From barth@ncatfyv.uark.eduMon May 13 14:35:08 1996
Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 09:07:31 -0500 (CDT)
From: Bart Hall <barth@ncatfyv.uark.edu>
To: alec@cfarm.com
Cc: SANET <sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Re: Phacelia Seed

> To date I have been unable to locate a seed supply of Phacelia
> tanacetifolia for use as a foraging plant for bees, a green manure and
> as a refuge for predatory insects.
> 
> I would appreciate assistance in determining potential suppliers based
> in the US and Canada.   


Alec:

An AGRICOLA database search on Phacelia turned up nearly
eighty citations, but the few that dealt with Phacelia as
a cover crop were in French or German.  Limited studies in
Britain (1) suggest that Phacelia should be sown at a rate
of ten to fifteen pounds per acre and at a depth of one
inch.  Even though Phacelia is rather deep rooted, the
same study suggests that the amount of dry matter produced
is roughly half that of other non-leguminous cover crops
and only about a sixth of most legume cover crops.

Most of the work on Phacelia as a cover crop in eastern
North America has been done by the Centre de developpement
d'agrobiologie du Quebec [Quebec Organic Agriculture
Development Center] (2) in the last five or six years.  A
number of personnel at the center are conversant in
English and may be able to furnish you with specific
practical information about the crop.  They may well have
seed for sale (fairly expensive) or could at least direct
you to someone who can sell you seed if you wish to try it
yourself.

1)   Woodward, Lawrence and Burge, Pat.  1982.  Green
     Manures.  Elm Farm Research Center.  Practical
     Handbook Series.  Berkshire, United Kingdom

2)   Centre de developpement d'agrobiologie du Quebec
     224 rue Principale
     Sainte-Elizabeth-de-Warwick, Quebec,  J0Z 1M0
     819-358-3850    fax -3859


Good luck, 

           Bart

From sdemuth@asrr.arsusda.govTue May 14 17:15:10 1996
Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 11:32:33 -0400
From: Suzanne DeMuth <sdemuth@asrr.arsusda.gov>
To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
Cc: alec@cfarm.com
Subject: Re: Phacelia seed source

Alec McErlich from Cascadian Farm (alec@cfarm.com) was recently looking for
a seed supplier for Phacelia tanacetifolia. Bart Hall
(barth@ncatfyv.uark.edu) mentioned 2 possible (noncommercial) sources, one
in the U.K. and the other in Quebec.

A domestic commericial supplier is J.L. Hudson, Seedsman, in California.
The seed is listed and described as "bee food" in the 1996 catalog (J.L.
Hudson sells a very large variety of seeds for uncommon, open-pollinated
plants from around the world.)

The address: J.L. Hudson, Star Route 2, Box 337, La Honda, California 94020
(Another address, for requesting a catalog ($1): J.L. Hudson, P.O. Box 1058,
Redwood City, CA 94064)

The supplier does not list a phone number, and does not take phone orders,
so I'll mention the seed prices from the catalog: $1.25/packet, $5/ounce
(also fairly expensive!) 

From sdemuth@asrr.arsusda.govTue May 14 17:21:50 1996
Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 11:16:59 -0400
From: Suzanne DeMuth <sdemuth@asrr.arsusda.gov>
To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu
Cc: sdemuth@asrr.ars.usda.gov
Subject: Re: Phacelia seed source

Alec McErlich from Cascadian Farm (alec@cfarm.com) was recently looking for
a seed supplier for Phacelia tanacetifolia.  Bart Hall
(barth@ncatfyv.uark.edu) mentioned 2 possible (noncommercial) sources, one
in the U.K. and the other in Quebec.

A domestic commercial supplier is J.L. Hudson, Seedsman, in California.  The
seed is listed and described as "bee food" in the 1996 catalog (J.L Hudson
sells a very large variety of uncommon, open-pollinated plants from around
the world).

The address: J.L. Hudson, Star Route 2, Box 337, La Honda, California 94020
(Another address, for requesting a catalog ($1): J.L. Hudson, P.O. Box 1058,
Redwood City, CA 94064)

The supplier does not list a phone number, and does not take phone orders,
so I'll mention the seed prices from the catalog: $1.25/packet, $5/ounce
(also fairly expensive!)
