428 State Horticultural Society. 



THE NUKSEKY CONVENTION. 



PROTECTING NUKSERY STOCK. 



"What is the most practical kind of hedge for farm purposes, and 

 what for parks and cemeteries?"- — was a question which drew out some 

 discussion, some favoring the osage orange for farm purposes; but Mr. 

 Albaugh sat down on the whole matter by stating that after an extended 

 experience with some four miles of osage hedge, he had come to the con- 

 clusion that the only practical farm hedge is a barbed-wire fence. 



The question, "Is it desirable to form a national combination of 

 capital in the nursery business?" was one that rather staggered the mem- 

 bers of the convention. One gentleman, who confessed to having an 

 eye on the secretary-treasurership, though it might be desirable, but 

 ventured no further suggestions. 



Prof. E. S. Goff, of the State University, Madison, Wis., read a 

 j)aper on "Eoot-Killing of Nursery Trees." The speaker referred to 

 the damage that had been done during the past wnter in the northwest, 

 where, over a" tract covering several thousand square miles, one, two and 

 three-year-old fruit trees were more or less root-killed, and proceeded to 

 draw lessons therefrom. He said, in part: 



"The wide-spread destruction of roots brings home very forcibly a fact 

 that has been too often overlooked — that in the breeding of hardy fruit 

 trees, we have two distinct problems in hand, i. e., to produce a hardy top 

 and a hardy root to support it. Neither is safe without the other. We 

 have been trusting to nature to protect the roots by snow, but the past 

 winter is a most effectual reminder that this protection is not to be de- 

 pended on. The roots of the crab-apple are hardier than those of the 

 common apple. Had apple stocks been generally grown on crab seed- 

 lings instead of common apple seedlings, the damage from root killing 

 would probably have been greatly reduced. In like manner, we should 

 experiment with the sand cherry and the \vild red cherry as stocks for 

 the cherry, and we should confine the plum to Americana stocks. All 

 means should be used to cause snow to remain on the ground of the nur- 

 sery during the winter. If half of the snow that actually fell up to 

 February the past winter in southern AVisconsin could liave been retained. 



