THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
75 
PRESIDENT J. H. HALE. 
J. H. Hale, the new president of the American As¬ 
sociation of Nurserymen, was born on the farm where 
he lives, in 1853. He and his brother were thrown on 
their own resources when quite young by the death of 
their father. They early began the culture of small 
fruits for market. Testing all the new varieties soon 
stimulated a demand for plants which led them into the 
nursery business in the early seventies, first in a local 
way and gradually into a business which extended 
throughout the country. They employ no agents, but 
advertise in the horticultural press and send out 75,000 
to 100,000 catalogues annually. They ship plants 
directly upon orders to customers all over the world. 
They are very large growers of small fruit plants, per¬ 
haps the largest in the country. 
Last spring they sold over 
5.000,000 strawberry plants. 
They do a moderate business 
in trees at South Glastonbury, 
where they have 125 acres in 
cultivation. They are also 
largely engaged in peach 
orcharding, with 25,000 trees 
in orchard there. 
In 1890, Mr. Hale took 
entire charge for the eleventh 
census of the United States of 
the first special investigation of 
nurseries ever made in this 
country. A very thorough 
investigation was made. His 
assistants went through all the 
farm schedules of the United 
States census, taking out every 
nursery production, while he 
made supplementary investi¬ 
gations in every state in the 
Union, traveling over 50,000 
miles in this work and visiting president 
every nursery center. 
Mr. Hale purchased, in 1890, the well-known “ Edg- 
worth” plantation, of 1,000 acres, in Fort Valley, 
Houston County, Ga., and organized the Hale Orchard 
and Nursery Company, of which he is president and 
general manager. He has there an orchard of 100,000 
peach trees and a nursery where he annually propagates 
200,000 peaches, 100,000 Japanese plums, large num¬ 
bers of Oriental pears and one or two million Mariana 
plum stocks, entirely for the wholesale trade. 
Mr. Hale has a family of four children, and, as he 
himself says, “ plenty of bad habits and some good 
ones.” 
Clinong (Broircrs anb Dealers. 
On the afternoon of the second day of the convention, 
several gentlemen accepted the invitation of Brown Brothers 
Company to visit their Canadian nursery. The drive from 
Suspension Bridge to Ridgeville was full of interest, run¬ 
ning as it does through a beautiful section. The nearly 
two hundred and fifty acres of nursery stock, the property 
of the company, was found in fine condition, every block- 
being visited by the party. It was a beautiful sight to look 
upon the even-growing blocks of stock, exhibiting a thrifti¬ 
ness and cleanliness which did one’s eyes good. The party 
was entertained at the residence of Superintendent Charles 
Fisher, and at 9 o’clock the next morning the gentlemen 
were joined by E. Morris, of Fonthill, who, after another look- 
over the Browns’ place, con¬ 
ducted the party to his own 
nurseries. Here were seen 
acres and acres of as fine stock 
as ever lay out-of-doors, and 
it was a great treat. As din¬ 
ner time aj)proached Mr. Morris 
took the party to his stock yard, 
where were some beautiful and 
noble specimens of imported 
horse llesh. But Mr. Morris 
is not only an enthusiastic nur- 
J 
scryman and horse owner; he 
has a genial and hospitable side, 
which was unostontatiously con¬ 
spicuous in the elegant dinner 
which he set before his guests, 
H. HALE. 
he occupying the head of the 
table, and his niece, Miss Wil¬ 
liams, performing the lighter 
duties. This Canadian trip was 
one that will linger long in the 
memory of the participants. 
Among those who visited 
Rochester, Geneva and Dans- 
ville nurseries after the con¬ 
vention, were President J. J. Harrison and Treasurer], H. 
Dayton of the Storrs & Harrison Company, Painesville, 
O.; Secretary J. Cole Doughty of the Jewell NurseryCom- 
pany. Lake City, Minn.; Harlan P. Kelsey, Kawana, 
N. C ; W. B. Otwell, Carlinville, Ilk; W. T. Hood, 
Richmond. Va.; W. J. Peters, Troy, O.; E Albertson, 
Bridgeport, Ind. 
The Nurserymen’s Mutual Protective Association 
re-elected Hon. N. H. Albaugh of Tadmor, O., presi¬ 
dent, and George C. Seager of Rochester, N. Y., secre¬ 
tary, at its meeting at Niagara Falls. 
Daniel D. Herr, of Lancaster, Pa., reports a largely 
increased trade for last spring. 
