THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
IOI 
IN GEORGIA PEACH ORCHARDS. 
Prof. W. G. Johnson, writing to the Rural New Yorker 
says: 
I spent most of my time in Georgia looking over the extensive vege¬ 
table and fruit plantations. I visited the largest fruit farms in the 
state at Fort Valley, Marshallville, Albany, Silvester and Tifton. All 
the orchards, both plum and peach, were severely injured by the freeze 
of February, 1899, and thousands of trees that had vitality enough to 
live through the summer of 1899, have since died. In some places in 
extreme South Georgia from 5,000 to 10,000 trees were often seen in 
one block. 
We saw very little rot in the orchards of the Hale Georgia Orchard 
Company at Fort Valley. Here 236,000 trees were in bearing, and the 
rotten or specked fruit is picked up daily. It was on this place I saw 
the most perfect system of management. J. II. Hale, who is the recog¬ 
nized ‘'Peach King of America,” employs 800 laborers during the 
height of the season, and ships from 12 to 20 carloads daily. The trees 
are headed close to the ground, and the fruit is easily picked. All the 
fruit from a 9-year-old tree can be picked without a stepladder or even 
a box. In many cases a person could sit on the ground and pick a 
basket of peaches from one of these old trees without getting up. In 
two hours from the time a peach is picked it is in tfce refrigerator car, 
ready for any Northern market. I might state here, incidentally, that 
these cars are iced five times between Fort Valley and New York. 
The peaches are packed by experts in three grades and packed accord¬ 
ingly in six-basket carriers. 
It was a novel sight to see over 200,000 bearing trees loaded with 
golden fruit. There is something inspiring about the entire place; 
everybody knewhis place, and I heard no discord or grumbling, not even 
among the gangs of colored pickers. All went with the merry hum of 
a circus. Most of the peaches are packed by white girls of the most 
refined classes. We saw skilled artists, music teachers and school 
teachers all packing peaches by the beat of the band near by. Packing 
peaches with music is a unique sight in itself. 
THE TRIUMPH GOOSEBERRY.. 
Regarding the Triumph gooseberry, Abner Hoopes, West 
Chester, Pa., writes to the Rural New-Yorker correcting an 
error : 
You say “ The Triumph originated in West Chester about 17 years 
ago,” while it really originated on the grounds of F. F. Merceron, of 
Catawissa, Pa., who sold all his stock to George Achelis of this place. 
Mr. Achelis is very much alive to day, and is the proprietor of one of 
the largest and best kept nurseries in Pennsylvania. I have the 
Triumph, presented to me by Mr. Achelis, and the Columbus from 
Ellwanger & Barry growing side by side, and I can detect no differ¬ 
ence either in their growth, productiveness, or fruit ; they seem to be 
identical. The same with Downing and Pearl ; there is no difference 
in these two sorts as they grow on my grounds. I have nine varieties 
of gooseberries fruiting in my specimen garden, and consider Industry 
the best red, and Triumph or Columbus, the best white. 
CALIFORNIA QUARANTINE. 
In his semi-annual report to the California State Board of 
Horticulture, Alexander Craw, chief quarantine officer of the 
board says• 
Of the steamers and sailing vessels that arrived in the port of San 
Francisco during that time from foreign countries, one hundred and 
three had trees, plants or fruits on board. This consisted of 176 cases 
of trees and plants, 93 boxes, baskets and bundles of trees and plants, 
and 105 loose lots ; 9,243 boxes of citrus fruits, principally limes from 
Mexico and Oonshiu oranges from Japan ; 820 crates of pineapples, 
5,865 boxes of miscellaneons fruits. 
On Sunday, April 22d, the Steamer Umatilla arrived from Victoria, 
B. C. In her freight was a crate containing seven Pomelo orange 
trees from China, for an orange grower of Azusa, Los Angeles county. 
As the trees were infested with that injurious, small, black armored 
citrus scale, Parlatoria zizyphus, they were stopped and destroyed. 
This scale is not found in the orchards or gardens of the state. It was 
introduced into Honolulu, and some orange trees there are completely 
covered with it. 
The scarcity of deciduous fruit nursery trees the past winter in Cali, 
fornia resulted in unusually heavy importations from Oregon and east 
of the Rocky mountains. The county horticultural commissioners 
and inspectors have been notified of the arrival of such stock in their 
districts by the railroad agents. The introduction of such trees with¬ 
out inspection and disinfection is a positive danger to the state, yet 
there arc one or two counties where the supervisors have been peti¬ 
tioned by the orchardists to appoint commissioners, and have failed to 
comply with the law. The introduction of one serious pest into their 
orchards would require an annual expense to combat it much greater 
than it would to guard against its entry. 
©bituaiY. 
David G. Yates, of Yates & Son, Mount Airy, near Philadelphia, 
died on Aug. 15th, at Poland Springs, Me. 
H. H. Bassett, who for many years acted in the capacity of traveler 
for several nursery firms, died in Indianapolis August 7th. He was 
born in Randolph County, Ohio, in 1836. 
Clifford L. Albaugh, only son of Hon. N. H. Albaugh, died at his 
home in Phoneton, O., on August 4tli, aged 46 years. He leaves a wife 
and four chiidren. He had been ill for three years. From its organ¬ 
ization, some twelve years ago, he was secretary of the Albaugh Nurs¬ 
ery and Orchard company. He was an intelligent, live nurseryman. 
He was a prominent member of the Sons of Veterans, and had many 
friends in that organization. For many years he was an officer in Bethel 
Reformed church and devoted his best services to its upbuilding. He 
was a member of Reed Commandery of Knights Templars of Dayton, 
and that body took charge of the funeral at Bethel church, Phoneton, 
on August 7th. 
John Laing, founder of the well-known firm of nurserymen, John 
Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, London, England, died of paralysis on 
August 8th, aged 77 years. Mr Laing was born at Carrieston, near 
Arbroatle, in Scotland, in 1823. For twelve years he was head gardener 
for the Earl of Rosslyn. In 1860 he went to London and began the 
nursery business. Mr. Laing devoted much study to hybridizing, and 
was regarded as an authority on this subject. From time to time he 
had made specialties of various plants and flowers, devoting himself 
untiringly to their cultivation and enhancement, and he may be termed 
the father of the tuberous begonia. More recently he gave much time 
to the improvement of the Cape primrose with successful results. 
Caladiums, pansies, bronze geraniums, hollyhocks, and phlox were 
also specialties. 
As a judge at horticultural shows both in the United Kingdom and 
on the Continent, Mr. Laing was in great request. His opinions and 
advice w r ere always being sought, and any information that he could 
give was readily and ungrudgingly imparted. He had been invited 
and attended no less than six times to judge at the quinquennial exhi¬ 
bition at Ghent; in those thirty years deceased must have seen great 
advancement in floriculture. The firm is constantly executing orders 
for the members of the royal family, from the queen downward, and 
those of the Continent. 
Mr. Laing was elected an associate of the Botanical Society of Edin¬ 
burgh in appreciation of his labors in gathering, within twelve miles 
of that city, in the year 1847, a collection of mosses which are unmatched. 
For over thirty years he was a committeeman of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, and for many years a member of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevo¬ 
lent Society. In the Jubilee year, 1897, he was one of 60 recipients of 
the Victoria Medal of Honor. 
Pioneer Nurseries Co., Salt Lake City, Utah— “Enclosed we 
hand you $1 to renew our subscription to your publication. We find 
it very valuable and cannot afford to be without it.” 
