THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
i to 
THE NORTHWEST TRADE . 
Agents Say It Is Becoming More and More Difficult to Sell 
Nursery Stock in the Northwest—The Reason— Professor 
Hansen Discusses Conditions and Gives Advice — 
Great Demand for Trees and Fruit — 
Hardy Stock Necessary. 
The following is the conclusion of the paper by Prof. N. E. 
Hansen, Brookings, S. D., read at the annual convention of 
the American Association of Nurserymen : 
A fact that has been fully established in recent years is that 
a species extending over a wide geographical range varies in 
hardiness. The Box Elder of the South winter-kills at the 
North ; the Red cedar of the South is short-lived and tender 
at the North ; the same is true of the ash, elm and other trees. 
That prince of tree planters, the late Robert Douglas, proved 
this fact with various trees, and also that the evergreens from 
the Pacific slope of the Rocky Mountains were not as hardy 
as the same species from the east side of the mountains. The 
proposition has not been fully demonstrated for all species, 
but there are certainly instances enough to show that it is a 
general law. In Russia the government observes very care¬ 
fully this rule in all its extended work of tree-planting, as they 
have found the Scotch pine, Norway spruce, and other trees 
from the moist climate of Western Europe short-lived and 
tender on the dry steppes of Russia, while the same species as 
found in Northern and Siberia proved perfectly hardy. 
HEDGE PLANTS AND ORNAMENTALS. 
The Russian wild olive, Eleagnus angustifolia, should be 
grown much more extensively than at present, both for a stock- 
proof hedge or windbreak, and for the lawn. This tree was 
brought over by the Russian Mennonites. The Nebraska State 
Horticultural Society last winter put this tree after fifteen 
years trial at the head of the list of deciduous trees for West¬ 
ern Nebraska. It is a success in South Dakota. The Russian 
government plants this tree on dry plains where few plants 
survive. At Brookings we are watching with interest a closely 
related species from Turkestan with edible fruit. 
The native Buffaloberry of the Northwest deserves attention 
as a combined hedge and fruit plant. The plant is dioecious, 
but the male and female plants are readily distinguished by 
the buds when quite small. A nearly related shrub is Hippo- 
phaea rhamnoides, as found at Irkutsk and in other parts of 
Siberia, where the fruit is much used for sauce, preserves and 
cordials. At Brookings the plants came through the winter of 
1898-1899 in perfect condition. Both will probably work on 
Russian olive, at least I intend to try this, as well as growing 
them from cuttings and sprouts. It would make easy the pro¬ 
pagation of choice individual male or female plants. There is 
room for much good work in the Buffaloberry family. 
Another plant that deserves more attention is the Buckthorn 
Rhamnus catharticus. In Dakota it is perfectly hardy and a 
drought-resister. 
The Siberian pea tree Caragana arborescens should be pro¬ 
pagated largely and sold at reasonable rates for hedges as well 
as singly for specimens on the lawn. It is the favorite orna¬ 
mental hedge plant of European Russia, and in America it has 
proven hardy in Manitoba, Assinaboia and the Dakotas. In 
Russia the seed is very cheap, and the expense of importation 
is not excessive ; the seed grows very readily, and the plants 
seed at an early age. At Brookings we have a collection of 
fifteen or more species of Caragana, all from Siberia or North 
China. Some of these will be heard from later. Caragana 
frutescens is smaller than the C. arborescens, the foliage 
appears very early, and the yellow flowers are decidedly 
ornamental. 
For ornamental screens on the lawn, special mention should 
be made of the many choice varieties of the Tartarian bush 
honeysuckle, all hardy and beautiful, as observed in our im¬ 
ported collection at Brookings. Spiraea Van Houttei is one of 
the very best shrubs in cultivation ; it is of half Siberian 
ancestry. Spiraea laevigata is a Siberian bush that is note¬ 
worthy for its extremely early leafing out in spring. This list 
could be extended, as shown by our collection of shrubs at 
Brookings. In general, the Siberian species prove as hardy 
and satisfactory with us as the natives. 
We greatly need a hardier class of roses than we have at 
present in the Northwest. The old Harrison’s Yellow on own 
roots is perfectly hardy, but the Hybrid Perpetuals demand 
careful winter protection. The Rosa rugosa is hardy and 
beautiful ; the form imported by Prof. Budd from Siberia is 
more beautiful and hardy than the one from Japan. Our 
future roses will probably come from the numerous Rosa 
rugosa hybrids now being originated in Europe and America. 
Of those now obtainable in a commercial way, the Madame 
Charles Frederic Worth is of special promise. I imported it 
direct from Germany and find it hardy at Brookings ; its 
blossoms are of a beautiful crimson, and it has the sturdy 
foliage of the R. rugosa. The hybrids originated in 1892 at 
the Iowa Agricultural College, by Prof. Budd, assisted by the 
writer, have the hardiness and beautiful foliage of the R. rugosa 
combined with the beautiful double blossoms of the Gen. 
Jacqueminot and other choice double roses. 
IN CONCLUSION. 
Northern trees are and probably will continue to be largely 
grown in the South, but tender stocks must not be used or 
failure and disappointment will surely result. Old nursery 
agents tell me that it is getting more and more difficult each 
year to sell nursery stock in the Northwest, not because 
people do not want to plant, but because they have spent 
money freely without results. In the South almost any tree 
will live and bear, but not so in the Northwest. It is a vast 
region of abundant fertility and great wealth of natural 
resources, but it has a horticulture peculiar to itself. There 
is nothing in the soil and climate of the Northwest to prevent 
planters from raising an abundance of fruit of certain kinds. 
People want fruit, trees, and flowers, and have plenty of money 
to pay for them if they feel assured they will get something for 
their money besides experience. It will pay those who wish 
to supply this demand to study well the conditions essential 
to the planters’ success, and if they make success possible for 
the ordinary cultivator, they will increase their business a 
hundred fold. People want trees and want them very much, 
but for the demand to increase largely success must be more 
general than it is at present. 
Strawberries and evergreens should not be sold for fall 
delivery nor rose trees for any delivery. The latter may be 
permissible if the purchaser feels sure that he will get his 
money’s worth out of the flowers obtained the first year. He 
certainly will not have any to gather the next year. 
It is probably true that in commercial nursery work substi- 
