86 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
FOR PRAIRIE NURSERYMEN. 
Some New Lines of Work Suggested by Professor N. E. Hansen— 
Fewer Cull Trees—Public Should Be Educated — Russian 
Apples Simply a Question of Locality—Plums on 
Americana Stocks —The Native Sand Cherry. 
“ Some New Lines for Prairie Nurserymen,” is the subject 
of a paper by Professor N. E. Hansen, Brookings, South 
Dakota, read by the professor at the annual convention of the 
American Association of Nurserymen, at Chicago, in June. 
Professor Hansen said: 
In this paper we do not intend to disturb the equanimity of 
those living in the milder sections of this country, where gen¬ 
erations of experience have settled the leading problems. All 
our friends thus favored can rest easy, being careful only to 
watch and pray when bugs disturb them on their way. My 
remarks are intended for those living in the newer colder sec¬ 
tions of the West, and especially in the prairie Northwest 
where climatic conditions are peculiar, and many horticultural 
problems are as yet unsolved. Although for some years past 
the writer has been engaged in experimental work in horticul¬ 
ture only, several years of early training in commercial West¬ 
ern nurseries make him feel that he is one of you. If this 
paper suggests a new line of work to a single one here present 
that proves feasible and of value, the paper will have served 
its purpose. 
Coming from the moist climate of Western Europe, we have 
penetrated further and further inland on this great continent 
and paid no heed to the fact that this is a continental climate. 
Why should we not try the trees and plants of other inland 
regions, especially Eastern Europe and Western Central Asia, 
where the aridity of atmosphere, and extremes of cold and 
heat are more like those of Western prairies, We must also 
cultivate and improve our wild plants, that came here long be¬ 
fore the arrival of the Indians or the mound builders. We will 
thus get the best of the flora of all three continents. Perhaps 
other continents may in time afford us some treasures also. 
THE APPLE. 
As you all know, the winter of 1898-99 wrought widespread 
destruction in the western nurseries and young orchards. I do 
not desire to recall such unpleasant memories in detail. Suf¬ 
fice it to say that the French crab and Vermont seedling apple 
proved wanting in hardiness, wherever the February freeze 
caught them with no snow on the ground. This whole subject 
was considered by the writer in Bulletin No. 65, of the South 
Dakota Experiment Station, and need not be repeated here, 
except the recommendation to test the method practiced in 
Russia of preventing root-killing by using the true Siberian 
crab (Pyrus baccata) as a stock. The Russian experience is 
that it causes earlier bearing, but dwarfs the tree somewhat in 
growth. Piece-root-grafting is never practiced, but the stocks 
are budded at the collar. The trees I saw worked in this way 
in Russia were very smooth, thrifty, and of good size. The 
true Siberian crab has deciduous calyx segments/while in 
the hybrids the segments do not fall off as the fruit ripens. 
Small seedlings of the Pyrus baccata, imported direct from 
Russia, came through the winter of 1898-99 uninjured at 
Brookings. It would pay to make a special effort to determine 
the value of this species as a budding stock for the apple under 
American conditions. It now appears probable that the days 
of piece-root-grafting in the severer parts of the Northwest are 
numbered. Everything beneath the surface must be Siberian 
in order to withstand freezes like that of February, 1899. 
Every seed possible of the true Siberian crabs with deciduous 
calyx segments, such as the old Yellow Siberian, should be 
saved this fall. Seed will probably be imported also. It is 
useless in the dry sections of the Northwest or West to talk of 
cover crops, as often there is not moisture enough to germinate 
the seed, and the average planter will not spend the time nor 
money for seed. Nor will he mulch in the fall. The true 
Siberian crab root will endure even in Manitoba without win¬ 
ter mulching. 
Some shy bearing varieties continue on the nursery lists 
year after year, and are used freely in substituting because of 
finer growth in the nursery, when much more valuable varieties 
are neglected because of poor growth. Budding on strong 
stocks already established in the nursery will probably give 
fewer cull trees. The public should be educated more regard¬ 
ing the habit of growth of different varieties. 
Upon the strong fertile black soils of the Northwest apple 
trees are very often tardy bearers—they go to wood instead of 
to fruit. Vegetation is favored at the expense of reproduction. 
For the home orchard planters in general would be glad to 
have the trees propagated on stocks that will hasten bearing. 
Dwarf stocks, such as Paradise and Doucin, cause early fruit¬ 
fulness, but both are tender in the Northwest, and the Paradise 
root dwarfs the tree too much for our present conditions. It 
is probably true that here the Pyrus baccata stocks will 
have the greatest value, as experience, both in Russia and 
Germany, shows that it causes earlier bearing, and produces a 
tree intermediate in size between those on the dwarf, and 
those on the ordinary standard stocks. It does not appear to 
dwarf the tree in the nursery. 
Dr. Lucas, one of the foremost pomologists of Germany, says 
that the Pyrus baccata stock is especially adapted for dry soils 
and severe situations. The method is certainly worth trying 
in sections where the root-killing is a source of trouble. 
VARIETIES. 
The apple situation in the Northwest at the present time 
may be inferred from the recent offer of the Minnesota State 
Horticultural Society of a $1,000.00 premium to the originator 
of an apple as hardy as the Duchess, equal in size and quality 
to Wealthy, and as long a keeper as the Melinda. In short, 
we have many hardy and productive summer, fall, and early 
winter varieties, especially of the Russian apples and their 
American seedlings, but we are still looking for the apple 
indicated in the above offer. Some people are even beginning 
to say that the Northwest is not a winter apple climate. Our 
fall weather is often too dry and hot for any winter variety, 
that is, they ripen in the fall. Be this as it may, the Russian 
apples and their American seedlings as a class have demon¬ 
strated their superior hardiness and freedom from scab, 
although they will not range as far South as was hoped at first, 
and there is but little room for thorn in the localities where the 
standard American varieties are a commercial success. The 
Minnesota Society for several years has recommended only 
three varieties as being of the first degree of hardiness, namely, 
Duchess, Hibernal, Charnaloff. At the last winter meeting 
Patten’s Greening, an Oldenburg (Duchess) seedling, was 
added to the list. There is no need for controversy on 
Russian apples ; it is simply a question of locality. The 
