FIFTY-FIRST ANNTTAT. KKI'ORT. 47 



thoroughly covered by yearly advertising campaigns of not only Cali- 

 fornia pears, but also California cherries, California plums, and Cali- 

 fornia peaches. 



To my mind the first step forvvaid has been taken by the California 

 growers and it is very commendable indeed. What does this mean to the 

 Michigan growers? It means just this, that unless thej- too take a step 

 forward in advertising. Michigan will lose her rank as one of the most 

 foremost states in commercial horticulture. For this reason I want to 

 impress upon you the necessity for more systematic and effective adver- 

 tising. We must advertise if we are to safeguard the f\iture of our 

 orchard industry. 



WHY IT PAYS TO PURCHASE GOOD NURSERY STOCK. 



(J. W. K. BALDWIN, KRID(iMAN, MICHIGAN. 



As fruit growers each one of you will at sometime be buying nursery 

 stock. Whether you buy fruit trees, small fruit plants or grape vines, 

 or whether you buy for a home garden or for a commercial planting, 

 you will want to be sure that what you do buy are first class plants 

 and that they will give satisfaction. 



To secure this class of plants you will have to pay more than for a 

 lower grade of plants. There are several things that go to make up 

 a good nursery plant and they are, briefly, — trueness to name, without 

 which a plant is worthless to the grower; healthiness and vigor, which 

 are necessary for good growth and production; freedom from disease and 

 insects, without which no plant can be healthy and vigorous; and lastly 

 your plants should be carefull.y handled, packed and shipped so that 

 they will reach you in good growing condition. 



None of these desirable features of good stock can be had by hap- 

 hazard growing methods. The production of good plants requires an 

 expert knowledge of nursery practice and it also means the use of much 

 labor and money to give the constant propei- and efficient care which is 

 necessary. Plants will not come true to name if left t(j propagate them- 

 selves, neither will they be vigorous and healthy, or free from disease. 

 You can readily see that in the growing alone, of good plants there is 

 considerably more expense than would Ije necessary to grow low grade 

 stock. 



Further than this there are one or two other important reasons why 

 good nursery stock costs more money. In regard to fruit trees, the best 

 stocks for their propagation are grown chiefly in Europe — mainly in 

 France. Due to the war, the cost of these stocks has more than doubled. 

 Attempst are being made to produce good stocks in quantity in the 

 United States, but up to the present time the results have not been 

 entirely satisfactory, and the number grown is too small for the demand. 



Considering small fruits, the best plants of any kind are those pro- 

 duced in fields where plants are grown for plants only. As an example, 

 some fruit growers reset their strawberry beds with plants dug from 

 between fruiting rows of their bearing beds. Such plants are small, 

 end-runner plants — a by-product of low vitality. The nurseryman 

 growing his stock for plants only, throws out these plants dug from be- 

 tween the rows. This method means that the nurseryman can use his 

 land for plant production only. He must spend more labor in its care 



