38 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
Ctmong tt]c (£xcf]angc5. 
Production of Citrus Fruits. —That we are near¬ 
ing the point of self-support in the production of oranges 
is evident from the declining imports of such fruit. It 
is not long since there were imported into the United 
States nearly two million boxes of oranges, mostly from 
Italy and Spain. Each year, however, has noticed a 
general increase of the American crop with the result 
that we have had to purchase smaller amounts of the 
foreign product. At present rates of increase in produc¬ 
tion, it will be but a short time until we shall grow 
more fruit than can probably be sold, especially at high 
prices in this country, and must ourselves seek foreign 
market for oranges. Of lemons we still lack a great 
amount of enough to supply the home demand.— Cali¬ 
fornia Fruit Grower. 
Frozen Plants. —The exact manner to which frost 
acts to the injury of vegetation is not yet well under¬ 
stood. It is known that injury is always more pro¬ 
nounced in light than in darkness. Roots of trees ex¬ 
posed to frost in the day time usually rot, while if they 
are frozen and thawed in the darkness they seldom 
suffer. Nurserymen understand this better than the 
amateur. Boxed plants, usually hardy, may have their 
roots frozen, and yet, if thawed in a dark celler, or suf¬ 
fered to remain in cases until thawed, are seldom 
injured. Small conservatories or frames, when by 
accident the plants in them get frozen, should be dark¬ 
ened and frozen plants allowed to thaw in that way, 
and the injury is much less, if any at all, than when 
thawed by the sunlight .—Meehans Monthly. 
Destroying Nursery Stock in California. —The 
root knot, or root galls, at present so conspicuous on 
much of the nursery stock being shipped into the coun¬ 
try and from one local point to another, is assuming 
alarming proportions. The singular thing about it is 
that as yet no remedy has been found and the cause of 
the malady is still a mystery. Its presence is not con¬ 
fined to any one kind of deciduous fruit trees, but cov¬ 
ers quite a wide range. However, it is principally 
found on peach, almond and plum roots, and seems to 
be contagious in its character. We know of one case 
in the San Gabriel valley where its presence has be¬ 
come manifest on every single tree in a prune orchard. 
These trees were very carefully examined before planting, 
and the trees were supposed to be absolutely free from 
disease and insect pests. Yet after two years in orchard 
form every tree has been found subject to the root knot 
or gall and the owner has concluded to dig them all out 
and substitute in their place lemon trees. The horti¬ 
cultural commissioners are endeavoring to eradicate the 
disease by destroying all infected trees. Touching their 
powers in the premises to employ destructive measures. 
District Attorney H. C. Dillon of Los Angeles county has 
submitted the following opinion based upon the statute 
in force touching the regulation of pests and disease now 
affecting the industry of horticulture generally in this 
state. The opinion given is in reply to a request of the 
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and is as fol¬ 
lows: 
Reports have been submitted to me showing that root knot is 
a contagious disease ; that new trees planted in the same soil from 
which a tree afflicted with this disease has been taken, contracts 
the same disease. All soils in which trees afflicted with root 
knot have been taken are recommended by competent authority 
to be planted for several years to vegetables or cereals before again 
planting to trees. My opinion, therefore, is that the disease 
called root knot is a contagious disease; that it is within the 
meaning of the acts above quoted, and the proper officer named 
in said acts is clothed with full power to destroy all such trees, 
if incurable, and I am advised that they are .—Rural Californian. 
The Orange Trade of California. —The great and 
rapid growth of the nursery business in California is 
largely due to the fact that the hurried development of 
horticulture there has for years kept the demand for 
nursery stock ahead of the supply, and many 
would-be orchardists have been obliged to propagate 
their own trees or go without them. Once started 
in a small way a local demand has come for trees 
that has stimulated further propagation and many 
have drifted into the nursery business who never 
intended to. The “orange fever,” both in the upper 
Sacramento Valley and in Southern California, having 
made orange trees very high in price, hundreds of peo¬ 
ple began a few years ago to propagate their own trees, 
and now in the state of California alone there are over 
lOO orange tree nurseries, with over 400 acres devoted 
to the business, having in all about 3,375,000 young 
trees, or sufficient to plant over 40,000 acres of 
orange groves. And as all this vast number of trees 
must find sale in California and Arizona only, it would 
appear that the orange business is likely to “slop over,” 
on the Pacific Coast just as it did in Florida a few years 
ago.— Florist's Exchange. 
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION MEETING. 
The following list of addresses has been prepared by 
Secretary Charles A. Green, for the eighteenth annual 
meeting of the American Association of Nurserymen at 
Chicago, on June 7th : 
Hon. N. H. Albaugh, Tadmor, Ohio, “Effect of Frosts on Stocks 
and Trees in Transit, How to Treat Them, and How to Pre¬ 
vent Freezing. ” 
William Pitkin, Rochester, N. Y., “ Cause of Recent Low Prices 
for Trees, etc.” 
C. L. Watrous, Des Moines, Iowa, “Does it Pay the Nurseryman 
to Make Exhibits of Fruits at State and Local Fairs ?” 
T. V. Munson, Dennison, Texas, “ The Nurseryman’s Position 
Towards National, State and Local Horticultural Associa¬ 
tions.” 
Geo. W. Campbell, Delaware, Ohio, “What is the Cost of Boxing, 
and Should we Make a Charge for such Service.” 
Prof. L. H. Bailey, Ithaca, N. Y., “ Ultimate Results of the 
World’s Fair Exhibits of Fruits and Flowers.” 
J. H. Hale, So. Glastonbury, Conn., “Humbugs in Horticulture.” 
