THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
137 
PLANTING SMALL FRUITS. 
H. C. Irish, of the Missouri Botanical Garden, says: Experi¬ 
ments are now in progress at the Missouri Botanical Garden 
to find out, so far as possible, the behavior of the small fruits 
and various other plants when transplanted in different seasons 
of the year. So far as my experience and observation go 
strawberries taken up from one bed and reset in another with¬ 
out being out of the ground more than a few hours, do best wh e 
moved in September or October; not later than November in 
If the plants are to come from a distance, however, early 
spring is far preferable. 
Black cap raspberries are safer planted in spring unless care¬ 
fully mulched with coarse litter at the time of transplanting in 
the fall. The other common small fruits, red raspberries, 
blackberries, currants, and gooseberries seem to pass the win¬ 
ter in good condition even when planted as late as December 
1 and make a better growth the following season than if 
planted in the spring. It is a safer plan, however, to do the 
work the latter part of October or first of November. 
APPLES FOR THE NORTHWEST. 
An apple for the Northwest as prolific as the Ben Davis and 
as hardy as the Duchess is greatly desired. Wealthy Regal 
and N. W. Greening have been tried. 
The need of a hardy race of apples for our northern border 
was recognized forty years ago, says the Fruitman. The pos¬ 
sibility of something valuable for us in Russian fruits could 
only be realized by practical tests. 
Ellwanger & Barry, of Rochester, and A. G. Tuttle, of Wis¬ 
consin, imported scions in the sixties. The Agricultural De¬ 
partment at Washington began the work in ’69 and ’70. The 
Iowa Society secured scions as rapidly as possible and had 
400 varieties on trial at Ames in ’78. It appropriated money 
for this work in ’75, and later sent Professor Budd on a mis¬ 
sion to Russia. 
The uncertainties of experiment work were well understood. 
But it was believed by all that if we found four or five good 
keepers as hardy as Duchess for Northern Iowa and the 
regions beyond, the expense of the effort would be well repaid. 
Some hoped and some doubted. But the universal feeling 
among our fruit men was well expressed by Captain Watrous, 
of Des Moines, who said in his address as president of the 
society in ’79: “Of final good results from this infusion of new 
and vigorous blood in the body of our fruits, I have no possi¬ 
ble doubt.” 
CARE OF ROOT GRAFTS. 
Prof. J. Sexton, of the Iowa Agricultural College, gives the 
following directions regarding the care of root grafts : 
“ We have the best stand of grafts that I have ever seen— 
90 per cent, of plums and 60 per cent, of cherries are grow¬ 
ing and doing well. Some of the plums are almost four feet 
high and the cherries from two and a half to three feet. 1 o 
grow 60 per cent, of root-grafted cherries is something un¬ 
common ; in fact, some cannot grow them at all. Our method 
of treating them is as follows : In the first place, keep all 
roots and scions before grafting in a dormant state, by keep¬ 
ing the temperature at freezing point. When you take the 
roots of scions into the grafting room do not take too many 
to lay around and dry out. They should be kept from dry- 
ing by placing a wet cloth over them. After they are grafted 
and before'they are wound dip the roots in water. Be careful 
not to dislocate the scions where they are inserted into the 
roots. Wind and wax them as quickly as possible and pack 
away in clean boxes in half sand and half earth. 
“A common cellar under a building is too variable in its 
temperature and moisture ; a dirt cave gives the best results. 
Put your boxes of grafts into the cave as soon as you have a 
box filled. The cave should be kept cold by opening during 
the early part of the night, and keeping it closed during the 
day. During a large part of the winter last year our cave 
was so cold that the exposed earth in the graft boxes was 
frozen. In fact, through our forgetfulness the cave was left 
open about one week during the latter part of winter, after 
we had got through grafting, and everything was frozen solid. 
We then closed the door and the cave was not opened till we 
were ready to plant out the grafts in the spring. Not know¬ 
ing what the result was going to be after everything had been 
frozen solid, we were a little anxious, but I can say that I 
never saw grafts looking as well as when taken out of the 
boxes as these, and we never had grafts do as well afterwards. 
Not a particle of mold was found in any of the boxes. The 
freezing prevents the growth of the fungus which injuies the 
grafts. Keep everything dormant. Pack away in the cave as 
soon as the grafts are made and keep below the freezing point 
all the time. Plant in the spring as soon as possible. If 
these directions are followed out I guarantee that better re¬ 
sults will be obtained. Try it.” 
©bituar\\ 
M. A. Thayer, founder of the Thayer Fruit Farms, Sparta, Wis., is 
dead. He was up to 1894 a member of the American Association of JNur- 
serymen, and was for years the president of the Wisconsin Horticul¬ 
tural Society. He issued berry bulletins which were published in 
many papers. 
Georges Warocque, a celebrated horticulturist of Belgium, died last 
month in Pekin, China. Mr. Warocque was one of the most prominent 
men in the horticultural societies of his country. His collection of 
orchids and other rare plants has acquired the reputation of being the 
finest and largest private collection in the world. 
Peter M. Gideon, the well known horticulturist, died at Excelsior, 
Minn., October 27. He was born in Champaign County, O., in 1820, 
and resided there until 1841, when he removed to Clinton, Ill. From 
Clinton he went in 1858 to Excelsior. The following year he began ex¬ 
periments and investigations.in fruit growing, and has since done more 
than any other man in the Northwest to advance the cultivation of 
apples and other fruits. He was the originator of the Wealthy apple, 
which he named after his wife, Wealthy Hall, whom he married in 
1849. In 1873, when the state established an experimental fruit farm, 
he was made superintendent and continued in that capacity for several 
years. Recently, in Iowa, a movement was started in which it was 
proposed that the owners of Wealthy bearing fruit orchards should 
contribute one cent per tree to a common fund for Mr. Gideon’s benefit. 
The new fruit experiment station provided for South Missouri will 
be located at Mountain Grove, Wright county. It will consist of 190 
acres. 1 
" ~ ii * t 
WOULD NOT MISS IT. 
J. O. Neviks, Blue Rapids, Kan., Nov. 17, 1899 —“Find enclosed 
$1 on subscription. I beg your pardon for neglecting so long to remit. 
Should be very sorry to miss a number of the National Nursery¬ 
man.” 
