THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
35 
FORESTRY AND HORTICULTURE. 
In the course of a paper on “ The Relation of Forestry 
to Horticulture,” read before the Minnesota Horticultural 
Society, J. S. Harris said : 
“ The subject of forestry in America is a problem that 
will not be put down. The interest in the subject is 
increasing every day, not only here, but throughout all 
North America ; and the best and greatest minds of the 
country are giving the subject investigation, and bestow, 
ing upon it the thought and labor of their lives. It is a 
well known fact that the best fruit regions of North 
America have always been, and still are, in close proximity 
to large bodies of water. It is equally well known that 
some of the once best fruit regions have deteriorated 
greatly, where once it only required the planting of the 
trees and protecting them against stock until they got old 
enough to take care of themselves to secure bountiful and 
unfailing crops of fruit. This was the case in the New 
England States, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The 
result of the destruction of forest trees in Ohio is that 
many of the old orchards there are only producing leaves 
and blossoms every season, but fail to mature fruit of any 
consequence, so that the crops are nearly always failures. 
No doubt there is more than one cause for this effect, but 
the prime cause seems to be the excessive and injudicious 
demolition of the forests, giving in their seasons alternat¬ 
ing cold and dry hot winds an undisputed chance to sweep 
over the regions thus made barren. Sixty years ago the 
desirability of extra hardiness in any variety was hardly 
thought of; to-day extreme hardiness is one of the most 
desirable requisites of a tree. 
“ In this state there exists a very intimate relation 
between forestry and horticulture in all its branches ; yes, 
and every other branch of agriculture. Whether we ever 
become one of the apple states on the American continent 
and hold our reputation on the production of the small 
fruits, vegetables and grains, depends very much upon the 
system of forestry pursued. 
“ For the orchard alone I think a broad and rather open 
break of evergreens and deciduous trees mixed would 
prove the best, for most other purposes close planting of 
evergreens is probably the best.” 
CORNELL HORTICULTURAL WORK. 
In a paper read by Michael Barker before the Florists 
Club of Boston, there was the following reference to 
horticultural work at Cornell University : “ It has been 
my good fortune to see and know something of all the 
more important horticultural institutions in England and 
the United States, and last July in looking over with 
Professor Bailey the material for instruction at Cornell, I 
was much surprised to find that a work of such superior 
quality had been going on quietly for years quite unknown 
to a large majority of the gardeners and florists through¬ 
out the country. The Horticultural Department of 
Cornell University has no delusive ancient history with 
which it might decoy those in search of knowledge to its 
fold ; it is new in conception, modern in appliances and 
methods, and practical in all its work. The department 
was established in 1889, and its growth since that time 
has been healthy and rapid. The students have abundant 
opportunity to become expert in the general work of the 
farm, garden and greenhouse. They are expected to do 
something more than make a compilation of notes in the 
lecture halls. In the extensive orchards they have ample 
experience in planting, spraying, pruning, budding and 
grafting. Spraying has of late years become a most 
important matter in farm and garden work, and as in all 
other divisions of instruction the fullest and best practice 
and information is given under this head. The collection 
of spraying machines and contrivances, fungicides and 
insecticides, is one of the most complete to be found any¬ 
where, and all new appliances and remedies are added as 
they appear and are tested repeatedly. The expert in 
spraying, Mr. E. G. Lodeman, is well known in this 
country and Europe to be one of the leading authorities 
on insects and fungi injurious to vegetation, as well as for 
the facility with which he can prescribe a remedy for any 
known pest.” _ 
BILL NYE TALKS BACK. 
“The following disgusting attack on the late Mr. Gould 
and myself ” says Bill Nye “deserves a severe rebuke. It is 
taken from a low, coarse, gooseberry publication, but can¬ 
not be ignored: 
“‘Trees good enough for Secretary Morton are good 
enough for most of us. An eastern nursery has been 
making a deal of noise because, forsooth, they sold a few 
trees each to Bill Nye and to the late Jay Gould. No 
one ever heard that these bragged of customers were 
judges of trees or horticultural authorities in any sense. 
They doubtless knew their own business, but that busi¬ 
ness was not horticulture. But J. Sterling Morton, secre¬ 
tary of agriculture, knows trees from experience. March 
26, 1894, Secretary Morton wrote us for “one thousand 
full rooted (not piece root grafted) apple trees; 250 Akin, 
XX,” etc.’ 
“ I have visited Mr. Gould’s home at Irvington, choosing 
that delightful season of the year when he was on the 
Mediterranean in his yacht and the gardener visiting his 
cousin at Spuyten Duyvil, in the dark of the moon, and 
I can say that my mouth waters yet when I think of his 
Bellflowers and Bartlett pears. For myself I need say 
nothing. I am willing to let my work show for itself, so 
far as horticulture goes. There is really, however, no 
ground for attack on me by the rhubarb editor of this 
nursery catalogue simply because I do not see fit to get 
my pie fruit and bulbs of him. Suffice it to say that 
hereafter any 20 ounce pippin editor attacking me 
through the hophouse columns of his nursery price list 
and making gooseberry tart remarks about me will be held 
up to public scorn by the hind leg. I will not brook it. 
