32 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



OCTOBEB 8, 1008. 



KENNICOn BROS. CO. 



WHOLESALE COMMISSION FLORISTS 

 48-SO Wabash Ave* L.D.Phone, central 466. CHICAGO 



Mention The Review when you write. 



Seed Trade News. 



AHIBICAIf SEED TBADE ASSOCIATION. 



PrcB.. Watson S. Woodrufl, Orange, Conn.; 

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

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



The first new corn arrived at Chicago 

 October 5. 



H. W. BucKBEE, Rockford, had an ex- 

 hibit at the Illinois State Fair at Spring- 

 field last week and was awarded first 

 premium on seeds, also a diploma. 



The anticipated contest over the will 

 of the late W. W. Eawson, Boston, will 

 not materialize. H. W. Rawson has been 

 appointed trustee for the interests of 

 the grandchildren. 



The corn crop, for seed purposes, is 

 quite a way ahead of early estimates and 

 being helped by every day of good 

 weather. September was an unusually 

 favorable month in the western district. 



It is figured that the planters have 

 heard enough of the sliortage of seed 

 crops so that the best orders for 1909 

 will come early this year, and catalogue 

 houses are hastening the completion of 

 their books. 



At Chicago, October 6, October tim- 

 othy seed sold at $3.50 and the tone of 

 the market was a shade firmer. Country 

 lots were quoted $2.25 to $3.40. Clover 

 seed was 10 cents lower; October, $9, 

 and cash seed, ^7.50 to $9. At Toledo 

 clover was, cash, $5.47 V.-; October, $5.45; 

 December, $5.52yo; March, $5.65. 



W. Atlee Burpee & Co. say the crops 

 of their new Spencer sweet peas have 

 turned out quite a little bit shorter than 

 they estimated, and they hardly think 

 now that they are going to be able to 

 offer these to the American trade, as or- 

 ders from abroad are coming in so fast 

 that it looks as if they will shortly be 

 obliged to report "sold out" on all 

 three new Spencers. 



It is reported that the dry weather 

 at Rocky Ford, Colo., injured the stand 

 and cut the crop materially short, but 

 the late rains improved the crop. A 

 large portion of the best cantaloupes has 

 been saved for seed. Dr. Van Buskirk 

 is one of a number of growers who save 

 seed and sell direct to planters all over 

 the country through advertising in farm 

 papers. D. V. Burrell, who grows for 

 the trade, increased his acreage this 

 year. 



Visited Chicago: John Michie, with 

 H. W. Buckbee, Rockford, 111.; Mr. Cur- 

 rie, of Currie Bros., Milwaukee. 



In the fire which recently destroyed the 

 Henry Mayer building, in Erie, Pa., the 

 E. E. Thielman Seed Co. suffered a loss 

 of $10,000. 



The success which has attended the 

 growing of onion seed in certain localities 

 in the vicinity of Chicago and in Ohio 

 this year will be likely to result in a 

 larger acreage next season. 



There is a difference of opinion on 

 the catalogue policy for 1909. Some 

 houses feel tliat seeds will sell them- 

 selves, in a measure, next year and that 

 the expense for catalogues can be cut 

 down, while others recall that it was 

 the consen us of opinion at the Seed Trade 

 convention that the effects of a panic 

 are apparent in the seed trade the sec- 

 ond and third year, and are preparing 

 to go out after a larger share of the 

 business available. 



It always is a question if seed sup- 

 jdies will be as short as crop reports 

 would indicate — it not infrequently hap- 

 l)en8 that good lots of scarce items are 

 on offer late in the season. Onion, as a 

 result of good yield, appears rather more 

 plentiful than the limited acreage had at 

 first indicated, but all offerings of stand- 

 ard varieties are promptly taken up. 

 A'ine seeds will be short, peas also, and 

 it hardly can be said of any item that 

 iin abundant crop is available. But 

 there will be seeds for sale, of course. 



CALIFORNIA SEED CROPS. 



A. J. Pieters, writing at HoUister, Cal., 

 September 30, had the following to say 

 of conditions in the seed-growing dis- 

 trict : 



' ' Seed crops are pretty well cleaned 

 up for this season and the growers know 

 where they stand on the matter of deliv- 

 eries. I presume we are as late a.s any, 

 this section being rather cooler than the 

 main body of the Santa Clara valley, 

 and so we do not get our crops off 

 quite as early. We are through with 

 the threshing, however, except carrot, the 

 threshing of which is in progress. 



' ' In regard to the yield, this has been 

 fair to good. "Wc have been much 'ms^'-' 

 appointed in the yield of lettuce, sofh^ 

 varieties being attacked by a disease 

 which caused considerable damage. Onion 

 promises well, or, rather, we should say, 

 has turned out wejlj^jpince practically all 

 is now cleaned. There will, we under- 



stand, be some short deliveries, but, gen- 

 erally, the crop has turned out a good 

 average, so that full deliveries should be 

 the rule. 



"Sweet peas have turned out rather 

 below our previous estimates, as a hot 

 wind, that came as the peas were nearly 

 ripe, caused many seeds to be shrunken, 

 and to get a good sample we have to 

 blow out a great deal of slightly shrunken 

 seed. 



"At present we are, of course, get- 

 ting ready for another year's work. The 

 onion bulbs so far received by the grow- 

 ers generally seem to be of fine quality 

 and there will be enough of the standard 

 sorts to plant a reasonable acreage. We 

 do not look for the prices for the 1909 

 crop that have prevailed during the last 

 two years. It is to be hoped, however, 

 that prices will be reasonable and will re- 

 main so, as that is to the advantage of 

 both grower and dealer. 



"It is to be presumed that the usual 

 acreage of annual crops will be put in 

 and, of course, there is nothing to be 

 said about them at present. The writer 

 feels impelled, though, to wonder why 

 contracts for the annuals are not placed 

 earlier than is the practice at present. 

 The growers here must plant radish and 

 sweet peas very early in order to insure 

 a crop, and it would seem that the earlier 

 orders are in the better chance the deal- 

 er has for full delivery." 



ONION SETS AT LOUISVILLE. 



From Louisville, Ky., comes the report 

 that onion set growers and shippers now 

 agree that the crop of onion sets as a 

 whole produced there this season is un- 

 doubtedly ten to twenty per cent short. 

 Some of the big growers hold to the 

 opinion that the shortage, compared with 

 last year, is even greater and there is 

 no question but the white variety is a 

 third less than in 1907. 



The growers are holding their supplies 

 pretty generally, which has had a tend- 

 ency to curtail heavy shipments. Big 

 buyers are seeking other markets. Even 

 one of the large operators there last week 

 bought a big block of sets in another 

 section to cover future delivery orders. 



Prices have ruled high all season, but 

 are beginning to moderate somewhat 

 and there is indication of a weaker feel- 

 ing, particularly among the dealers. Some 

 ' I of the big shippers have quit buying 

 there except in a small way to fill im- 

 mediate orders. Storage holdings in the 

 hands of nearly all the operators are 

 light. H. R. Whiteside is heavy in the 

 (leal again this year and has a large sup- 



.W, .^kOiW. 



