First -class Stock. 231 



varieties which the planters want those for which 

 there is a demand. As a matter of fact, he largely 

 forces the demand by magnifying the value of those 

 varieties which are good growers in the nursery. 

 The nurseryman's business ends with the growing 

 of the young tree, and the tree which makes the 

 straightest, most rapid and cleanest growth is the one 

 which finds the readiest sale. Now, it by no means 

 follows that the variety which is the cheapest and 

 best for the nurseryman to grow is the best for the 

 fruit-grower. Probably every apple -grower is now 

 ready to admit that the Baldwin has been too much 

 planted, whilst Canada Red and various other varie- 

 ties which are poor growers in the nursery row have 

 been too little planted. 



"The blame for this condition of things does not 

 rest wholly with the nurseryman, although it is 

 partly his fault. The original difficulty lies in the 

 fact, it seems to me, that our conception, and con- 

 sequently our definition, of what constitutes a first- 

 class tree is at variance with the truth. We con- 

 ceive a first-class nursery tree to be one which grows 

 straight and smooth, tall and stocky, whilst we know 

 that very many perhaps half the varieties of apples 

 and pears and plums will not grow that way. In 

 order to make our conception true, we grow those 

 varieties which will satisfy the definition, and, as a 

 result, there is a constant tendency to eliminate 

 from our lists some of the best and most profitable 

 varieties. 



"All this could be remedied if people were to be 



