4 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
UKual to have liiii,!! winds which cause the «nd best fruit to 
droj), and it seems advisable that i)lanters should prepare for such 
emer<>'encies by i)lautino-ou the north and west sides of their orchards, 
windbreaks either of evergreen or deciduous trees. Care must betaken 
not to surround the orchard for in that case the air would be too 
much confined.- These .windbreaks will also be a ])rotection against 
winter storms. 
THK MISSION OF THIS SOCIETY. 
1 cannot too frequently impress upon you the usefulness of this 
association and the imjiortance of the work it has in hand. The pres¬ 
ent, when business generally is so depressed, is a most opportune 
moment to revive interest and enthusiasm in fruit growing and farm¬ 
ing. Horticulturists, recognizing the losses and reverses sustained by 
those engaged in other industries, Avill begin to jilace a higher esti¬ 
mate ujion their own resources and the stability of their calling, and 
will be encouraged to greater efforts than before. It is the purpose 
of this society to encourage and foster fruit cultui’e, and.to elicit and 
disseminate correct information ])ertaining to it as M-ell as to other 
branches of terraculture. Much good has been acconqdished thus far; 
let us therefore continue to Avork harmoniously, seeking higher de¬ 
grees of imiirovement in the fulfillment of our mission. 
S. D. Willard’s talk on plums provoked a long dis¬ 
cussion in which there was a concensus -of opinion that the 
Japan plums are destined to work a revolution in the culture 
of this fruit. Mr. Willard said that Luther Burbank’s ex¬ 
periments in crossing the Japan plum with the native varie¬ 
ties promise to produce results far beyond anything yet 
obtained. Mr. Hale said that no fruit will give more satis¬ 
factory results for marketing purposes than the Japan plums. 
They are quick growers, quick and prolific bearers, are 
hardy and the fruit is showy and of excellent quality. 
Mr. Willard and the Kieffer pear were subjects of good- 
natured attack from all sides. Mr. Willard said that al¬ 
though the fruit had been declared to taste like a cross 
between a quince and a raw potato, still the pear was being 
planted in all directions and it seemed that the people were 
determined to have it. He had shipped carloads of the 
fruit to Detroit and Chicago and secured ^5 and ,^8 per 
barrel for it, and had received notice immediately to dupli¬ 
cate the order. “ It may show that all the fools are not 
dead yet,” said he, “ but those are the facts.” 
BETTER TREES, HIGHER PRICES. 
In the course of his “ Rambling Talk on Horticultural 
Topics, ” J. H. Hale of South Glastonbury, Conn., one of 
the largest fruit growers in the country, said : 
” There is an annual sale of upwards of 100,000,000 trees 
every year. The sharp competition has stimulated cheap 
production, cheap handling, and by far the greater part of 
the trees sold fail. The purchaser, even, is careless. He 
feels that he can get another if the tree he buys does not 
live. The grower and the purchaser of novelties give 
greater care to the grow’th of such a favorite as they may 
have championed. In the case of novelties there is usually 
the proper amount of care, because of the high price paid 
for them. It seems to me that there is a chance for the 
nurserymen to produce better stock and more of it and 
charge what it is worth. If this is done I believe we 
shall get better returns. The tendency of the time is 
to produce good fruit at low prices, producing sure ' and 
steady sales. The demands of the markets are for larger 
and finer fruits and we must have more showy fruits. Our 
California friends grow finer fruits and take money from 
consumers right under our eyes. But are we going to let 
our friends of the Pacific coast, with better climatic conditions, 
beat New York state a*nd Connecticut ingenuity? We ought 
to be ashamed of ourselves if we do. We can not force the 
market. We have got to find out what the market wants 
and then go home and produce it. In the cultivation of 
peaches I have been much interested in frost drainage. 
It has become generall)" known that frost runs down 
hill almost as readily as water. Elevated- lands with 
an abrupt slope to a valley will give peaches when 
higher plateaus without. slopes have failed. The horticul¬ 
turist has spent much time in the production of fruits, but 
has neglected the business end—the sale of fruits. The in¬ 
telligent dealer knows more about the market demands than 
the fruit-grower. The tendency of the times is toward con- 
solidation in all lines. The smaller growers and producers 
must get together. Tilling the soil is the best business on 
earth and because of that fact any man, no miatter how un¬ 
successful at any thing else, can succeed at it. That is the 
reason the tillers of the soil do not care to organize, but 
they must. The purchaser of fruit cannot tell where to get 
any more of the same if it is good, but owners of large 
orchards are going to make a name tor their fruit. I advo¬ 
cate tight packages instead of ventilated packages for fruit. 
Strawberries wrapped in cotton may be kept fourteen days 
in prime condition. I was surprised to hear that apple 
culture was being overdone. My experience is that intelli¬ 
gent apple culture does not keep up with the demand. 
Last year there was a short crop of apples, but I am ashamed 
to find good oranges in the market and poor apples. There 
is a demand for apples and the demand is for fine fruit. I 
believe there is no danger of overdoing the planting of any 
fruit so long as the fine qualities are produced.” 
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES. 
The following officers and committees were chosen : 
President—'William C. Barry, llochester. 
Vice-Presidents—S. 1).'Willai’d, Geneva; Wing K. Smith, Syracuse; 
George A. S\veet, Dansville; C. L. Hoag, Lockport. 
Secretary and treasurer—John Hall, Rochester. 
Executive committee—C. M. Hooker, Rochester; C. W. Stuart, New¬ 
ark; Nelson Rogue, Batavia: E. A. Powell, Syracuse; H. S. Wiley, 
Cayuga. 
Botany and plant diseases—Professor S. A. Beach, Geneva; Pro- 
essor L. H. Bailey, Ithaca; Professor A. N. Prentiss, Ithaca; Profes¬ 
sor M. B. Slingerland, Ithaca; C. H, Stuart, Newark. 
Chemistry—Dr. G. C. CahHvell, Ithaca; Dr. S. A. Lattimore, Roch¬ 
ester; Dr. Deter Collier, Geneva; Mr. Fletcher, Geneva. 
Entomology—Professor J. A. Comstock, Ithaca ; C. M. Hooker, 
Rochester: .1. F. Rose, South Byron; R. T. IleM-son, Penn Van; C. H. 
Stuart, Ne^vark. 
Foreign fruits—George Ellwanger, Rochester; C.'W.Stuart,Newark: 
John Charlton, Rochester; George G. Atwood, Geneva; George H. 
Moody, Lockport. 
Flowers and budding plants—Patrick (Quinlan, Syracuse; Virgil 
Bogue, Albion; E. A. Long, Buffalo; C. W. Seeley, Rochester; C. H. 
Perkins, Utica; Lester Webb, Corfu. 
