pf^f^xrim^' ■»"».<■ , uTwipwr-fw- 



56 



The Florists^ Review 



Sbftbhbbb 26, 1912. 



France is mixed. Prices are a dollar 

 lower than a year ago." 



A BLOW AT BOX SEEDS. 



Ooyemment Hands Them a Wallop. 



The germination of the mail order seeds tested 

 by the Department of Agriculture in tbe last 

 five years bas been 77.6 per cent and the germina- 

 tion of the box seed has been 60.5 per cent. The 

 seeds purchased from different mail order houses 

 were mure nearly uniform in quality than tbe box 

 seeds. The average germination of box seeds put 

 up by one firm for four years was less than one- 

 balf that of those put up by another firm. Tbe 

 low vitality of tbe seeds tested is the best evi- 

 dence that sucb seeds should be sold with a 

 guaranty as to the percentage of the germination. 

 — B. T. Galloway, Chief of Bureau. 



September 16 the Bureau of Plant In- 

 dustry, U. S. Department of Agricul- 

 ture, delivered a terrific blow to the box 

 seed houses and at the same time de- 

 clared that all packet seeds should state 

 on the label the percentage of live seeds 

 the packet contains. It was in Circular 

 No. 101, issued by the department. 



"During the years 1907, 1908, 1909 

 and 1910 box seeds were purchased and 

 tested for germination, and in 1911 

 seeds Were bought from firms whose 

 principal business is filling mail orders 

 from catalogues," says the circular, 

 written by Edgar Brown. "In these 

 five years 18,571 packets of vegetable 

 seeds were tested for germination. The 

 box seeds were put up by sixty firms 

 and the mail-order seeds were purchased 

 from twenty firms. The average ger- 

 mination of all the packets of box 

 seeds was 60.5 per cent, and the aver- 

 age germination of the mail-order seeds 

 was 77.5 per cent. Of the 12,454 pack- 

 ets of box seeds, 658, or approximately 

 5 per cent, germinated 10 per cent or 

 less, and 407, or approximately 3.5 per 

 cent, failed to germinate. Of the 6,117 

 packets of mail-order seeds, 74, or ap- 

 proximately 1.2 per cent, germinated 10 

 per cent or less, and 51, or approxi- 

 mately 0.85 per cent, failed to ger- 

 minate. While the vitality of much of 

 this seed was low and in many instances 

 the seed was worthless, under the pres- 

 ent custom in the seed trade the pur- 

 chaser has no information as to the 

 quality of the seeds he is sowing, and 

 when they fail to grow it is impossible 

 to tell whether the failure is due to the 

 use of poor seeds or to some unfavor- 

 able condition of soil or climate." 



The circular goes on to illustrate by 

 tables the germination tests of the firms 

 concerned, but does not designate them 

 by name. It also gives germination per- 

 centages on many varieties of the seeds 

 commonly sold in packets. The cir- 

 cnlar concludes: 



"One firm in its catalogue makes a 

 statement to the effect that, having 

 carefully tested the seeds sold, it in- 

 tends to sell only seeds of the best qual- 

 ity, but for self -protection against fraud 

 on the part of purchasers all seeds are 

 sold subject to the usual clause by 

 which the dealer disclaims any war- 

 ranty and all liability and responsibility 

 for damage resulting from failure 

 through the use of his seeds. The aver- 

 age germination of the box seeds put up 

 by this firm and tested for four years 

 was 42.8 per cent, the highest average 

 during that period being 43.6 per cent. 

 It would thus appear that such firms 

 either do not test their seeds accurately 

 or else disregard the results of such 

 tests to the extent of including lots 

 showing unsatisfactory germination in 

 their output of packeted seeds for the 

 box trade. 



"There is doubtless an economic rea- 



-TOTHB TRADB- 



HENRY MEnE, Oaedlinbui^, Gennany 



^■^"■^^■^^" (Established in 1787) 



Growwr and Sxporter on tbe very largrest aoale of all 



CHOICE VEGETABLE, FLOWER and FARM SEEDS 



8p«olaltl«s} Beans, Beets, Cabbares, CarrotSt Eohl-Rabi, Leeks. Lettuces. Onions, 

 Peas, Radlslies, Spinach. Turnips. Swedes, Asters, Balsams. Beffonias, Gamatloni, 

 Cinerarias, Gloxinias. Larkspurs. Nasturtiums. Pansles, Petonlas, Phlox, Primulas. Scabioua, 

 Stocks, Verbenas, Zinnias, etc. Catalogue ftee on application, 



HKNRY MKTTK'S TRIUMPH OF THS GIANT PANSISS (mixed), the most per. 

 feet and most beautiful in the world. $5.00 per oz. : 11.60 per 14 oz. ; 76c per 1/16 os. Postags 

 paid. Cash with order. 



All seeds offered are firrown imder my personal snperrlslon on my o^^m vast sroonds, 

 and are warranted true to name, of strongest growih. finest stocks and best quality. I also 

 crow largely seeds on oontraot. 



Mention J He Keview wDeu you wnm 



PLANTERS AMATEURS NURSERYMEN 



WRITE FOR OUR GENERAL ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE 



FURST'S NURSERIES 



JETTE, BELGIUM 



Mention The Bevlew when yon write. 



VAN GRIEKEN'S BULBS, w^E^sKcScnD 



HiKb-crade Hyacinths. Tulips, Narclssas, irA VAN GRiri(rN Iitta HlHiflul 



Crocus, etc. Write tor Oatalocue. '*'" ■*" UAILfUiH, LBK, UHlUHi 



mhiimoii I rie Review when you write 



WHEN BUYING 



SEEDS 



(Garden, Farm or Flower) 



Write to 



KELWAY & SON, Langport, Eng. 



Mention The Keview when you write. 



U Qold and 16 Silver Medals In 4 

 years for 



DELPHINIUMS 



Largest collection in Europe. 100,000 plants ready 

 to sell. Also seed of same. Lists free. 



PERRY'S HARDY PLANT FARM 

 i Enfield, Middlesex, Enaland 



Mention The RptIpw wb^n yoa writ*. 



O. & Th. De Raeve 



Chaussee d'Anvers 313•4^2 

 Mont St. Amand, Ghent, Belgium 



Growers and Exporters of 



Azalea Indlca and Mollis, Rhododendrons, 



Bay .Trees, Araucaria, Kentia, Begonia, etc. 



Special prices npon request. 



M«Dtlon Th« B«t1«w wh«B yos writ*. 



son for the higher average quality of 

 the seeds sold by mail-order houses, as 

 compared with the seeds sent out by 

 many of the houses selling box seeds. 

 It is possible for a new firm or one 

 without reputation to purchase a large 

 quantity of seeds, put them up in 

 showy packets and boxes, and by means 

 of attractive prices dispose of them to 

 local merchants, either on commission 

 or by sale outright. Mail-order houses, 

 on the other hand, are dependent for 

 their trade on proportionately few new 

 customers each year, their business be- 

 ing based largely on the satisfactory 

 quality of their seeds which purchasers 

 have used in previous years. 

 "The sale of packeted vegetable seeds 



Mention The Review when yoa write. 



If You Are Looking for Quality 



in Dutch Bulbs, we want your busi- 

 ness — if not, we ask you to kindly 

 ignore this advertisement. 



Gt. van Waver^n $t Krui|ff 



Amkbioam Bbanoh Hotma 

 t40 N. 13th Street. PHILADELPHIA. PA. 



MfUtlon Tbe Berlew when yon write. 



Genoan Stock Seeds 



A GRAND SPECIALTY 



Price list on appllcafion 



PAUL TBCHBl, Striegau, Gennany 



Oldest Special Hone* 

 Mention Tbe Review when yon writ*. 



PEAS CROP 1912 



Our Hlsh-elase Stocks 



When you are buying, please apply to 



W. W. JOHNSON & SON. Ltd., SsST"- 



Mention The Review when you write. 



iMimaM-i 1 ■ 



