THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
49 
severe in the best known means to secure hardy, delightful 
fruit. 
“ I have noticed a great many sprouts coming up in the 
spring around the trunk of some of my apple trees, evidently 
from the grafted stock, and before the next fall they would all 
be blighted to the ground. The same occurs every year; it 
seems to me that the original stock were from eastern grown 
seeds. 
“About preserving apple seeds for planting the next spring. 
Some have adopted different modes. Some think it better to 
put them in damp dirt in a cool cellar ; others store them in 
the house ; others put them in the ground when they are fresh 
and use care not to let them dry before or after planting I 
believe the last plan is the best. The most successful mode 
of preserving apple seeds is of great importance, and I would 
suggest that Prof. S. B. Green would please give us his ex¬ 
perience on the above topic. 
“ As for planting apple seeds I believe there is no mystery 
about it. The most satisfactory way, it seems to me, is to put 
them in the ground as soon as it will work well in spring. 
Plant them three-fourths of an inch deep, in rows about three 
feet apart and thick enough in the row so that if some of them 
fail they may be still thick enough. In dry weather they 
should be moistened with lukewarm water by pouring it in a 
little trench about half a foot from the seed drill. It should 
be done after sunset.” 
GOOD ADVICE TO PLANTERS. 
S. W. Chambers, writing to the Michigan Farmer says : 
“ The consumption of fruit increases in this country every 
year, and people are learning to buy fruit now as a food in¬ 
stead of a luxury. There is little chance of the industry of 
raising fruit for market being overdone, for this demand more 
than keeps pace with the supply. The nursery business has 
increased enormously also in recent years. In 1890 there were 
in the nurseries of this country 37,000,000 pear trees, 
240,000,000 apple, 38,000,000 cherry and 49,000,000 peach 
trees. Most of these trees would in the ordinary course of 
events be in bearing to-day, and at that time when the nur¬ 
sery statistics were supplied it was supposed that these trees 
would swamp the markets with their fruits. But the fact is 
that there are not enough trees to-day in bearing to supply the 
demand. In the first place account is not taken of the great 
number that die. A good percentage of the trees from the 
nurseries perish after being planted out through neglect and 
ignorance of their need. It is estimated that from one cause 
and another at least one-fourth of the trees die before they 
reach maturity, leaving only three-fourths which actually come 
into bearing. 
“Then the great number which are killed off after they have 
reached maturity. In a winter like the past millions of fruit 
trees have been killed throughout the country, decimating the 
number to produce fruit the coming summer very materially. 
When one considers these statistics the dread of a great fruit 
overflow does not seem so near at hand. One cannot judge 
the probable outlook of the fruit industry by counting the 
number of trees set out every year, and then multiplying them 
by the average product of a full bearing tree. 
“ The planting of more fruit trees each year should be the 
policy of every farmer.,, Close planting for all fruits is de¬ 
sirable, which will bring the largest yield from an acre when 
young. Old trees are not in favor to-day. When they begin 
to fall off in their production it is time to replace them with 
new blood. When the trees in this orchard touch each other 
they can be thinned out if necessary by removing every other 
tree in the row. Interlacing of the branches should not be 
allowed. Trim back rather than permit this.” 
MISSOURI AS A FRUIT STATE. 
Missouri is plainly within the central portion of the great 
fruit region of the Middle West, says Professor H. E. Van 
Deman. And, let me say, without any feeling akin to flattery, 
that there is perhaps no other state in the Union which is so 
universally adapted to orcharding. There may be, and prob¬ 
ably are, some portions of other states which have better 
natural advantages for orchard purposes, but, taken as a whole, 
what state can do, or has done, better on the same area, or 
even as well ? Facts speak for themselves. In 1897 the fruit 
crop of Missouri put into the pockets of those who grew it 
over $19,000,000, and the principal part of it was paid for 
apples and peaches. It was almost like so much water sold 
off the farms for so much clean cash ; for when we compare 
fruit with other farm crops, it is found to be nearly all water. 
Had it not been for the apple crop that year in Missouri and 
adjoining states there would have been very little for home 
use in the East, and our export trade in fresh fruit would have 
been almost nothing. 
Hit IRurser^ IRows. 
Hybridizing. —Pyrus communis, the pear, and Pyrus Sinensis, the 
Sand pear, are distinct species, says Meehan’s Monthly, yet the seed 
from the Sand pear growing near the Bartlett variety of the common 
pear produced the Kieffer. It is conceded to he a hybrid, though this 
has never been demonstrated. It is not improbable that the apple 
and pear might hybridize, and it is surprising that no actual test 
has been made. Guess work, such as comes from planting trees 
side by side, is unworthy of true science. 
Close Root-Pruning. —Commenting on the recent experiments of 
Professor Troop, of Indiana, on close root-pruning, Meehan’s Monthly 
says : “It must be evident to all who grow wise with years that the 
true philosophy of success in tree planting is not yet perfectly under¬ 
stood. It is not uncommon to see trees furnished with what the 
planter regards a magnificent mass of roots, and planted with the 
utmost care and skill, prove astounding failures. Indeed, deaths 
among well roo ed trees are often in greater proportion than trees that 
have what might be termed very poor roots. Why should this be ? 
This question derives more importance from statements made by 
responsible parties that fruit trees with the roots severely pruned are 
more successful than trees with the ordinary supply. Old planters 
shrug their shoulders at this, and well they may. Still, it is proper to 
see what there may be in the novel suggestions. There is one thing 
we may remember in all this ; that is, until the old roots throw out 
the new white fibers they are of no manner of use to the transplanted 
tree. This being granted, it is a fair question whether pruning roots 
will or will not favor the desirable new white fibers. Continued 
experiments may result in great practical value.’’ 
JOURNAL IS WORTH THE PRICE. 
H. E. Merrill, Geneva, N. Y., May 16 , 1899 : “Enclosed find $1 
for another year’s subscription. The journal is worth it.” 
