THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
71 
study of pomology, each of whom in turn published the 
results of his experiences and investigations in book 
form, and thus gave a new and great impetus to fruit 
culture throughout the land. Nurseries sprang up every¬ 
where ; fruit culture became almost a craze, and plant¬ 
ing was extensively indulged in from Maine to Califor¬ 
nia. So that fruit growing in a short time became a 
great and profitable industry, aiding materially in the 
development of the country and increasing its wealth 
and prosperity. And now, in these latter days “our 
tables are furnished with luscious fruits the year around, 
fruits, too, of the richest perfection, large and beautiful 
to look at, and possessing a rich and delicate flavor 
which delights and satisfies even the most fastidious. 
Our gardens are embellished with trees and plants from 
uttermost parts of the earth, and under the hand of the 
skillful and judicious planters, landscape effects 
are created which poets liken unto those in paradise.” 
With greatly improved facilities and advantages too 
numerous to mention, the nurseryman of to-day propa¬ 
gates and sells thousands of trees where one was prop¬ 
agated and sold in the earlier days. The eastern nur¬ 
serymen, though met with keen competition from their 
brethren at the West and South, display no timidity, no 
lack of energy, no disposition to diminish their efforts, 
but plant and sell more than ever. The recent financial 
stringency has not effected the nursery industry to the 
same degree that it has others, but the prevailing low 
prices and large supply on hand, render the outlook for 
the future doubtful, if not unpromising. Passing to the 
ornamental department, the speaker urged that nursery¬ 
men should give more attention to the growing of per¬ 
fect samples of the best trees and shrubs, so as to stim¬ 
ulate the demand for stock. He then quoted examples 
of the many colors of bark on trees in mid-winter and 
the variety of beauty in foliage and flowers in the sum¬ 
mer, and especially emphasized the necessity for intelli¬ 
gent selection and planting. The nurseryman’s hopes 
and expectations “arc always bright from the fact that 
it is in his power to create new fruits and flowers by 
hybridization and crossing, whenever he feels disposed 
to devote the time and labor to the undertaking. This 
great privilege is not limited to any particular person 
but is open to everyone, and it is somewhat strange that 
more do not engage in this interesting pursuit.” In con¬ 
clusion Mr. Barry said the eastern nurserymen were 
doing their utmost, with their ample resources, and great 
facilities, to propagate the largest amount of stock of 
the best quality, and that to all appearances the condi¬ 
tion of business was much the same as in previous years 
in spite of the panic. 
NURSERY INDUSTRY IN THE SOUTH. 
In the absence of P. J. Berckmans, of Augusta, Ga., 
J. Van Lindley, of Pomona, N. C., was asked to speak 
on “The Nursery Industry in the South.” He had 
seen the nursery business in his section from its infancy 
(over forty years ago), when his father thought he was 
doing a large business in selling ten thousand trees in a 
year, and the speaker presumed that he himself now 
handled as many trees in a year as his father did in all 
his lifetime. The South had, he was told, one of the 
largest nurseries, planted to fruit trees alone, in the 
world. Speaking of the recent great freeze, which had 
been so much talked of, he said it was not the freeze 
that was so remarkable, but the season when it came. 
February was unusually warm, apricots and peaches were 
in bloom in the latter part of the month. March came 
in warm as August usually is in New York, and re¬ 
mained so till the morning of the 26th of the month, 
when, about “sun-up,” the thermometer fell from 
seventy degrees to twenty-six in twelve hours. Peaches 
and pears were frozen down and fruit could be peeled. 
Peach buds suffered, and 75 per cent, was killed clean. 
Peach seedlings were cut down, but they are now up 
again. 
W. F. Heikes, of Huntsville, Ala., said that while 
the freeze was the worst he had experienced, yet the 
cherries, some varieties of plums, Bartlett pears and 
similar types, had not suffered. Nursery stock recov¬ 
ered very much better than was expected. 
J. I. Newson, Nashville, Tenn., said that in his sec¬ 
tion they did suffer some from the freeze., and were 
thankful it was no worse. A few years ago the nursery 
interest in the South was almost nothing, but now, from 
the Atlantic ocean to the Rio Grande, and from the 
Ohio river to the Gulf of Mexico, the country is filled. 
NURSERY INDUSTRY IN THE NORTH. 
J. Cole Doughty, secretary of the Jewell Nursery 
Company, Lake City, Minn., said : 
“ When I reflect how litMe 1 know of the nursery busi¬ 
ness, I regret my hasty acceptance of your secrctarj^’s invi¬ 
tation to address you. A moment’s reflection convinces 
me that I can say but little that will interest a representative 
body of nurserymen, many of whom have grown gray in 
the business. 
“ Many of you are conversant with some of the difficul¬ 
ties and obstacles we have to contend with in our extreme 
cold climate. The nursery business viewed from latitude 
45, longitude 92 is more like a dime museum than anj' 
other business I know of. It requires a daring investment 
of time and capital to begin with, and the public arc sure to 
feel that the highly colored pictures on the outside arc an 
cxaucferation of the contents, breaks are largely the stock 
o o 
in trade of the showman, while freaks of climate go to 
make up the common experience of a nurseryman in Minne¬ 
sota. It is a case of ‘ now you see it and now you don t 
see it.’ Now you are certain that you have met and solved 
