154 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
on the side of the planter against the bugs, with all the science at their 
eonnnaml, yet the bugs are with us and it is a constant battle. As to 
diseases, we profess to be more fortunate than our eastern and southern 
neighbors, and further venture to say, (although llrother Willard may 
not agree with me on this point) that IMichigan trees are among the 
best in the world. 
All this will convince you that it requires unceasing care, and great 
outlay, to carry on the nursery business successfully, and with so much 
to harass the mind of the nurseryman, it seems quite a task at times to 
keep the mental balance. To be candid, and give credit and honor to 
whom it is due, I must pay a tribute of thanks and respect to the pro¬ 
fessors at our agricultural colleges, who, by their dilligent researches, 
have enabled us to overcome some drawbacks in our way. And I 
would acknowledge the great improvements we enjoy in facilities for 
shipping and reaching the public through the mails ; the excellent pub¬ 
lications through which we bring our goods before the people. And 
though there are always some very queer people to deal with who have 
no idea of the difficulties of the trade, who also ask impossibilities and 
offer advice that is worth something in Africa, but which i<r> behind th 
times here, I must say that the majority of our patrons are cultivated 
people, with whom it is a pleasure to transact business. 
But how' about the nurseryman’s profits ? It seems to me that most 
of the nurserymen must be carrying on the business only for the 
pleasure there is in it. For how it is possible to get any profits out of 
the nursery business at the prevailing prices, I fail to comprehend. 
And still farmers and prospective fruit growers are protesting against 
our prices. Why, it takes about all the ingenuity of the modern nur¬ 
seryman to make ends meet. This will eventually have but one result. 
Some will be crowded to the wall while others will profit by the ex¬ 
perience of their brethren, and put the business on a paying basis. 
Many vexed questions are being considered to effect that end; one of 
which is, shall nurserymen be specialists in growing certain lines of 
nursery stock ? Many are doing this, but planters and growers do not 
approve of this plan, they dislike dividing up their orders and usually 
purchase where they can get what they want. Whoever will tell us 
just what varieties to grow deserves not only the thanks of the trade 
but something more substantial, in a big lump. Public favor is a fickle 
thing; it is as variable as the wmather. The Michigan planter wumts 
Hill’s Chili; the Ohio planter the Smock or Salway; while another in 
Indiana clings to Crawfords. In one locality nothing but the Golden 
Drop or Early Michigan is wanted; in another the leaders are cast aside 
and sorts of local reputation only are in demand. After all, it is a les¬ 
son from experience, that nurserymen must use their own judgment, 
and grow a general line of leading and best recommended varieties, 
which usually find their markets. 
As to what trees are best for orchard planting, we learn from experi¬ 
ence that tw'o-year olds are most in demand, and hence are considered 
best for transplanting. If I remember correctly. Brother Garfield 
advocates the planting of one-year-old trees. He no doubt refers to the 
one-year-old budded, which are indeed very desirable for transplanting, 
providing that the trees have attained sufficient growth from bud the 
first season so they can be headed in at the proper height to form a 
desirable head. All things considered, I believe that apple, pear, plum 
and cherry trees are at their best for transplanting when two years old. 
What shall I say of the future of the nursery industry ? May we not 
expect a change sooner or later ? The brisk trade of the past two sea¬ 
sons has encouraged all nurserymen throughout the country to greatly 
increase their plantings under the impression that the present demand 
would continue. I venture to say that should this great impetus for 
orchard planting in any way diminish we will experience the greatest 
over-production in nursery stock that this country has ever seen. What 
results may we expect from such an over-production ? In my opinion 
very disastrous ones to the nursery industry of this country. 
And now one more word about our meeting. We hail wuth delight 
any means that help to enlighten us on horticultural matters. It was 
a happy thought of our government to appropriate so liberally for the 
scientific and practical experimenting and testing of fruits, and for 
horticultural meetings and institutes held under the auspices of our pro¬ 
fessors and societies, for the special benefit of those who are engaged in 
agricultural and horticultural pursuits. It is easy to point out such 
people who attend these meetings ; they are a more intelligent class and 
better posted in horticultural matters, and hence more pleasant to deal 
with. The organization of horticultural societies is also in keeping 
with the. progressive spirit of the times, as these gatherings are excel¬ 
lent opportunities for the interchange of knowledge and experience. 
It is useless to mention that the nursery business has been much 
abused, and that the confidence of the people has been seriously 
tampered with, especially by those following the jobbing trade. 
In closing, permit me to say to my fellow-nurserymen : Let us use 
our best influence to establish honest business principles; let us stand 
for absolute integrity, honest dealing, honest trading, true varieties and 
popular prices. I thank you for your kind attention. 
OHIO HORTICULTURISTS. 
At the twenty-ninth annual meeting of the Ohio Hor¬ 
ticultural Society at Canton, N. H. Albaugh reported 
that his fruit company picked 30,000 bushels of Elberta 
peaches from 25,000 trees in one week, all handsome and 
of large size, less than r per cent, being defective or 
small. This peach ripens very rapidly, and must be 
attended to at once, when it begins to show signs of 
ripening. The Wheatland peach was doing finely and 
showed marked staying qualities. They picked 670 
bushels from 2,500 trees, when they were obliged to at¬ 
tend to the Elbertas. Eight days later their gang of 400 
pickers were sent into the Wheatlands again and found 
them still hanging to the trees in good condition, and the 
balance of the crop was picked and marketed. 
Fred G. Withoft, from Montgomer\ County, reported 
that they had the first good crop of apples in ten years. 
Cherries were a good crop and sold at profitable prices. 
The Windsor, a sweet cherry, was one of the best grown. 
Triumph, a yellow free-stone peach from Georgia, ripened 
with the Early Alexander and was about the same size. 
This was the first and only early free-stone yellow peach in 
existence. Nothwithstanding fears that it would not suc¬ 
ceed in Ohio from having been originated in Georgia, it 
proved to be all that could be desired in an early peach 
and was bound to become very popular. Of black cap 
raspberries he considered Eureka and Palmer the best. 
W. N Scarff, of Clark county, reported the Horticul¬ 
tural Society of Miami and Montgomery counties in a 
very flourishing condition, with a large membership. 
Small fruits were nearly an entire failure in that section. 
Cherries were a good crop, selling at from $2.75 to $3.25 
per bushel. A new seedling gooseberry has been origin¬ 
ated near him, green in color and of the very largest size. 
E. M. Buechly of Dark county reported a very severe 
drought in his section, and the general killing of every¬ 
thing in the berry line by the May frosts. Many planta¬ 
tions of raspberries and blackberries were mowed off im¬ 
mediately after the frost, thinking to help the new growth. 
It proved, however, a mistake—the growth of the bushes 
not being as good as where the old wood was left stand¬ 
ing. He reported the first good apple crop in fifteen 
years. These officers were elected: President, E. H. 
Cushman, Euclid ; vice-president, Prof. W. F. Lazenby, 
Columbus ; secretary, W. W. Farnsworth, Waterville; 
treasurer, U. Ohmer, Dayton. The next session will be 
held in Dayton in February. 
