44 
TIIE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
Hn IRursere IRows. 
Winter Bijduing —Regarding winter budding in the South, Pro¬ 
fessor R. H. Price of the Texas Experiment Station says: “The 
method as used at the station consists in cutting a slip of hark with 
some w r ood attached down the tree about one inch, leaving it attached 
at the lower end. About half this slip is then cut off, leaving the other 
half still attached to the tree. Cut off the bud, leaving some wood 
also attached to it to prevent injury, and then carefully place it be¬ 
tween the slip and tree, so that it will tit nicely, and the cambium of 
the bud and tree come in contact. Tie tightly with some good mate¬ 
rial, such as raffia. In five or six days the buds will be found to 
have nipped firmly. Treat them as though budded in the usual way.” 
Methods oe Tree Planting. —Professor F. W . Card of the 
Nebraska Experiment Station, writing of results of experiments in 
planting in his state, says: “Several metheds of root pruning were 
tried, which varied from cutting the roots back to only one or two 
inches in length to leaving them wholly untrimmed, just as received 
from the nursery. These experiments indicate that all healthy roots 
which are found on a tree as shipped from the nursery should be left 
there in planting. The results upon this point are more emphatic 
than upon any other question embraced in the experiments. There 
appeared to be no advantage in making a fresh, clean cut at the ends 
of sound roots. The conclusions drawn from the experiments on top 
pruning are unfavorable to cutting back apple trees severely at plant¬ 
ing time. Those left entirely unpruned or with the branches shortened 
about one-half did better than those pruned to a cane or grown as a 
whip in the nursery.” 
Hybridizing Oranges— Regarding this work Professor H. E. Van 
Deman says in Rural New Yorker: Some of the reports concerning 
the work of the experts of ,the United States Department of Agricul¬ 
ture may be somewhat exaggerated or misstated, but some very inter¬ 
esting and promising hybrids have been secured between the tender, 
sweet oranges and the hardy but bitter-fruited species; just what will 
come of them no one knows, but they may lead to something very 
valuable. There are great variations in the different types of peaches, 
and why may there not be equally great ones among oranges? We 
know that there are types of peaches from China that flourish in 
Florida but will not survive the winters of Georgia, and that the 
peaches that endure the winters of Iowa will not bear a peach in 
Florida ; yet they are all peaches, and good ones, too. The variations 
and gradations of the Citrus fruits are so numerous and so closely 
allied, that it is impossible to tell whether certain trees bear oranges 
or lemons, and the same is true of others that resemble both lemons 
and limes, oranges and pomelos ; yet they are neither. There is no 
class of fruits with which I am acquainted that that is so capable of 
variation, within certain limits, as the Citrus genus, but it is not wise 
to make extravagant and speculative statements that may mislead the 
general public into planting expensive novelties in this line. 
Owatonna Trial Station—J. S. Harris, La Crescent, Minn., re¬ 
porting on a visit to the Owatonna, Minn., trial station, conducted by 
E. II. S. Dartt, who has had fifty years experience in orcharding in 
Wisconsin and Minnesota, and who is w 7 ell knowm by reason of his ad¬ 
vocacy of the girdling of trees, says: “ The object of the station is: 
First, to conduct experiments in the originating of new or seedling var¬ 
ieties of the tree fruits, with the view of securing varieties of sufficient 
hardiness to endure this northwestern climate and of a quality that will 
make them worthy of cultivation in quantities sufficient to supply the 
w’ants of our rapidly increasing population. Second, to give all of the 
varieties recently imported from Russia a fair, thorough and impartial 
trial, as fast as trees and scions of these varieties can be secured. 
Third, to gather in and test such American varieties as are reputed 
hardy, and all seedlings of northwestern origin that do or have shown 
evidence of hardiness and of producing a good quality of fruit. Fourth^ 
so to conduct experiments in propagation, cullivation, pruning, etc., in 
order to secure the best results and establish safe rules to govern the 
propagation and planting of trees in this state. In the growing of seed¬ 
lings a record is made of the variety from which seed is taken. As 
soon as w 7 ood can be grown a few grafts are made from each of the 
seedlings that in vigor or otherwise show evidence of value and 
planted in nursery rows and given good cultivation, there to 
stand until they fruit, unless they show unmistakable evidence of 
being of no value ; or, in some cases, trees that are most 
promising are planted in trial orchard before the vaiiety has 
fruited. The same methed is also pursued with Russian varieties 
and seedlings of good repute.” Wyman Elliott, Minneapolis, says: 
“ To attempt any concise description of the many varieties under trial 
would be impossible. There have been collected from ten states and 
originated on this place over 1,000 varieties of grafts i nd seedlings. 
The method of propagation has been by short piece root, top-grafting 
and root cuttings. On inquiry w 7 e learned that the superintendent had 
not discovered that the method of propagation influences hardiness of 
the trees. In conclusion, my individual thought is that the efforts be¬ 
ing put forth along experimental lines at the Owatonna tree station 
will prove helpful and instructive to our horticulturists and should be 
continued, provided detailed reports are prepared, printed and dis¬ 
tributed by bulletin and the press.” 
IRecent publications. 
Among recent publications received are: Proceedings of Western 
New York Horticultural Society, Secretary John Hall, Rochester, N. 
Y.; annual reports of the Tree Planting and Fountain Society of Brook, 
lyn, N. Y., for 1896, 1897 and 1898, and Bulletin No. 1, of the same 
society, Secretary Lewis Collins, Brooklyn; annual report Columbus 
Horticultural Society, Secretary John F. Cunningham, Columbus, O.; 
twelfth annual report of the Interstate Commerce Commission. 1898. 
Secretary Edward A. Moseley; Geneva, N. Y.. Experiment Station, 
bulletin on tvro apple pests, by F. H. Hall and Y. H. Lowe; Ithaca, 
N. Y., Station, bulletin on peach leaf curl by B. M. Duggar; Dew 
spraying devices, B. T. Galloway, U. S. Dept. Agriculture; “ Some 
Insects Inju rious to Garden and Orchard Crops,” F. H. Chittenden, 
assistant entomologist, U. S. Department Agriculture. 
The Yearbook of the U. S. Department of Agriculture for 1898 is now 
in press and will be ready for distribution early in May. It is a volume 
of 768 pages and is divided into three parts. The first part, as usual, 
consists of the annual report of .the secretary of agriculture for the fis¬ 
cal year 1898, and covers the operations of the department for that 
year. The second part embraces miscellaneous papers, prepared, with 
few exceptions, by the chiefs of bureaus, divisions, and offices of the 
department. The third part is the appendix. Special attention has 
been given to this part of the volume with a view to increasing its 
scope and usefulness, and an effort has been made to give the appendix 
the character of an agricultural directory. In addition to the usual de_ 
partment directory and the directory of colleges and experiment sta¬ 
tions, there have been included lists of the principal officials having 
charge of agriculture in the several states; of managers of farmers’ in. 
stitutes; of national and state dairy officials; of the several associations 
of cattle, horse, sheep and swine breeders with their secretaries; of 
state veterinarians and state health officers; of the forestry officers of 
the different states and of the state forestry associations; of the officers 
of horticultural and kindred societies, state granges, etc. The editor 
George William Hill, calls attention to the great difficulty of securing 
such information, and suggests that its publication in an edition of 
500,000 copies for distribution among the farmers of the country should 
make it worth while for the many officials interested to supply the 
necessary data for the presentation of this information in the yearbook. 
If possible it should be in the hands of the editor by January 31 of each 
year. 
very satisfactory. 
W. P. Brinton, Christiana, Pa., April 15—“We enclose $1 for 
renewal of subscription to National Nurseryman. The journal is 
very satisfactory to us.” 
I doubt if is possible to do too much advertising, so long as the busi¬ 
ness is capable of developing, and so long as the advertising bills cau 
be paid.—Printer’s Ink. 
