The National 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK 
Copyright, 1893, by The National Nurseryman Publishing Co. 
VOL. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y., APRIL, 1893. 
--fhD'. 3. 
DANSVILLE. 
One of the greatest nursery centers of the world— 
Twelve hundred acres in stock—Fifty-five growers 
AT WORK—The rich valley lands covered with young 
TREES—Growth of the business during a period of 
thirty-eight years. 
In the heart of the fertile valley of the Genesee, dis¬ 
tant but 45 miles from the great nursery centers of 
Rochester and Geneva and equalling or exceeding them 
in extent of nursery area, lies Dansville, the temporary 
home of many a convalescent and of many a promising 
scion of fruit or ornamental stock. Climate, soil and 
water have combined to make the place famous for nur¬ 
sery purposes—the sanatorium for nursing back to health, 
through its water cure, hundreds who have tried other 
means in vain; the sandy loam for propagating to great 
advantage standard trees and shrubs. The sanatorium 
and the nurseries are the mainstay of the village, which 
was incorporated May 7, 1845, and which in i860 had a 
population of 2,879. It is now credited with 5,000. In 
1855 O. B. Maxwell, a brother of Joshua Maxwell of 
Geneva, started the first nursery in Dansville. Joshua 
and Henry Maxwell went to Dansville, and becoming con¬ 
vinced that the soil and climate were well adapted to the 
growing of nursery stock, made experiments which resulted 
satisfactorily. They returned to Geneva and O. B. 
Maxwell located at Dansville. Soon after, John Murphy, 
Hamilton Southwick and Dr. Farley engaged in the nur¬ 
sery business there. These were the principal nurserymen 
in Dansville down to the time of the war. After the war 
A. D. Pratt now of Rochester, and E. H. Pratt now of 
Fredonia, formed a partnership with Mr. Maxwell, the 
firm being known as Maxwell, Pratt & Co. From that 
time on the business has increased rapidly and a number 
of others have engaged in it. Among the more prominent 
growers are; Bryant Brothers, Edward Bacon, M. Burke 
& Son, James P. Callahan, E. P. Clark, James Douds, 
The F. E. Williams Nursery Company, John Galbraith, 
F. M. Hartman, Hartman & Rouse, T. Kennedy & Sons, 
George E. Kern, M. King, C. F. McNair & Co., F. J. & 
M. J. McNeil, J. B. Morey & Son, E. D. Morrison, J. D. 
Murphy, A. J. Murphy, George M. Pitstock, W. F. 
Pfuntner, G. C. Stone, George A. Sweet, Jacob Uhl, G. 
W. Whitney & Co. There are as many more who are 
growers to a comparatively small extent. The whole 
number of growers is 55. Besides these, outside firms 
are directly interested in Dansville. Nelson Bogue of 
Batavia is growing some there and The H. E. Hooker 
Company of Rochester, is growing stock there on shares 
and is having some grown for it especially. 
A careful estimate recently made, of the amount of 
nursery stock in Dansville is 1,200 acres, putting it on a 
par in this respect with Geneva which has been supposed 
by many to have a larger acreage. It is stated that for the 
last 5 or 6 years the acreage in Dansville has equalled 
that of Geneva. It has ranged during that time between 
1,000 and 1,200. The largest grower in Dansville is 
George A. Sweet who has 125 acres in nursery stock. 
The next largest is J. B. Morey who has 75 acres. T. 
Kennedy & Sons have about 75 acres and C. F. McNair 
& Co., have 50 acres. The others range from this figure 
down to 5, 3 and even i acre. 
Most of the stock in Dansville comprises the staple 
fruits. Especially is this the case with the smaller grow¬ 
ers. They plant in small blocks a few of the leading 
varieties. Little ornamental stock is grown aside from 
that produced by Mr. Sweet. He grows from three to 
five times as much ornamental stock as any other firm 
there. 
Dansville is full of young stock and although most of 
the available stock will be disposed of this se'ason, the 
poor prices and the prospect of little or no demand for 
the stock that is coming on makes the growers there feel 
anything but hopeful. Dansville possesses grand oppor¬ 
tunities for producing stock. The sandy loam of the 
valley has proved to be all that was expected of it for the 
purpose and the climate is favorable. The land in the 
valley is nearly all occupied and growers have extended 
their blocks to the sides of the hills which here are 600 to 
800 feet above the valley. Mr. Sweet has 40 or 50 acres 
on the table-land on top of the hills. To the South Mr. 
Stone has found a sandy soil on an elevation where he has 
grown peaches with considerable success; a general assort¬ 
ment. Dansville nurserymen have had greatest success 
with apples, though they grow pears, plums and cherries 
to a considerable extent. Many of the small dealers sell 
to the larger ones. There are vineyards on the hillsides to 
which considerable attention is paid, with profit. 
One of the most popular nurserymen of Dansville has 
just accepted a lucrative offer which takes him from the 
village. J. B. Morey, Jr., left two weeks ago for Hunts¬ 
ville, Alabama, to take charge of the planting and grow¬ 
ing department of the large nursery recently established 
there by Chase Brothers Company of Rochester. That 
firm purchased 1,000 acres near Huntsville at $19 per 
acre, and already 300 acres of it have been planted. Two 
