242 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Now I am not going to make apologies for tlie nurserymen ; they 

 are tough and can endure in dignified silence. Nor am I tempted to 

 disclose many of the mysterious secrets that hover around the un- 

 canny precincts of a modern nursery. But you have invited me to 

 write this paper from the standpoint of a tree-man (I am proud 

 of the distinction — really), and I trust that my brothers-in-adversity 

 who are here will pardon me for thus making public the statement 

 that the hold northern nurserymen have upon their patronage is 

 largely due to the prevalent idea that nursery stock reared in the 

 north is best suited to the rigors of this climate. It is probable that 

 northern nurserymen do not let this idea smoulder for lack of blow- 

 ing upon it (or about it). But seriously I think our claim that this 

 idea is justly based on fact and not on fancy is well founded as 

 far as the growers who really grow their trees is concerned ; and it 

 seems as though the claim would also apply to the growing of apple 

 stocks, especially so as an example, because the apple tree is the fore- 

 most item in nearly every nursery's inventory and the successful 

 apple tree is of the greatest comparative interest to the average 

 horticulturist. 



In the early days of American commercial horticulture, it is 

 probable that the comparatively few apple trees grown by nursery- 

 men were grafted on roots grown from seed produced in their own 

 orchards ; but the growing demand for trees in larger quantities 

 subsequently rendered that source of supply inadequate, and the 

 orchards of Europe were called upon to fill the need. It was then 

 found that, probably on. account of cheaper labor, both seed and 

 grown stocks could be secured cheaper abroad than in this coun- 

 try, and I understand that many of the large wholesale nurseries in 

 the milder portions of the United States still use a good many 

 French and other foreign stocks. However, the large orchards in 

 some of the older eastern states are now supplying an increasing 

 percentage of the seed used by the American growers and especially 

 by those who cater to the western and northern trade. 



The more recent agitation that has arisen here in the west over 

 the question of using Pyrus baccata stock to obtain hardier and 

 better trees has, it seems, had considerable effect among our local 

 growers, but the present scarcity of seed makes it yet impossible to 

 conduct experiments on an extended scale. Still we do not think the 

 effect of the agitation has been limited to that variety alone, as it 

 seems to have brought to light for discussion and experiment the 

 comparative merits of true crab seed and that of the commercial 

 apple. Prior to the advocacy of this stock by Professor Hansen, we 

 had given quite a little attention to growing stocks from various 



