THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
1 14 
The National N urseryman. 
C. L. YATES, Proprietor. RALPH T. OLCOTT, Editor. 
PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY 
The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., 
305 Cox Building, Rochester, N. Y. 
The only trade journal issued for Growers and Dealers in Nursery Stock of 
all kinds. It circulates throughout the United States and Canada. 
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSERYMEN. 
SUBSCRIPTION RATES. 
One year, in advance, - - - - - $1.00 
Six Months, ______ .75 
Foreign Subscriptions, in advance, - - - 1.50 
Six Months, “ “ 1.00 
Advertising rates will be sent upon application. Advertisements 
should reach this office by the 20th of the month previous to the date 
of issue. 
Payment in advance required for foreign advertisements. 
K§pDrafts on New York or postal orders, instead of checks, are 
requested. 
Correspondence from all points and articles of interest to nursery¬ 
men and horticulturists are cordially solicited. 
Entered in the Post Office at Rochester, as second-class matter. 
Rochester, N. Y., October, 1896. 
A GREAT FRUIT EXHIBIT. 
One of the most attractive exhibits at the recent New York 
State Fair was the magnificent fruit display made by the West¬ 
ern New York Horticultural Society. Several years since the 
officers of the state society, in their desire to secure a larger 
exhibition of fruits, conceived the idea of offering premiums 
to societies which have been organized for not less than one 
year. Subsequent experience has proved the wisdom of such 
action, for never in the history of the society have there been 
such immense displays of fruit as since the adoption of the 
above named plan. 
Two organizations have usually competed, viz : The Central 
New York and the Western New York Horticultural societies. 
Each of these combinations of fruit growers secured contribu¬ 
tions from their members, bringing together so much fruit that 
on several occasions special tents had to be provided, and even 
then much fruit remained in the packages in which it was 
shipped. 
Then the state fair officers secured the new horticultural 
hall, affording better accommodations and comfort to exhibi¬ 
tors. This year the Western New York society was the only 
organization entered for the $200 cash prize, and if any other 
had entered it would have puzzled the authorities to find room. 
The Western New York society has about 450 members and 
the contributions to the exhibit were numerous and enough to 
more than fill the allotted space. Previous exhibits have 
brought out much fine fruit, but this year's display was, in 
many respects, superior to any in former years. Of apples 
there were 91 varieties of as beautiful specimens as could be 
desired ; of pears 67 varieties ; plums 40 varieties ; native 
grapes.40 varieties ; hot-house grapes four varieties, and crabs 
eight. Not being limited to one plate of each, many varieties 
were represented by from four to ten plates. All were arranged 
by H. S. Wiley of Cayuga, who had charge of the display, and 
he was assisted by John Hall, secretary of the society. 
The Western New York society, of course, secured the prize 
and its members are to be congratulated. As an object lesson 
to the public such an exhibit is most emphatic and cannot 
help but act as an educator. People would be much healthier 
if fruit entered more largely into their diet. It is cheaper than 
pastry and many of the indigestible articles which are daily 
crowded into the hard worked stomachs. 
We wish to offer a word of exhortation to those fruit growers 
who are not connected with the Western New York society. 
A membership fee of one dallar a year brings one in contact 
with the ablest and most enthusiastic horticulturists of the 
state, and procures a copy of the annual proceedings, contain¬ 
ing papers by professional and practical culturists ; also pages 
of valuable discussions of practical questions. 
THE NEW HORTICULTURE. 
No book issued this year is of greater interest to nursery¬ 
men and horticulturists than that which has just come from the 
press under the above title. H. M. Stringfellow, of Galveston, 
Texas, has long been known as a successful horticulturist, and 
if there were any readers of The National Nurseryman 
who did not know of him until recently, they made his 
acquaintance through his articles on a new method of treating 
nursery trees which is so much at variance with long estab¬ 
lished custom as to attract wide attention. 
We have said that this book is of extraordinary interest to 
nurserymen. It is so for various reasons. It is the compilation 
of the experience of a nurseryman who has been in the busi¬ 
ness thirty years and who has profited by that experience as 
few have profited. With an intense interest in everything that 
pertains to horticulture, Mr. Stringfellow has advanced by 
theory and practice and above all by close observation, experi¬ 
encing failures as have others, yet noting the causes and fear¬ 
lessly branching out into unheard-of methods the success of 
which attested his sound judgment. We are not unaware that 
his latest innovation, a radical method of root pruning, has 
been subjected to severe and quite general criticism ; but we 
are sure that an unbiased perusal of his book will convince one of 
the logical nature of his argument and will cause the most 
skeptical reader to pause and reflect that after all there may be 
much of truth in the assertions. 
With the announcement that Mr. Stringfellow has published 
a book on “The New Horticulture,” following closely upon 
his articles in horticultural papers throughout the country, 
there naturally comes the thought that the book is devoted 
entirely to the subject of those articles, root pruning. As a 
matter of fact there is but a small portion of the work devoted 
to this subject. The book is divided into two parts, the first 
of which comprises the author’s experience during the early 
portion of his career, as a market gardener. And the opening 
pages of this part are as fascinating as a novel The entire 
book is written in a style which is highly creditable to Mr. 
Stringfellow’s ability as a writer. What could be more inter¬ 
esting to his brother nurserymen than the description of the 
author’s conversion from a cotton trade and real estate dealer 
to a horticulturist one bright morning in April, 1866, through 
the accidental meeting of a rusty-looking old fisherman on the 
