20 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
OBSERVATIONS BY PRESIDENT HALE. 
A recent trip through the Atlantic coast states brought 
me in contact with a large number of its most progres¬ 
sive nurserymen, and gave me an insight into the business 
of the present season. 
Nearly all of the peach propagators in New Jersey, 
Delaware and Maryland, had an unusually heavy demand 
during the fall, and shipped out nearly all of their peach 
trees, and what few were left unsold in the fall were 
bought up early in January, so there are practically no 
peaches for sale in this territory at this time, except, of 
course, the moderate stock for the local trade. 
Jersey nurseries still find a tremendous demand for 
Kieffer pears, but one long-headed nurseryman suggested 
the idea that it would be well to “ stand from under,” as 
this heavy demand must cease within a few years. There 
are probably half a million Kieffers in Jersey and Dela¬ 
ware orchards that have not yet come into bearing. 
Japan plums for a number of years have been selling 
rapidly in Delaware and Maryland, but spring frosts seem 
to be rather too much for the blossoms in that locality, 
and there will be less planting in the future than there 
has been in the past : but for latitudes north of Philadel¬ 
phia, Japan plums are in very great and increasing de¬ 
mand. 
J. W. Kerr, of Denton, Md., is introducing a new 
plum, a cross with one of our native varieties, that prom¬ 
ises to be of great value for that section of the country. 
Van Lindley, of Pomona, N. C., and Berckmans, of 
Augusta, Ga., both did a fine fall’s business and are doing 
a lively trade this winter. 
Owing to the failure of fruit crops through the South 
last year there have not been as large local plantings as in 
former years, so that all the nurseries at Fort Valley, Ga., 
have shipped a large share of their stock to the North for 
wholesale trade. 
The Hale Georgia Orchard Company sold more than a 
million Mariana plum stocks, and for six weeks past have 
been refusing orders. 
At present writing there is indication of a big fruit 
crop all through the South this coming year. If this 
proves to be true nursery trade south of the Ohio river 
will be greater in the fall of 1895 and winter of 1896 than 
ever before. Since my retui n home I begin to feel the 
pulse of the retail trade here, and indications are for a 
grand business this spring. 
J. H. Hale. 
South Glastonbury, Conn., Feb. 19th. 
The Bear River Valley Orchard Company at Ogden, 
Utah, has been incorporated with a capital stock of $400,- 
000. The incorporators are: Wm. H. Rowe, S. W. 
Knapp, N. C. Flygare, P. M. Hanley, John Watson, H. 
H. Rolapp, and J. H. Bennett. The officers are: W. 
H. Rowe, president ; S. W. Knapp, vice-president ; and 
P. M. Hanley, secretary and treasurer. 
THE CANADIAN TARIFF. 
In response to an inquiry from The NATIONAL 
Nurseryman, Messrs. Stone & Wellington, of Toronto, 
the largest dealers in nursery stock in Canada, say : 
“ We think your people are acting under a misappre¬ 
hension. A few years ago when nursery stock was ad¬ 
mitted free into the United States, there was an agree¬ 
ment between the two governments to the effect that 
when the tariff was taken off goods of any kind by the 
United States, our government would follow suit. How¬ 
ever it was found to be a jug-handled arrangement, as it 
admitted of your people selecting any articles on which 
they might have an advantage, and keeping up their 
tariff on lines where our people might perhaps have a 
slight advantage. This act was abrogated by the late Sir 
John McDonald, and there is now no reciprocal arrange¬ 
ment on these lines. 
“ We think our government would be acting very unfair¬ 
ly to the nurserymen of this country were they to take off 
the tariff on nursery stock, because we should have to 
compete against the onslaught of 500 nurserymen or 
over, whereas in Canada half a dozen will comprise the 
entire list. There is no stock of consequence exported to 
the United States from Canada, neither will there be, 
although there is no tariff. On the contrary, owing to 
the depressed state of business especially in the nursery 
line, in the United States, and the low prices, our 
markets would become a slaughter market for nursery 
products, and it would just about wipe Canadian nursery¬ 
men out of the business, or at least place them in the 
same condition under which your own nurserymen are 
suffering at the present. 
“ In our opinion there is not the slightest intention or 
likelihood ot the present Parliament of Canada making 
any change in the duties on nursery stock, and any efforts 
to obtain such concessions would only be wasted. As we 
understand it the United States are large importers of 
cettain classes of stock from Europe, and the tariff was 
arranged to suit United States nurserymen without any 
view of conceding a point to Canada. 
“ We believe the nurserymen in Canada are unanimous 
in wishing that the tariff remain as at present; in fact, 
many of our best fruit growers are of that opinion, be¬ 
cause fruit growers of Canada have suffered in the past 
very seriously from the class of stock introduced by job¬ 
bers at low rates, turning out untrue to name, etc., and 
while admitting that they would probably get stock at a 
less rate than at present, in a petition which they signed 
to Parliament, they asked that the duty on nursery stock 
be restored, and also sent a very strong delegation of 
both shades of politics with a view to effecting the same.” 
A syndicate, composed among others of J. N. Perrine 
and B. H. Butler, Pennsylvania journalists, have purchas¬ 
ed about 1,500 acres of land at Southern Pines, N. C.,and 
expect to engage in fruit growing on an extensive scale, 
says the New York Fruit Trade Journal. 
