WHAT SHALL THE HARVEST BE ? 



SEED SALES THAT FORETELL COMING CROPS. 



T WOULD be hard to imagine a 

 surer foundation for estimates 

 of planting done in certain lines 

 than the sale of the respective 

 classes of seeds by our leading 

 seedsmen. This planting-gauge 

 is especially reliable in regard to the 

 onion-crop. Every five or six pounds 

 of onion-seed sold means just about an 

 acre of onions planted. In a similar 

 ,, . way the spring sales of tomato and 



ilw/^vtS^ cabbage -seed, seed - potatoes, straw- 



berry-plants, etc., may serve as an in- 

 dication of coming crops. 

 We asked the leading seedsmen how their spring sales 

 of these seeds, etc, compared with those of previous 

 years. Many of their replies are instructive in other re- 

 spects also, and full of significance. Here they are ; 



SALES IN NEW YORK STATE. 



We have sold 25 per csnt. more onion-seed this year 

 than we did last, and without any extra effort. On the 

 whole the onion-seed trade was brisk and strong. There 

 has been no special call for any but standard sorts of to- 

 matoes, such as Acme, Dwarf Champion, Livingston 

 Favorite, Livingston Beauty, Trophy and Essex Hybrid. 

 In potatoes the trade with us has not been at all r.ctive ; 

 the low price of market sorts has checked the demand 

 for seed-potatoes, and we have not been able to dispose 

 of as many as in former years. We think the trade in 

 seed-potatoes has been cut down 25 to 50 per cent. 

 Early varieties are most in demand. We have had a 

 large call for the New Queen, a variety introduced by 

 Jerrard of Maine. This variety is well adapted to our 

 locality, and we predict for it a general demand, as it 

 seems suited to all localities. Orders for cabbage-seed 

 the past season have been quite heavy. — Jerome B. 

 Rice & Co., Ca?nbridffc, iV. 



A failure or partial failure of the crop of any par- 

 ticular seed will naturally be followed by an increased 

 demand. This was the case in regard to onion-seed the 

 past season. The tomato-crop was average and the de- 

 mand normal, making allowance for the increase which 

 we expect from year to year. Potatoes being cheap, the 

 demand for them for planting purposes was less than it 

 was last season. The demand for cabbage-seed was 

 about the same as usual. — J. M. Thorburn & Co., Xczu 

 York City. 



Spring sales of onion-seed were about an average, the 

 call for our special stock of Yellow Globe being especially 

 heavy. Sales of tomato-seed were light, McCuUom 

 Hybrid, New Stone and Acme leading. Our potato sales 

 were very heavy, especially for American Wonder, Per- 



fection and Early Market, In cabbages we sold heavily 

 of All Seasons, Wakefield, Winnigstadt, and Late Flat 

 Dutch. Sale of strawberry-plants was light. — James 

 ViCK, Rochester, X. y. 



Our sales for the vegetable seed inquired about were 

 nearly the same as usual, with the exception of potatoes, 

 which on account of low prices were very dull. — Price 

 & Reed, A/bany, X. V. 



sales in PENNSYLVANIA, 



This year's sales of onion-seed were particularly satis- 

 factory, the demand for Prizetaker being unusually 

 large ; demand for Yellow Danvers double that of prev- 

 ious years, while we sold very nearly 10,000 pounds of 

 Large Red Wethersfield. As for potatoes, outside of that 

 for the new Freeman the demand was very poor indeed. 

 The fact that we sold out our stock of Freeman po- 

 tatoes at a price averaging more than $15 per barrel, 

 and that other varieties were a drug on the market, 

 we think speaks well for this popular new sort. The 

 demand for other varieties of seed, such as tomato, cab- 

 bage, etc., in fact the whole general line of vegetable 

 seed, was not quite so satisfactory as in '91. — Wm. Henry 

 Maule, PhUadelphia, Fa. 



Our sales of nearly all the varieties of white and yel- 

 low onion-ceed exceeded those in any former year. Our 

 large supply of the leading kinds, such as Spanish King, 

 or Prizetaker, and the American Extra Early Pearl, be- 

 fore the season was half over were entirely sold out. 

 Tomatoes sold well in the south, but not so well north 

 r s in former years, as there are not so many grown for 

 canning purposes. The potato trade was the worst we 

 have had for many years ; potatoes were so remarkably 

 cheap all over the country that the farmers would not 

 buy seed. Of cabbage-seed we think about the usual 

 acreage will be sown both north and south. — Johnson 

 & Stokes, Philadelphia, /'a. 



The call for onion-seed, especially of the Italian va- 

 rieties and Yellow Danvers, was larger than ever before. 

 In tomato and potato-seed our trade was much lighter. 

 Of cabbage-seed about the usual quantity was sold. — 

 Z. De Forest Ely, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Our sales of onion-seed this year, compared with those 

 of previous years, show a considerable increase, particu- 

 larly in yellow varieties. Sales of tomato-seed were 

 about as usual. Leading varieties — Stone, Perfection 

 and Trophy. For potatoes we had a fair demand, not 

 equal to last year's. For cabbage-seed there was the 

 usual demand. Strawberry-plants sold fairly well, with 

 a run on Bubach and Sharpless. — Henry A. Dreer, 

 Philadelphia, Pa. 



The demand for onion-seed in our trade has this sea- 

 son been considerably above the average. The call for 



