RAISING NURSERY STOCK 



Mr. F. J. McNeil, Dansville, N. Y. 



^h\ President. Ladies and Gentlemen of the IMassachu- 

 setts Fruit Growers' Association: 



It is a pleasure, I assure you, to be accorded the priv- 

 ilege of addressing an intelligent audience of ]Massaclius- 

 setts Fruit Growers. 



I come from Dansville, New York, located at the head 

 of the beautiful valley of the Genesee, made famous by song 

 and story, and in which valley more fruit trees are grown 

 than in any other place in the United States, 



About one hundred years ago an English horticulturist 

 by the name of Samuel Ramsedon located at our place and 

 immediately started the propagation of fruit trees, and it 

 is said that he imported his scions from England. A man l)y 

 the luime of Pierson became associated with him in the busi- 

 ress and they soon discovered that the soil in our locality 

 %ras adapted to the successful growing of fruit trees. Max- 

 well Brothers later engaged in the business, and they also 

 started the first narsery in Geneva, N. Y. Following the 

 Maxwells came a man by the name of Maloney, who, in my 

 -opinion, and the opinion of other nurserymen at Dansville, 

 did more to advance the growing of fruit trees in a scientif- 

 ic way than any other nurseryman in the State of New 

 York ; they grew for the wholesale trade only up to about 

 six years ago and since that time Mr. Maloney and his sons 

 have been selling their entire product direct to the fruit 

 grower, and today there are one hundred and forty differ- 

 ent firms growing fruit trees, nearly all of which sell their 

 Irees in ear lots or at wholesale. 



In the earlier history of our business we grew many of 

 our seedlings at home. We imported the French pear seed 



