THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
53 
PROFESSOR MALLY HONORED. 
Professor Frederick W. Mally, just appointed state entomol¬ 
ogist of Texas, graduated from the Iowa Agricultural College, 
Ames, Iowa, in 1887. He returned the next spring to take up 
post graduate work, which was completed, and a degree was 
granted from that institution in 1889. Before completing this 
course he was appointed assistant to Dr. S. A. Forbes, the 
eminent state entomologist of Illinois. The early and colleg¬ 
iate training in entomology was under the able instruction and 
supervision of Professor Herbert Osborn, at that time professor 
of entomology and zoology at the Iowa college, but who now 
occupies a similar position in the University of Ohio. 
He had been assistant entomologist in Illinois less than a 
year when he was called to Washington to accept the position 
of United States entomologist, and was ass r gned to special 
field work for the southern states, taking up first the boll 
worm of cotton. On this insect pest 
of cotton he has two bulletins pub¬ 
lished by the United States Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture, and which can 
be had upon application to the secre¬ 
tary. They are numbered bulletins 
24 and 29, respectively. At the 
close of this investigation he went to 
Texas to engage in business pursuits 
and apply his scientific training in a 
practical way, as well as to follow 
his profession as a scientist. He first 
went to Hulen, Texas, in 1893, in 
the capacity of manager of the Gal¬ 
veston Nursery and Orchard Com¬ 
pany. While founding this large 
scheme for the development of Texas 
coast horticulture, he kept in close 
touch with the progress being made 
in his profession, and enlarged his 
scientific knowledge by a most im¬ 
portant practical training, which 
gave him a material advantage 
over all competitors, and of which 
the state will have the imme¬ 
diate benefit. Last year he be¬ 
came full proprietor of the exten¬ 
sive company which he had managed for several years. 
AZALEAS IN BELGIUM. 
The newly-founded nurseries of F. Sander & Co , at St. An¬ 
dre, just outside one of the old gates of Bruges, are referred to 
by the Gardeners’ Chronicle in an article describing the large 
blocks of contiguous houses, some with party walls, and some 
without any, that were filled to their utmost capacity with 
palms, dracsenas, azaleas, and orchids chiefly. Much of the 
stock of plants then existing in the houses has gone to fill the 
insatiable demand for plants all over the Continent and in 
America, and yet the houses are as well filled as then. Roughly 
speaking, Azalea indica are arranged at the present time in the 
contiguous houses, of which mention is made, covering five 
acres of land, cheaply built, light and commodious, with just 
the requisite heating apparatus, but without any superfluities. 
Presently the entire stock of azaleas will be planted out in 
narrow beds, with brick curbing, with two feet alleys between, 
filled with the renowned Belgian leaf mould. As but compar¬ 
atively few azaleas are cultivated in pots in the Belgian nurse¬ 
ries, either under glass or growing in the open ground, the 
labor of transferring this immense number of plants is greatly 
facilitated. The trade in azaleas is but in its commencement, 
and new houses for harboring great numbers are being con¬ 
structed. Messrs. Sander are not satisfied with cultivating 
varieties raised by others, but they go largely into the business 
of raising new ones, and consider themselves extremely fortu¬ 
nate if one in 5,000 turns out to be a better thing than and ex¬ 
isting variety. It is needless to say that all that do not reach 
this standard are consigned to the rubbish heap as soon as they 
have bloomed. 
As showing the manner in which every available space is 
used in this remarkable nursery, beds for the germination of 
palm seeds occupy the spaces under 
the stages and lateral brick pits in 
all the houses in which palms are 
grown, as well as in many others. 
At the Texas Farmers’ Congress 
last July Professor Frederick W. 
Mally, Hulen, Tex., now state en¬ 
tomologist, delivered an exhaustive 
address upon the value of agricul¬ 
tural education. 
“ It may be different in other 
localities,” says Clarence Wedge, 
Albert Lea, Minn., “but in Northern 
Iowa and Southern Minnesota they 
order just about what is offered 
them, and will accept what is deliv¬ 
ered if the labels suit and the trees 
are straight and pretty. Out upon 
such shallow-headed nonsense ! Let 
us quit talking about the ignorance 
of the Cuban and the Filipino and 
come nearer -home.” 
TREES ON SANDY LAND. 
Professor Van Deman says in Rural New Yorker: 
There are some excellent nurseries on sandy land, but the land is 
kept rich by manuring. It would be very unwise to endeavor to grow 
nursery trees on poor sandy land, but if the soil is in condition to 
grow a good crop of corn, it would, probably, be very suitable for 
trees. The apple does not thrive so well on sandy land as on clay, 
but the peach and plum seem to do better. Some of the best orchards 
of these two fruits in the country, both North and South, are on 
sandy soils. The pear is about as well suited to sandy as to clay soils. 
Trees grown in sandy soil that is rich are likely to have more fibrous 
roots than those grown in stiff clay. I have often transplanted trees 
from sandy soil into that which was quite stiff with clay and had them 
do very well. My experience would lead me to believe that it does 
not matter whether nursery trees are grown in either sandy or clay 
soil, or into which they are transplanted, provided they are thrifty, 
stocky trees. It is wonderful what variations of climate and 
soil the orchard fruits named will endure, and how they will 
flourish, too, if they are healthy to begin with, and are then well 
cared for. 
Professor Frederick W. Mally. 
