T^iri" 



fU8 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



OcTOBBji 27, 1904. 



San Francisco, and up the river toward 

 Sacramento. 



A trip through the territory toward 

 the end of June is a liberal education for 

 a seedsman. He will note that the uni- 

 formity of the climate is one of the main 

 reasons why seed crops are so success- 

 fully grown there. The grower may gen- 

 erally safely rely upon a certain kind of 

 weather at a given time and can adjust 

 his operations accordingly. The old idea 

 that the climate of California is not suit- 

 able for the proper maturing of a vege- 

 table ahd not safe for producing a re- 

 liable duality of seed, was based upon 

 ignorance more than anything else. It is 

 a fact ;hat irrigation, when moisture is 

 needed, I and an almost dead certainty of 

 dry weather to harvest the crop in, puts 

 the California grower so far in advance 

 of the grower who is up against uncertain 

 weather for planting and harvesting that 

 there is no chance of competition upon 

 even terms. This applies to the general 

 run of standard garden seeds, and when 

 time has been given to the development 

 of the resources of California it is likely 

 that many of the specialties that are now 

 thought to be best produced at other 

 points will be grown in California just 

 as well and more economically. 



Beginning at San Diego and going 

 north to Los Angeles there is not much 

 to interest the seedsman except fields 

 of sugar beet and some very extensive 

 plantings of pole beans; 3,000 acres of 

 beans on a ranch some twenty or thirty 

 miles south of Los Angeles the vrriter 

 was told was the largest planting in that 

 neighborhood, and to look at it was cer- 

 tainly very extensive ; nothing else could 

 be seen on one side of the track but the 

 bean vines, the sky and the mountains 

 beyond. Having eaten a plate of Logan 

 berries that morning for breakfast, and 

 the delicious flavor of them being still 

 with him, one of the party hoped that 

 the 3,000 acres might be a crop of that 

 fruit instead of beans. He did not know 

 what sort of a plant Logan berries grew 

 on, as they were new to him up to that 



morning. It is certain that no one should 

 forget to call for Logan berries if he 

 wants something that tastes good. These 

 berries seem to be known only in Cali- 

 fornia. 



At Los Angeles there are some very 

 nice seed stores, and the market gardens 

 in the vicinity are well looked after and 

 the produce abundant. Leaving Los An- 

 geles on the Coast Line railroad, the next 



nniE FIND that of ten orders 

 ^^ we are receivings, about 

 eight come from our **ad.** in 



m 



H. H. BERGER & CO. 



NEW YORK, OCT. 17. 1904. 



point of interest is Santa Paula. At 

 this point it was somewhat cloudy and 

 the writer asked if an umbrella would 

 be a good thing to take along. The 

 question was so unusual to the natives 

 that a laugh was the only reply. Um- 

 brellas are never needed there at that sea- 

 son of the year. 



John Bodger & Sons are located at 

 Santa Paula. They are large growers of 

 tomato seed. Right up to the middle of 

 December the vines yield fruits which 

 contain seed. They grow pole beans 



and bush limas, lettuce, endive, pepper, 

 egg plant and salsify. Flower seeds are 

 aiEo grown, aster being a specialty with 

 them. They contract seed beans of the 

 pole varieties with the farmers in their 

 vicinity and do an extensive business in 

 this line. 



Between Santa Paula and Ventura ia 

 quite an extensive calla bulb grower. 

 We drove from Santa Paula to Ventura 

 along a fine macadamized road, which 

 they sprinkle with oil. This method of 

 sprinkling in a dry region is of great 

 advantage. Ventura county is the princi- 

 pal section for commercial lima beans. 

 A Mr. Levy, at Saticoy, operates consid- 

 erably in this item, but at Ventura, how- 

 ever, is "the main point for the California 

 commercial lima and for other pole beans. 

 J. K. Armsby & Co. are the largest oper- 

 ators in this line. They have offices in 

 New York, Chicago and San Francisco. 



Mrs. Theodosia B. Shepherd's flower 

 garden at Ventura is worth all the time 

 a seedsman can give to it. Many flower 

 specialties of importance have been hy- 

 bridized here and the information that 

 can be gathered from the experts^ who 

 give it their attention is all the more 

 interesting from being so cheerfully 

 given. 



Between Ventura and Arroyo Grande 

 is what is termed the Lompoc district. 

 Here many acres are given to pole beans 

 and some of the growers farther north 

 are interested in the crops of seed beans 

 in this locality. At Arroyo Grande is 

 located the Boutzahn Seed Co. Oceana 

 is the nearest railway station to the low- 

 er ranch of this firm. It is upon this 

 ranch that the office and residence of the 

 manager is situated. This company grows 

 extensively onion, carrot, lettuce, salsify, 

 pole beans, sweet peas, nasturtiums and 

 nearly all varieties of flower seeds. On 

 named varieties of nasturtiums and sweet 

 peas they make a specialty. The ocean 

 fogs have quite an influence upon the 

 crops in this part of California. The 

 knowledge that comes from experience 

 as to what crops need the fogs and what 



Field of Lettuce for Se^ Ready to Harvest at Gilroy Farm of C C Morse & Co^ Santa Qara, GtL 



