28 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



JULT 2, 1008. 



Seed Trade News. 



AMEUCAN SEED TRADE ASSOCIATION. 



Pres., Watson S. Woodruff, Orange, Conn.; 

 First Vice-pres., J. C, Robinson, Waterloo, Neb.; 

 Sec'y and Treas., C. E. Kendel, Cleveland. 



Max Hildesheim, of the Imperial Seed 

 & Plant Co., Baltimore, Md., will sail for 

 Europe July 8, to make a two months' 

 business trip through Germany, France 

 and Holland. 



A Teneriffe exporter of onion seed 

 says the farmers are always more or less 

 apt to "mistify" seed crops, and that 

 it is unsafe to buy stocks one has not a 

 full knowledge of. 



The commission boxes of flower seeds 

 were quite generally cleaned out of nas- 

 turtium, sweet peas and morning glories, 

 the demand in many localities running 

 largely to these three items. 



The prospect for the crop of onion 

 seeds in California has not been mate- 

 rially affected by recent weather condi- 

 tions. A fair yield is anticipated, but it 

 must be considered that the acreage is 

 short. 



June was a much better month than 

 May, so far as weather conditions go, 

 both in the eastern and middle western 

 seed growing sections, and went some lit- 

 tle way toward minimizing the effect of 

 the late start. 



Undee the management of Walter 

 Mott, the Yuess Gardens Co., Newburgh, 

 N. Y., will exploit the wholesale end of 

 its seed and bulb department, catering 

 specially to florists, as well as seek to 

 expand its mail trade with the public. 



Packing of peas in New York state 

 is now under way. Reports from many 

 quarters indicate that the output of early 

 varieties will be short. Advices as to the 

 outlook in Wisconsin are conflicting, some 

 reports stating that the pack will be 

 short, while others indicate that it will be 

 of a fair average. . 



Peter Brown, Lancaster, Pa., reports 

 pansies yielding a specially good crop of 

 seeds this year. He says the sale for 

 home-grown pansy seeds is increasing 

 steadily each year, and a number of 

 growers are now doing a large business 

 in it, in spite of the larger quantities of 

 European seed that are imported. 



George S. Green, who came to the 

 presidency of the American Seed Trade 

 Association when his personal qualities 

 were little known to the garden and 

 flower seed interests, has made a record 

 for breadth of view, close analysis, mod- 

 eration and toleration which stamps him 

 as one of the broad-gauge men of the 

 trade. His year at the head of the asso- 

 ciation was one of the most important 

 in its history and his selection to lead the 

 work for a national pure seed law is a 

 guaranty that the matter will be ably 

 handled, in whatever way it may next 

 appear. 



PRESIDENT GREEN'S VIEWS. 



The Question of Seed Legislation. 



At the convention of the Seed Trade 

 Association at Detroit last week, Presi- 

 dent George S. Green set forth his views 

 on seed legislation at some length, and 

 after careful consideration. That part 

 of the statement regarding the events 

 which led up to sending a committee to 



'.1~!r.^ 



Watson S. Woodruff. 



(President American Seed Trade Association.) 



Washington, and the hearing, is omitted 

 because previously reported, but the 

 conclusions drawn by Mr. Green are 

 here given in full: 



The Present Status. 



At the close of the hearing we were 

 assured that no further action would be 

 taken upon the bill at that session of 

 congress, and that our arguments, to- 

 gether with letters received by Mr. 

 Mann, would be made a part of the rec- 

 ords of the committee. 



In this connection, I wish to acknowl- 

 edge the courtesy and fairness which 

 were shown us at Washington. Our ar- 

 guments were heard with patience, am- 

 ple time was given us, and I could see 

 no evidence in any quarter of an inten- 

 tion to injure the seedsmen as a class. 



The full account of the proceedings 

 at the public hearing has been printed 

 as a public document, and at my re- 

 quest copies were mailed to all mem- 

 bers of our association. 



It should be fully understood that 

 the revised bill printed as a part of my 

 statement on pages 34, 35 and 36, sim- 

 ply embodies tho changes in the origin- 

 al bill suggested by our committee to 

 Mr. Mann, and that none of these sug- 

 gestions have been formally accepted by 

 the committee on Interstate and For- 

 eign Commerce. It should also be un- 

 derstood that the original bill is still on 

 the calendar of the House of Eepresen- 

 tatives on the original report of the 

 committee, and' might be called up for 

 action at the next session of congress 

 without any modifications whatever. 



I believe, however, that Mr. Mann 

 will probably ask to have it again re- 

 ferred to the committee and that im- 



portant changes will be made in it be- 

 fore it is again submitted to the house. 



Need of Preparedness. 



This brings to us the necessity of be- 

 ing ready to meet in a practical and ef- 

 ficient manner the question of national 

 legislation regulating the importation of 

 and interstate commerce in seeds. 



Opinion among our members is doubt- 

 less divided as to the possibility of 

 framing wise legislation on this subject, 

 but I regard it as highly important 

 that we show in some manner our inter- 

 est in this subject and our earnest de- 

 sire to maintain a high standard of 

 business integrity in our trade. I be- 

 lieve that if we take the attitude of 

 opposing all regulation, we shall lose 

 an opportunity to assist in shaping a 

 law which will be helpful rather than 

 hurtful to honest dealers, and which 

 may prove highly beneficial to the agri- 

 cultural interests of our country. 



I believe, furthermore, that if we 

 should be shortsighted enough to op- 

 pose all national regulation of our busi- 

 ness, it would only hasten the day when 

 nearly every state will have a seed law 

 on its statute books. These laws would 

 probably vary one from another to such 

 an extent that interstate business Jin 

 seeds would be very seriously crippled, 

 whereas a well-worded, just and effect- 

 ive national law would doubtless serve 

 as a model for state laws which could 

 easily be framed to conform to its con- 

 ditions and thus restrict interstate busi- 

 ness but slightly. 



Must Work for Progress. 



I feel confident that national legis- 

 lation to prevent the importation of 



