3o 



Annals of Horticulture. 



and the Central States very light, although it seemed, up to 

 within ten days of gathering, as if there was to be an enormous 

 yield. The crop in California was light. The California let- 

 tuce-seed crop was a very good one and there is an abundant 

 supply for the whole world, for all now look to California for 

 seed of this vegetable. Seed-beans were a light crop in New 

 England and New York, and a fair one in the West. Of peas, 

 particularly the Extra Earlies, there was not the usual acre- 

 age planted and the comparatively light crop makes them 

 rather scarce. Seed-corn is fairly abundant and of better 

 quality as to vitality than last year. Vine-seeds were a 

 very light crop, those in the famous Platte river districts of 

 Nebraska a total failure — so that were it not for stocks car- 

 ried over the shortage would be very serious. This is the 

 more curious, as early in the season both cucumber and melon- 

 growers, both in New Jersey and in the west, who had grown 

 fruit for the market and were unable to sell it, offered to get 

 out large quantities of seed ; but the distrust which seedmen 

 The have of such crops and their belief that their own crops would 

 crop, amply supply them, prevented their buying, so that much seed 

 which, if saved, might have relieved the present shortage was 

 allowed to waste. 



As to the cause of the general failure, it is supposed that 

 it is largely due to the excessively hot days and hot winds 

 which occurred just as the seeds were setting and maturing, 

 and which in some cases destroyed the seed already set and 

 in others prevented pollination. It is noticeable that those 

 varieties of beans and of peas which have the habit of setting 

 fruit through a long period are a nearly full crop, while those 

 whose crop is all made at once are very short. For instance, 

 Valentine and Refugee beans are plenty, while there is a 

 dearth of Kidney-wax ; the former was able to set a crop after 

 the first setting was destroyed, which the latter variety will 

 not do. 



The quality of seeds of the growth of 1891 is above the 

 average both as to vitality and the development of the plants 

 that produced them, and in purity and trueness to type. 

 There has been a continuation of the improvement which has 

 characterized American-grown seed for the past few years, 

 for which we are largely indebted to the work of the trial- 

 grounds of the experiment stations as well as to those of the 

 seedsmen. 



