166 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the orchard was irrigated. I found the trees very unhealthy with root 

 rot and stagnated, and I am satisfied that this fungus growth comes on 

 the roots because they are unhealthy. Planting trees so deep stag- 

 nates the tree, because the warm sun cannot draw the sap, and it is so 

 cold. A good healthy tree will not sunburn and the sap will circulate. 



The firm made a contract with this party to replant his trees next 

 year, and if they did not make a good orchard of it they would furnish 

 the trees for nothing at all, and if they made a good growth, patisfac- 

 tory to him, the orchard should be paid for at market price. We 

 tended the planting the next year and we got as fine a growth as you 

 ever saw on the same ground where trees had all died because of deep 

 planting. I do not think trees properly planted will be troubled with 

 any fungus growth. 



Maj. Holsinger — It seems to me that that is an important thought, 

 to determine the responsibility between the nurseryman and the 

 planter. I am a nurseryman. I think the nurseryman is often blamed 

 for what he is not guilty of. This question of how to determine to 

 adjust the blame is a question that we ought to give careful attention* 

 I want you to understand that 1 am not one of those who sings out 

 *' me too." And I am not one of those who says that aphis ever killed 

 a tree. The Chairman has made a statement of what they did at Olden. 

 He said the ground was poverty stricken, and I think the trees died 

 of poverty and not of aphis. It was simply another case of " poor 

 old Missouri." If you will plant trees, put them on your better land. 

 I have had a good deal of experience with trees and I was fool enough 

 to burn thousands of trees, because I wanted to be an honest nursery- 

 man, but I would not do it again. I have heard it said that a man who 

 would sell trees affected by aphis ought to be hung. I have planted 

 trees that were bidly affected with aphis. One mistake is in our cut- 

 ting at the top. I want to make a statement right here at this meet- 

 ing. If you recollect the Sarcoxie Nurseris presented us with a lot 

 of trees that had been kept in cold storage, f took four plum trees. 

 When I took them home I divided those trees. We cut nearly all the 

 roots off two and left the tops ; on the other two we left the roots and 

 cut the tops. I can show you today the two where the roots were cut 

 off and the tops remained, the other two died. 



Mr. Tippin — It is my opinion that the root louse or woolly aphis 

 has come to stay. I am very glad that the discussion has taken the 

 trend that it has and that we have made a distinction between the fun- 

 gus and the woolly aphis. I think the woolly aphis is a disease of it- 

 self, and I want to say that conditions govern the degree with which it 

 attacks our orchards, our nurseries and trees. Whenever you have a 



