100 



OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



THIED DAY-EVENING SESSION. 



Thursday, December 14, 1899. 

 At 7:30 o'clock p. m. the convention reassembled. President Cooper 

 in the chair. 



FRUIT TREE STOCKS. 



Essay by LEONARD COATES, of Napa. 



The fine appearance of most orchards in California is due as much to 

 natural conditions as to the skill of the nurseryman or the care of the 

 orchardist. When soil and climate are perfect, he is an egotist indeed 

 who takes to himself the credit for unusually vigorous growth or abnor- 

 mal bearing qualities. Let these conditions be adverse and the results 

 would be far different. 



I would mean by this that neither the nurseryman nor the orchardist 

 is as careful as he would have to be elsewhere to produce a fine orchard, 

 and in nothing is the former more careless than in the selection of suit- 

 able stocks, or roots, on which to graft or bud his trees. 



The causes which led up to this state of things are various. Low 

 prices for trees always follow correspondingly low prices for fruit, and 

 vice versa. A large demand for trees in a few years begets an oversupply 

 of the commodity, and a slump in prices. - Oregon has shipped millions 

 of trees into this State and at prices which could permit of no profit 

 to the grower. The farmer, who thinks the nurseryman is making money 

 too fast, plants a lot of peach seed and buds the trees during the summer. 

 He makes nothing himself and prevents those who follow the business 

 from selling at a profit. 



The planting public may be benefited by these low prices, temporarily; 

 but, as in all other lines of business, cheap trees may be the dearest in 

 the end. 



Unless more care is given to the selection of fruit tree stocks a 

 vigorous and prolific orchard will be the exception rather than the rule. 

 Twenty years ago several nurserymen raised seedlings for their own use 

 and for sale. The cheap imported French stock put a stop to that, and 

 now California is entirely dependent upon other States or countries for 

 pear, apple, cherry, and plum stocks. This ought not to be, and I believe 

 the time will soon come when a nurseryman who will grow and select 

 his own stocks and so advertise, will readily obtain fifty per cent more 

 for his trees than for others which cannot be so guaranteed. 



It is accepted by all progressive horticulturists that the stock exerts a 

 certain influence on the graft or bud inserted into it. This may be to 



