noting the improved 



MICHELL'S 



FLOWER SEEDS 



ASPARAGUS PlumoBus Manas (North- 

 ern Greeubouse Grown.) 



1000 seeds $3.50 I 10,000 seeds. J30.00 



5U00 seeds 16.25 | 25,000 seeds. 68.75 



ASPARAGUS Sprengeri 



lOOO seeds $0.75 I 10,000 seeds. .$5.50 



5000 seeds 3.00 | 25,000 seeds. .12.50 



CENTAUREA Oz. 

 Candidissima, per 1000 seeds, 40c. $2.00 

 Gymnocarpa, per 1000 seeds, 15c. .50 

 Tr. 

 LOBELIA Pkt. Oz. 

 Crystal Palace Compacta. . .$0.30 $2.00 

 Barnard's Perpetual (Trail- 

 ing) 25 1.75 



Crystal Palace Speciosa 20 .75 



Sapphire (Trailing) 40 



Ms Tr. Tr. 

 PETUNI.A Pkt. Pkt. 



Grandiflora fringed $0.30 $0.50 



Ruffled Giants 30 .50 



California Giants 30 .50 



MonstrosuB (MicheU's) 60 1.00 



Tr. 

 SALVIA Pkt. Oz. 



America or Globe of Fire. . .$0.50 $4.00 



Bonfire 40 2.50 



Zurich 50 4.00 



VERBENAS 



Mammoth Fancy Blue $0.30 $1.25 



Pink 30 1.25 



Scarlet ... .30 1.25 

 Striped ... .30 1.25 



White 30 1.25 



Mixed 30 1.00 



VINCA 



Alba 15 .75 



Alba Pura 15 .75 



Rosea 15 .75 



Uixed 15 .60 



Also .Ul Other Seasonable Seeds, Bulbs 

 and Supplies. Send for Our Wholesale 

 Price List if you do not receive a copy. 



HENRY F. MICHELL CO. 



S18 Market St, Philadelphia 



varieties that have superseded them. 

 The authority undertaking this reg- 

 istration would require to give a full 

 and accurate description and, where 

 possible, examine a sample of the 

 plant or flower for identification and 

 for testing. I am strongly of opinion 

 that all raisers availing themselves of 

 such registration should be required 

 to give the pedigree and all other use- 

 ful information, not necessarily for 

 immediate publication, but as a record 

 for the future. For, in so far as such 

 information Is collected and recorded, 

 will the registration be of permanent 

 value. 



There is often a disinclination to 

 give the parentage, and in some cases, 

 such as at the starting of a new race, 

 or a variety that constitutes quite a 

 new departure, it is perhaps justified: 

 but from my experience, as a raiser 

 chiefly of perennial flowers, I have 

 come to the conclusion that in the 

 great majority of cases (quite 80 or 

 90 per cent.) there is no object at all 

 in withholding the pedigree. It could, 

 however, be arranged that such infor- 

 mation should be confidential, at any 

 rate for a certain number of years. A 

 fee could be charged for any inquiry 

 after that date. 



