44 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
except a few varieties of northern apple. We have had 
a very favorable spring for planting, and our deliveries 
have been going very satisfactorily. Collections in a re¬ 
tail way are better than for the past two years. Prices 
have ranged low, with some little improvement on apple. 
The western nurseries have very few two-year-old apple 
to carry over, and rather a poor stand last year makes 
the outlook for better prices another year very favorable.” 
Salt Lake City, Utah, April 16.— M. E. Callahan, 
Treasurer and Manager Pioneer Nurseries Co.: “We 
have had the largest volume of business in our history; 
were all sold out before the season was half over. I be¬ 
lieve this to be the case with the Utah Nursery Co., and 
the Salt Lake Co. also. Prices are very low. There will 
be about the usual amount of stock for fall and spring 
sale next year. 
“ We are planting more than twice as much as usual. 
The other firms are putting out their usual plant. 
“ Mr. Christopherson of the Lake Nursery Co., has 
gone to California for ten days. J. A. Goodhue of the 
Utah Nursery Co., is in Colorado making their delivery.” 
LAWRENCE, Kans., April 22.—A. H. Griesa, Kansas 
Home Nursery: “ The trade has been unusually active 
in this, eastern part, of the state ; the sales have been 
good, and as a rule pay on delivery. The times are dull, 
all farm crops are very low in price, so the prices of tiees 
of all kinds were put down lower than ever before ; noth¬ 
ing sold at usual rates ex ept gooseberry plants, but all 
the stock on hand is fairly well sold. 
“ The idea might now be, that they would have sold 
nearly as well at a little better price, but it is better to 
sell than hold stock over even if no profit in the sale, as 
it costs to keep it growing. 
“ The prospects for fruit and farm crops are very good ; 
seasonable rains, no frosts or storms. Every breeze is of 
the balmy, gentle zephyrs that are conducive to the 
growth of fruits and flowers.” 
FRUITA, Col., April 17.—A. V. Sharpe, Secretary Grand 
Valley Nursery and Orchard Co.: “Our trade thus far 
this spring, has been very good and in fact, has gone be¬ 
yond our expectations. The sale of nursery stock will be 
fully as large in this and adjacent valleys, for 1896, as 
that of 1895. Nurseries from all over the country as well 
as many local dealers are represented here. The plant, in 
acreage increases each year in Western Colorado, but 
prices have a somewhat downward tendency. While the 
acreage for 1896 will be some larger than 1895, the price 
of trees makes the sale in dollars just about the same as 
for 1895. But for the stringency in money matters, there 
would have been a much larger acreage planted this spring. 
“ People in this state, as you well know, are clamoring 
for free silver, which means more money for them, with 
which to grow and buy trees. Nature and the climate does 
the rest. We have a fine showing for stock for spring 
1897. Buds are starting out nicely.” 
CRETE, Neb,, April 13.— E. F. Stephens: “Sales 
opened up slowly this spring owing to the open dry win¬ 
ter. Only .67 of an inch of rain or moisture in three 
months. There is a general desire to replant or refill the 
loss of the last two years. The low prices of crops the 
past season and the scarcity of money has greatly inter¬ 
fered with trade. After the beginning of April, however, 
with the increasing prospect of a favorable season and 
with some local rains, prospects for business have steadily 
improved and the trade of the nurserymen all over the 
state as far as I can learn, as well as our own trade, will 
be better on the whole than last year. 
“ A very heavy, general rain started in on the afternoon 
and evening of the 11th of April, covering, as far as can 
be learned, the entire state, and in some portions of the 
state the rain was extremely heavy, perhaps the heaviest 
ever known in the month of April. The ground is now 
very well soaked all over the state. The farmers are feel¬ 
ing very much better. The wetting of the subsoil for 
which we have waited so long seems to have come at last. 
“ The prospect for winter wheat is very good, and the 
farmers are much encouraged. The outlook for trade for 
the remainder of the month is much improved with all 
nurserymen and the prospect for business the coming sea¬ 
son fair. 
“A little less than the usual amount of nursery stock 
is being planted. As most of the nurseries are over¬ 
stocked, there is a general desire to reduce the surplus 
before planting as freely as usual. The prospect for fruit 
is very good, the spring being cool and backward so that 
blossoming of fruit trees will probably be delayed until 
good weather.” 
Fort Scott, Kans., April 21.—M. F. Schell, Secretary 
and Manager Hart Pioneer Nurseries: “Our retail sales 
were not up to our expectation or average this spring. We 
had a larger number of salesmen, but owing to low prices of 
farm products, sales were hard to make and orders small, 
but our wholesale and planters’ cash trade West, in Colo¬ 
rado, Wyoming, Oregon, New Mexico and other states 
more than made up for the shortage in our retail sales. 
In fact, we do not think our wholesale trade has been 
larger for the past eight years than it was this spring. 
Not only have we held our old trade, but we 'find quite a 
number of new names on our books of reputable nursery¬ 
men in the East, mostly carload shipments. In fact, this 
is one of our specialties, carload shipments, of peach, 
plum, apple and cherry, also apricot, grape vines and 
small fruits. We attribute this increased trade to our 
facilities of packing, shipping, etc., having switches of the 
main roads leading out of Fort Scott, also express office 
right on our grounds. 
“ We are still packing, but our rush is over, although 
we are averaging a car a day of broken freight. We not 
only have cleaned up our own stock, but also bought 
what we could of our neighbors and cleaned that up also 
and we think within a week there will not be a market¬ 
able tree or plant on our grounds. We can say for our 
neighbors that they must have done a good business from 
(Continued on page 4.8.) 
