58 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
THE FROST IN WISCONSIN. 
Waupaca, Wis., May 13.—Well, here we are at the 
close of the busiest season I ever experienced. Opera¬ 
tions commenced early for us and continued for six weeks 
without rain. There were hot sun and dry winds until 
last Friday. Water and earth froze in some places Satur¬ 
day night. There was snow Saturday evening. Every¬ 
thing was in full leaf; cherries, plums, pears and currants 
set full of fruits ; apples in full bloom. I never saw a bet¬ 
ter prospect than on Saturday, but I think the frost of 
Sunday morning and this morning has fixed us hard and 
plenty. I don’t think there will be fruit enough in this 
section to amount to much, excepting strawberries, and 
possibly blackberries, which had not blossomed out. Such 
is the life of a nurseryman and orchardist in this upper 
country. But our hearts are strong and our courage is 
good and where we do get a good crop we get a good 
price. 
We are glad to hear such pleasant reports from our 
brother horticulturists, and' we hope you will all have a 
pleasant and profitable time at Indianapolis. But this 
freeze-up has made our cake all dough and we will have 
to forego the pleasure of the contemplated convention. 
I think we are a little out of place up here, anyhow, 
and had better drop the nursery and fruit business and go 
into something surer—like the ice business. I hope I 
may be pardoned for the change, for I tell you it makes 
one feel chilly to the bottom of his feet to have 2,000 
trees in full blossom with every blossom frozen stiff. Best 
wishes for the nurserymen and my brother horticulturists 
who have a more favored location. A. D. Barnes. 
PEACH BUDS INJURED. 
ViNCiNNES, Ind., Ma}’ 16 . —H. M. Simpson & Sons, of 
the Knox Nurseries, said: “The freeze Monday night 
killed our peach buds back and we will be compelled to 
cut them close to the stub. Many we think will not sur¬ 
vive. Strawberries were about half killed and almost all 
of the blackberries, raspberries, grapes, etc. Tree fruits 
were not injured to any extent, we think. Many com¬ 
plain that most of the apples here have fallen, especially 
the Wine Sap. This was before the freeze. Hope other 
nurserymen have fared better than we.” 
MARYLAND PROSPECTS. 
Berlin, Md., May 16 . —J. G. Harrison & Sons, of the 
Berlin Nurseries said to-day: “ Our spring trade has been 
extra good in wholesale and retail, prices averaging much 
better than last season, on strawberry plants, asparagus 
roots and peach trees which are our specialties. Our 
strawberry beds are in good shape for a heavy crop, but 
the berries will not ripen until June ist. Peach orchards 
promise a heavy crop. Our buds in nursery row are start¬ 
ing out with great vigor. Our weather has been too cool. 
As a whole prospects for all fruits were never better.” 
MIAMI VALLEY TRADE. 
Tadmor, O., May 10.—The spring trade in this vicinity 
as compared with last spring has probably been close to 
the average, possibly a little below. 
The George Peters Co., at Troy, O., have done about 
their usual amount of business. 
The Albaugh Nursery Co., of Tadmor, O., have not had 
as heavy a trade as usual. Neither has Peter Bohlender 
had his usual amount. 
Byron Weldy, of W’’est Charleston, has commenced 
wholesaling and done some business in that line this 
spring. 
The Farmers Nursery Co., of Tadmor, O., have had as 
large a retail trade as usual and considerably more deal¬ 
ers’ trade, w’nile their wholesale trade has at least trebled 
itself. Their new storage building and other facilities for 
neat and rapid handling of stock, combined with judicious 
advertising, have been leading factors in obtaining this 
largely increased trade. 
The National Nurseryman has given better results 
as an advertising medium than any other. 
The Smiths’ Nursery Co., of New Carlisle, O., fell short 
of their usual trade. While W. N. Scarff of New Carlisle 
who has had a fair trade usually, through issuing of 
catalogues, has this season more than doubled his sales. 
Mr. Scarff is wide awake and is bound to win a leading 
place in his line of trade. 
NOTES FROM GENEVA, N. Y. 
Geneva, N. Y., May 18.—Our shipping season opened 
about April 3d, two weeks later than last year, and the 
bulk of the spring business was done in less than four 
weeks. A large quantity of stock was moved, we judge 
fully as much as ever from this locality. Prices ruled low, 
but all prices are low, a thousand pears or a thousand 
apples will buy as much of most merchandise or land as 
when these same trees were worth 100 per cent. more. 
Wages are the same as for several years past. The cost 
of selling stock increases from year to year, and these two 
items of expense are too large a percentage of what is 
netted from the stock sold. So much stock was on the 
market that the scramble to sell was a cause of low prices 
and the low prices owing to general depressed business 
conditions did not increase the demand for stock of any 
kind. When will nurserymen learn this and stop adver¬ 
tising “ surplus ” at less than a normal rate ? 
Right here we want to thank The National Nursery¬ 
man for not filling its advertising columns with pages of 
printed prices: it is an injury to the trade to do so, and 
the thanks of the fraternity are due this journal for refus¬ 
ing to print prices in advertisements. 
Special gains should be, in our business, as in others, a 
matter of secrecy, and any firm that throws .broadcast to 
sellers and buyers alike a list of low prices, does itself but 
temporary benefit and the trade an unjust and Irreparable 
injury. 
