40 



The Rorists' Rcvtcw 



Decbmbbu 8, 1921 



blooming next spring? When shou^l 

 they be planted and where may I obtiiin 

 seed from "Flanders fields"? 



H. L. O.— Mo. 



GOVERNMENT MAKES BUDGET. 



No Free Seeds. 



There will l)c no more free seeds if 

 the recommendations of the director of 

 the budget are carried out. J'resident 

 Harding, December 5, submitted to 

 Congress the first annual budget, on 

 whi(di all governmental appropriation 

 bills for the fiscal year 1923 will be 

 based — and there is no proposed ajipro- 

 priation for seeds. 



It is estimated that $:}60,000 will be 

 saved to the jH'ople if this item is for- 

 gotten. Whether the House will be will- 

 ing to forego the pleasure of annually 

 distributing flower and vegetable seeds 

 is a question, but Budget Director 

 Dawes is doing his part liy failing to 

 mention them in the large volume which 

 went to Congress to tell what the gov- 

 ernment needs will be. 



In all, the Department of Agriculture 

 is slated to get nearly .$35,000,000 for 

 disbursement on its various projects dur- 

 ing the twelve months beginning Julv 

 1, 1922. 



To Test Seeds. 



For the investigation of diseases of 

 forest and ornamental trees and shrubs 

 $81,110 is sought. The l)ureau of jdant 

 industry asks for .t44,()S() for studying 

 and testing commercial seeds, including 

 grasses, clover or alfalfa and lawn seeds 

 secured in the open market, and the pub- 

 lication of the names of jjcrsons by 

 whom misbranded or adulterated seeds 

 are sold. It is ])roposed to station a man 

 at the port of New York to take active 

 charge of samiiling and related activities 

 incident to the enforcement of the seed 

 importation act. 



For horticultural investigations $76,- 

 940 is sought. This is $5,000 more than 

 was apjiropriated by Congress for the 

 present fiscal ye.ar, the a<lditional money 

 being required to jiermit the De|);irt- 

 ment of Agriculture to enlarge its bulb 

 investigations. It desires to carry on 

 for a number of years the application of 

 princi])les of jirojiagation as worked out 

 at the bulb gardens at Hellingham, 

 Wash., and to experiment in other sec- 

 tions of the T'^nited States jiossessing 

 advantages from shipping and other 

 economic standpoints. 



Nursery Investigations. 



For investig.'iting, in cooperation with 

 states or ]irivately owned nurseries, 

 methods of ]ir(q)agat iiig fruit trees, or- 

 namental and other ]ilants, the study of 

 stocks used in pro[iagating such ]ilaiits 

 and methods of growing stocks, for the 

 ])urpose of providing American sources 

 of stocks, cuttings, etc., there is re- 

 (piested the api)ro]>riation of $20,000, 

 and the sum of $12."),000 is asked for in- 

 vestigations in foreign seed and jilant 

 introduction, including the study, col- 

 lection, jMirchase, testing, ]iro]iag.'ition 

 and distribution of rare and valuable 

 seeds, bulbs, trees, shrubs, vines, cut- 

 tings and i)l;ints from foreign countries. 



In referring to its failure to seek the 

 usual apjiropriation for cotigressional 

 seed distribution, the dei)artment states: 

 "The department believes that the con- 



gressional distribution of vegetable aiul 

 flower seeds can be dispensed with with- 

 out material detriment to the agricul- 

 ture of the country. It is therefore 

 recommended that the item be elimi- 

 nated and the funds thereby saved de- 

 ^■oted to the prosecution of urgently im- 

 l)ortant investigational work on prob- 

 lems of croj) production which will yield 

 results of more direct practical value." 



The forest service will require $125,- 

 640 for the purchase of tree seeds, cones 

 and nursery stock, for seeding and tree 

 planting in national forests, and the 

 bureau of chemistry will recpiire $20,000 

 for the investigation and develoi)ment 

 of methods of manufacturing insecti- 

 cides and fungicides. 



The Federal Horticultural Board asks 

 $105,850 for continuing its work. The 

 continued spread of the gy]isy .and 

 brown-tail moths will require $600,000, 

 and to combat the European corn borer 

 $125,000 will be needed. In addition the 

 departnuuit asks for $178,500 for the 

 investigation of insects injurious and 

 beneficial to agriculture, liorticulture 

 and arboriculture, and $90,000 for in- 

 vestigating insects affecting truck crops. 



A. E. G. 



The scarlet popi)y from Flande < 

 fields is Papaver Rha-as. You should i . 

 able to secure this seed from any rel 

 able seed house. If you want it for il 

 morial day, you would probably have i ■ 

 start it under glass, even in your war 

 state. It is an annual and common I v 

 known abroad as the corn poppy, haviii- 

 lieen known as P. Khccas umbrosum b,- 

 the ancient Greeks and Romans. Th • 

 flowers come variable in color, but, i'' 

 you purchase seed of P. Rhceas, you can 

 depend on getting dark red flowers wit!; 

 black spots. The popular Shirley po]- 

 ]iies are a development of the "Flan- 

 ders fields" poppy. It would be advi- 

 able for you to sow the seed under glas- 

 early in March in yiots or outdoors, a- 

 soon as the frost has left the ground. 

 C. W. 



OUSTING NEMATODES. 



Will you advisevme how I can get rid 

 of eelworms in greenhouse soil? Will 

 formaldehyde or corrosive sublimate do .' 



E. C. S.— 111. 



POPPIES FOR SPRING. 



Will you give me some information in 

 regard to growing poppies outdoors for 



The only really sure remedy for 

 nematodes, or eelworms, is sterilization 

 of the soil by steam. Formaldehyde is 

 a useful soil fumigant and sterilizer, but 

 it is doubtful if it will clean out eel- 

 worms. Steam sterilization is valuable 

 as a means of destroying all weed seeds, 

 as well as insect jiests. I have not used 

 corrosive sublinuite except <as a proven 

 five of fungoid diseases. It would, no 

 doubt, fail on eelworms. C. W. 



WILL HEAR TRADE 



s\ir«tirrs\irirsvir«tir«vir?wr)«vir«vir!fS\irrs\ir«vir!rs\it^ 



TARIFF HEARINGS. 



As Applied to the Trade. 



The Senate finance committee has re- 

 sumed liearings on the Fordney tariff 

 bill, and, according to advices just re- 

 ceived liy \Villiiuu 1". (iuile, of (iude 

 Bros. Co., Washington, 1). ('., who is 

 kee](ing in close touch with all matters 

 jiertaining to legislation affe<ting the 

 florists, seedsmen and nurserymen, 

 several members of the allied trades will 

 be given an o])iiortunity to present their 

 views to the committee at an early date. 



"I have ,iust learned," said William 

 F. (iude in a statement this week, "tliat 

 the Senate finance committee will i)rob- 

 ably gr;int :i hearing to representatives 

 of the seed trade on the subject of a 

 tariff on grass and other seeds aiul 

 tuli]is next week. 



"The list that has been furnished me 

 shows that the applicants for .a hearing 

 on jiaragrajdi 761 of the tariff bill are 

 Curtis S'ye Smith, of Boston, who will 

 also discuss par.agraph 751, as api)lied 

 to tnlijis; J. C. Vaughan, of Chicago, 

 representing the American Seed Trade 

 Association, and A. E. Rey)U)lds, of 

 Crawfordsville, Ind. 



Methods of Procedure. 



"The finance committee will endeavor 

 to complete all hearings on the tariff bill 



within two weeks from the starting 

 date, December 7, and then will consider 

 the l)ill in executive session. It states 

 that to avoid encumbering the record 

 with duplicate statements, the commit- 

 tee will insist that i)ersons wishing to 

 take the same position relative to any 

 item shall decide upon one spokesman to 

 jiresent their case. It declares that such 

 action will greatly reduce its work in 

 its study of the testimony and expedite 

 the early enactment of tlie tariff bill. 



"The representatives of the seed 

 trade liave been informed of this situa- 

 tion and advised that extending the tes- 

 timony on any suliject by duplication or 

 repetition in any nuuiner beyond a con- 

 cise statement is contrary to the best in- 

 terests of the schedule sought to be 

 elucidated. 



"The seedsmen, however, are .assured 

 of being courteously received while ap 

 pearing before the committee, for the 

 senators are anxious to get proper in- 

 formation on which to base the rates 

 and jirovisions of the new tariff law. 



"Prospective witnesses are advised to 

 state first the changes desired and fol- 

 low such statement with succinct rea- 

 sons for the changes suggested. Such 

 jirocedure, it is said, will asssist the re- 

 view of tlie testimony by those senators 

 who mav not have the opportunity to 

 hear it.'' 



Fred Henoch, representing the Ove 



