The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyright, 1893, by the National Nurseryman Publishing Co. 
VoL. III. ROCHESTER, N. Y., FEBRUARY, 189^. No. 1. 
THE FUTURE OF FRUIT GROWING. 
In an address at the meeting of the New Jersey Horti¬ 
cultural Society, George E'. Powell, Ghent, N. Y., said : 
The reports of all the state horticultural societies, from 
year to year, show a surprising tendency of a serious de¬ 
cline in orchard cultivation,—that trees are becoming 
diseased, that fungus-attacks are more frequent and 
destructive, that insect-attacks are making steady ad¬ 
vances, and that profits are growing steadily less. While 
this condition of things, which is all true, is discouraging 
to many, it is also encouraging to others. There is a 
bright future to all fruit growers, who will bring to the 
business what it requires. 
Much of the failure of the present time is due to the 
fact that orchards are being planted upon soil that has 
been devoted to cereal production for a century or more. 
Wheat culture is no longer profitable, and after the soil 
has been depleted of its most available plant food, in 
nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash, and to that extent 
that grain production can not longer be carried on with 
profit, these acres are covered with orchards, vineyards, 
and small fruits, with the expectation of profits that can 
not be realized. The soil must first be put in condition 
to grow healthy and vigorous trees. Lost plant food 
must be restored, and a replevin of clover culture is one 
of the cheapest means, to be employed for this purpose. 
Fill the soil full as possible of mature clover roots, then 
follow with peas, and this will put the soil in the best 
possible condition in plant food and also mechanically at 
the least cost for fruit-culture. 
After the soil has been thoroughly and deeply prepared 
by ploughing, including subsoiling on some soils, the suc¬ 
cess of an orchard will depend on the proper handling and 
planting of trees. 
It is the nurseryman’s business to grow trees, the 
buyer’s business to put the trees in right condition for 
planting. It is all the nurseryman can do, to dig and 
ship his trees to his customers, for the season in which 
to do this work is limited. He has to go in and cut off 
the roots of trees, pull them out, take them to the pack¬ 
ing house, grade, box, and bundle, and get them off to 
his customers. These trees are in no condition to plant 
as received ; the roots are broken more or less, the fine 
roots are largely destroyed by exposure to air and sun, 
and the buyer must prepare the trees properly for plant¬ 
ing. He needs to shorten in all roots by pruning with a 
sharp knife from one-fourth to one-third, cutting from the 
under side of the root as it shall set upon the soil. It is 
from these points that the tree is to get its new life. In 
thirty days after planting, in digging down to these roots 
there will be found a cluster of fine roots pushing out into 
the soil from each one of these pruned roots and then the 
life of the tree is starting at the top actively also. Remove 
the top branches on all fruit trees, and head down the 
main stem, according to variety. With this plan of pre¬ 
paring trees at time of planting, there need not be a loss 
of one tree in one thousand, while in planting as they 
come from the nursery there is often a loss of thirty per 
cent, and the nurseryman is blamed, when he is not at all 
responsible for the loss. 
We eastern fruit growers have a competition to meet, 
that will oblige us to adopt better methods. California 
fruits are taking a large place in our markets, not because 
they are liked by consumers, but because they are so 
much more carefully selected and packed in smaller and 
attractive form and packages. 
We are growing too much inferior fruit and too little 
of fine quality. We need to fertilize our soil better, cul¬ 
tivate higher, thin the fruit more upon the trees, spray 
the balance more thoroughly with fungicides to keep in 
check fungus diseases, and obtain more fair fruit, also use 
vigorously insecticides to keep down insect-attacks. 
Pear culture is threatened with anihilation in some 
sections by the pear tree psylla, pear midge, and a recent 
importation in the pear tree flat-headed borer. Unless 
these insects are vigorously met, pear culture is doomed 
in all localities where they get a strong hold. Having 
suffered a loss of $10,000 in my pear orchards in four 
years, from the psylla, it was successfully controlled the 
past season by persistent spraying, with kerosene emul¬ 
sion, one part to twenty in water, the application made 
every ten days for two months. 
We have the population, markets and wealth at the 
East; every section in our country, and every foreign 
nation are aiming to get their products into our best 
markets in the world, and the future to us is one of sharp 
competition, but with the finest flavors in our fruits, and 
with consumers willing to pay for fine fruit, it is for us at 
the East to produce more of high grade ; put up in more 
attractive manner, when we cannot only sell all we can 
raise, but can successfully meet competition from any 
part of the world. 
OREGON ASSOCIATION OF NURSERYMEN. 
At the recent meeting of the Oregon Association of 
Nurserymen, in Portland, there were present Albert 
Brownell, of Albany, president; F. W, Settlemier, of 
Woodburn, secretaiy ; A. McGill, M. McDonald, Ward 
Hicks, W. F. Ohm, C. F. Lansing, Guy Posson, P. H, 
