June 15, 1907 



HORTICULTURE. 



?83 



AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NUR- 

 SERYMEN. 



The American Association of Nur- 

 serymen is holding its annual con- 

 vention in Detroit, Mich., as we go to 

 press. An attendance of 400, some 

 from Germany, France and England 

 and much enthusiasm over the royal 

 welcome extended by the Detroit city 

 officials, florists and nurserymen is re- 

 ported. Below we give the address of 

 President Orlando Harrison at the 

 opening of the first session, in Hotel 

 Cadillac. 



PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 

 Fellow Nurserymen and Members 

 of the American Association of Nur- 

 serymen: After the cordial greetings 

 we have just heard, every nursery- 

 man should feel at home in the city 

 of Detroit. We are welcomed by one 

 of our statesmen, a nurseryman, and 

 by the mayor of this great thriving 

 convention city, representing more 

 than four hundred thousand citizens. 

 This beautiful city of the straits, 

 one of the most charming of Ameri- 

 can municipalities, with its healthful 

 surroundings, its wealth and high 

 social culture, needs no extended 

 praise at my hand. 



The year passed has been a notable 

 one, and the whole country is at the 

 flood-tide of industrial development. 

 Never before in our history have we 

 seen conditions so prosperous. The 

 ■word prosperous is putting it mild. 

 Every branch of business seems to be 

 in a thriving condition — our neigh- 

 bors making millions in manufac- 

 tures, men leaving the farms tor city 

 life, our labor leaving the nursery 

 and going to the railroads and many 

 other industries which can and do 

 Ijay more for their labor. One can 

 hardly name a business enterprise but 

 what has been profitable. 

 Our Finances. 

 When I accepted the presidency 

 last June, I was mindful of the fact 

 that necessary funds should be pro- 

 vided for the expenses of the special 

 representative appointed; keeping 

 this in view I have been careful to 

 avoid any experimenting with our 

 treasury and I am pleased to state 

 what you already know that it has 

 not been necessary to call on you for 

 .additional guarantees, as $3,000 was 

 promptly provided by our Ways and 

 Means Committee. 



Recommendations. 

 Seeing the conditions that confront 

 us as a body, permit me to make a 

 few recommendations, which in my 

 humble judgment will be a great ben- 

 efit to the association. 



First, that we establish a claim de- 

 partment, and appoint for its guidance 

 an advisory board, or the Executive 

 Board may act as the advisory, for 

 adjustment ot all disputed claims be- 

 tween nurserymen, as well as with 

 railroad companies, express com- 

 panies and others. A fee should be 

 charged when claims are entered, and 

 a per cent, charged when collected. 



Second, I earnestly recommend 

 that there should be a closer co- 

 operation between the nurserymen of 

 this country and their respective 

 State Experiment Stations, in the 

 testing of new varieties. We have in 

 the Experiment Stations an organiza- 

 tion designed tor the purpose of try- 

 ing new kinds. We should see to it 

 that a variety has a fair test and 



that it is not disseminated until it 

 has proved its value for some part of 

 the country. 



Would it not be a good plan for 

 originators of new varieties of fruits 

 to send trees under restriction to the 

 Experiment Stations for trial, before 

 they are generally distributed and of- 

 fered to the trade. 



Horticultural Press. 

 The horticultural papers of the 

 country are doing a great work for 

 the nurserymen. They are the text 

 books for the prospective fruit grow- 

 er, and the nurserymen should get 

 in close touch with the editors and 

 show them just what we are trying 

 to do for the fruit grower, that they 

 may better understand what difficul- 

 ties we encounter to grow a good 

 sound merchantable tree. 



It is through the press we learn of 

 the successful peach orchards of the 

 south, the apple orchards of the west, 

 and the great opportunities that have 

 been overlooked in the northern, 

 eastern and New England states. 



I contend it's the duty of an editor 

 to know something about the firm he 

 is advertising in his columns, that 

 when asked about them he can 

 answer questions more intelligently. 

 He should, if possible, visit the vari- 

 ous nurseries with whom he is doing 

 business, then he is in a position to 

 help his customers. 



The nurserymen are the poorest 

 advertisers of any great industry and 

 it is our own fault. 



There is more real live, instructive, 

 interesting advertising that can be 

 gotten up, showing the many ad- 

 vantages the nursery interests are to 

 a town, county or state, and the gov- 

 ernment than in any other business 

 that can be named. Our whole life 

 work is a creation of the germs of 

 horticulture, and our experience is 

 the guide to cultivation and the foun- 

 dation of prosperity. A true nursery- 

 man is a genuine public benefactor, 

 and because I consider it one of the 

 choicest professions I would not ex- 

 change my occupation for any other; 

 but I believe in order to attain the 

 greatest success we must learn to 

 help others. 



What a small part of this country 

 is utilized for fruit growing according 

 to its possibilities. I am sure there 

 is not a nurseryman here who cannot 

 point out great opportunities for 

 fruit growers; these opportunities 

 must be made known to the millions 

 of city people who are anxious for a 

 country home. 



If nurserymen will get closer to the 

 editors of fruit and farm papers, in- 

 form them how we bend our energies 

 to serve the fruit grower, and how 

 certain enthusiastic, energetic fruit 

 growers 'are succeeding it will inspire 

 others to do likewise. 



The Business Side. 

 Fellow nurserymen, if we are to 

 succeed, we must have a great de- 

 mand for our product — the tree. 



The planting of trees over the 

 country is increasing, but not in pro- 

 portion to the increase of population. 

 The information contained in the 

 horticultural and agricultural press 

 has been an advantage to all. Many 

 sales have been made by the tree 

 agent, after the fruit growers and 

 farmers have learned through the 

 press of the pleasure and profit in 

 fruit growing, it helps to create a 



demand. In fact any literature on 

 fruit growing is a decided help to 

 nurserymen and growers alike. It 

 seems to me we are not attending to 

 this in a systematic, business-like 

 manner. 



We, as nurserymen, should look 

 after the young men who are gradu- 

 ated from the colleges, and tura their 

 attention to the fruit industry of the 

 country, and show them the advan- 

 tages to be derived from an outdoor 

 life and encourage them to adopt hor- 

 ticulture as a business. 



Could we not, through the secre- 

 tary's office establish a Bureau of In- 

 formation, by which yoimg men with 

 both the necessary scientific and prac- 

 tical training to plant and manage 

 orchards could be brought into touch 

 with the fruit growers who are in 

 need of such help? It seems to me 

 this would encourage tree planting, 

 particularly in localities where men 

 are deprived of going into the or- 

 chard business. We need such a bu- 

 reau for the nurserymen's help 

 through which he could get compe- 

 tent foremen and assistants. 



The American Civic Association. 



What a grand work the American 

 Civic Association is doing. Their work 

 is an advance agent for the nursery- 

 man, getting togethfr, inspiring us 

 with new life and vim, creating a 

 desire for new fruits and more at- 

 tractive homes. If we could only in- 

 duce every city and town to have a 

 Civic Association it would be greatly 

 to our interest. ' 



Fumigation. 

 Another matter that should receive 

 the careful attention of this Associa- 

 tion is the criticism of planters rela- 

 tive to the fumigation of nursery 

 stock. Many of the most observant 

 tree planters object to having their 

 trees fumigated. Their experience is 

 that dipping is the safest, and most 

 effective method and they prefer to 

 do the dipping themselves. Evidence 

 of the benefits derived from dipping 

 is encouraging. This is extremely im- 

 portant to nurserymen, for we know 

 only too well that fumigation is cosily 

 and requires extreme care. The laws 

 of the several states resijecting fumi- 

 gation are stringent and I might say 

 exacting, and the nurserymen have 

 faithfully endeavored to meet their 

 requir.3ments but when fumigation is 

 objectionable and other means can 

 be employed that entails less expense 

 and is equally or even more effective 

 in controlling the insect pests, we 

 should know it; so from the criticism 

 about fumigation and the results ob- 

 tained by dipping, I feel it a duty to 

 bring the subject to your attention, 

 for such discussion or action as in 

 your judgment the importance of the 

 matter may suggest. 



Legislation. 



It is with great pleasure we 

 welcome the Committee of Economic 

 Entomologists, sent here to confer 

 with the nurserymen in order to im- 

 prove the present condition, governing 

 inter-state shipments of nursery stock. 

 It is earnestly hoped that some satis- 

 factory means can be arranged in the 

 near future whereby the existing 

 troubles in regard to the inter-state 

 transportation of nur.sery, stock may 

 be mitigated to a large extent. 



I understand at the last meeting of 



