THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
23 
in flattering terms of that part of the country as a fruit 
growing section. 
The well-known firm of Bronson & Hopkins has been 
dissolved by mutual consent. The business of the con¬ 
cern is now being carried on by Mr. Bronson. Mr. Hop¬ 
kins thinks that twenty-one years as an active nursery¬ 
man, justifies him in retiring from the business ; he seems 
to enjoy his freedom. 
Geo. G. Atwood has returned from a business tour 
through Kentucky and Tennessee. 
, T. C. and J. I. Maxwell are enjoying a sojourn in the 
South ; they are harvesting their mammoth orange crop 
near St. Augustine, Fla. 
GLEANINGS FROM THE NOTES OF AN OLD 
NURSERYMAN. 
Under the above heading it is proposed to present 
some ideas and experiences which have been gleaned by 
two generations during fifty years of life in a commercial 
nursery, many of them being gathered from the memor¬ 
anda of my father, who started his business career by 
raising a patch of mulberry trees in his father’s garden 
during the great Morus Multicaulis excitement, which 
raged so fiercely in this country for a short period about 
1838. While some of these suggestions offered may be 
so commonplace as to seem superfluous to experienced 
nurserymen, it is believed that there may be some readers 
as young and inexperienced as the writers once were, and 
that to such they may suggest ideas which will enable 
them to profit by the experience of others. 
STRIPPING LEAVES. 
The necessity of stripping deciduous trees, which are 
dug in autumn before the leaves fall off naturally, is 
recognized by all practical nurserymen, but it is a tedious 
and expensive operation, the importance of which many 
inexperienced planters fail to appreciate and sometimes 
neglect, to their great disadvantage. One of my early 
lessons in the nursery business was forcibly impressed by 
the following expensive experience. I had driven about 
fifteen miles from home to a nursery and bought a load 
of peach trees. The leaves on them were nearly ready 
to drop off, requiring but a stroke of the hand to remove 
them, as fast as the trees could be handled. After strip¬ 
ing a part of the load it was found that if we waited to 
finish them it would make us too late to meet the last 
trip of the ferry boat, and we could not get home that 
night. It was therefore concluded to take the balance of 
them home with the leaves on, and strip them the next 
morning, thinking that a delay of a few hours would not 
make any material difference. But imagine my surprise 
the next morning to find that the leaves which in the 
evening had been almost ready to drop off, now held so 
tightly that they could scarcely be pulled off without 
injuring the buds. The following spring I was still more 
surprised to find that the trees which had been stripped 
when dug had wintered well and were sound to the tips ; 
but on those which held their leaves till morning, the 
branches were shriveled and many of them dead. I had 
learned the importance of stripping a tree before it is dug, 
or as quickly as possible after it is out of the ground, 
because the large evaporating surface exposed by the 
leaves continues to drain the tree of its sap and life 
until it is entirely withered. 
Another lesson was learned in connection with some 
Viburnum Plicatum, which were dug early to fill one of 
the first orders sent out in the fall, at the request of a 
Rochester nursery firm which ‘ ‘ must have its stock at 
once ” to enable it to commence packing on a certain 
date. The young growth was not thoroughly ripened, 
but the plants were stripped and packed very carefully, 
and shipped as ordered. Very soon there came a com¬ 
plaint saying that they arrived in bad condition, and were 
unsalable. Knowing that the order had been filled with 
fine stock, I could scarcely credit such a complaint, and 
ordered the plants back to satisfy myself what the diffi¬ 
culty was. On examination I found a sorry looking lot 
of plants, with tops dead, and black half way down. 
Two such experiences with Viburnum Plicatum have 
satisfied me that the plant does not submit readily to 
such unnatural conditions, and should not be dug until 
the wood is well matured. They have also helped to 
confirm the opinion that very early fall stripping is, 
as a rule, decidedly disadvantageous, and should be dis¬ 
couraged, as much loss and disappointment are annually 
occasioned through imprudence in this particular. 
Samuel C. Moon. 
Morrisville, Pa. 
MANAGEMENT OF PEACH SEED. 
After twenty-five years experience in the management 
of peach seed, I have adopted the following method as 
being the most satisfactory : Stratify the seed in the 
cellar any time before the middle of February, using 
moist sand. About the middle of April screen from the 
sand, crack those that are not open, and picking out the 
meats, place them in about ten times their bulk of sifted 
sand, containing sufficient moisture to prevent the meats 
from shriveling, and put them in a cool place. When 
ready to plant, about the ist of May, the sprouts will 
commence to show on all good seed, insuring a perfect 
stand if well planted in suitable soil. 
S. C. Wood. 
Knowlesville, N. Y. 
William C. Barry visited the greenhouses of New 
York florists last week. He reports that great prepara¬ 
tions are being made for the Easter season. 
