THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
PROSPECTS IN WISCONSIN. WICHITA NURSERY ASSOCIATION. 
23 
E. C. Alsmeyer, Arlington, Wis., discussed ‘‘Prospects for 
Wisconsin Nurserymen ” at the annual meeting of the Wiscon¬ 
sin Horticultural Society at Madison last month. He said : 
Verily there is a streak of light in the nurseryman’s horizon. Condi¬ 
tions are found in present history similar to those that formerly existed 
and with the better prices for farm products and labor, money more 
plentiful than the year just past, we may safely conclude from the 
laws of cause and effect that similar results will follow. From the 
reports of fellow nurserymen and reports of our agents in different 
parts of the state, we believe that the time is near at hand when we 
will be able to make the genuine good old time deliveries. The past is 
in many respects the mirror of the future. Nursery stock is oftimes 
classed among the luxuries and people will buy only the necessities in 
hard times. Consequently the price of nursery stock w T ent down and 
down till the nurseryman lost money on every tree he sold. This 
caused some of our nurserymen to buy a great deal of their stock from 
southern growers as they could buy cheaper than they could raise it, 
and then trees were sold for what they 
were supposed to be, “home grown. ”As 
George Herbert says “Honor and profit 
do not always lie in the same sack.” 
This has in my opinion been one of the 
main features in the hard times for honest 
nurserymen, as the above mentioned stock 
was in a great many cases not near to the 
standard, the trees being badly bruised 
from handling, repacking and reshipping. 
Exposed to the air and not acclimated to 
our northern winter they were of short life; 
while in many instances they had no life 
left at all when the planter received them. 
This has discouraged the general planter 
and he thinks because in past years when 
he bought eastern-grown trees and they 
lived and did well for him or his neighbor, 
that we in Wisconsin, or in the West, can¬ 
not grow first-class stock and in many 
cases prepare to pay $6 per dozen for 
eastern-grown apple trees in preference to 
$2.50 per dozen for better, home-grown 
trees. 
Now this should not be. As we have 
combinations in almost every line of busi 
ness why not have one in the nursery 
business ? Why not have more unison in 
prices ? A first-class apple tree cannot be 
grown to six or seven feet and then sold 
for less than $3 per dozen or $20 per 
100 and leave any profit. 
I think the sooner we get to this point of unison prices the better 
it will be for us and for the planter, as this will lead to the encourage¬ 
ment of home trade. By so doing we would encourage men to start 
local nurseries all over this country. 
As for Wisconsin nurserymen they will increase and prosper in the 
same proportion as the importation of southern nursery stock is dis¬ 
charged and home nurseries are encouraged. 
Paper Shell Hickory. —A. S. Fuller, in his “ Nut Cul- 
turist,” says that but one paper shell hickory has been 
propagated and disseminated. The original tree is growing 
on the farm of Henry Hales, near Ridgewood, N. J., is 75 
feet in height, and is more than 100 years old. Mr. Fuller 
named the variety Hales’ paper shell. The nuts are nearly 
as large as walnuts. Their surfaces, instead of being in 
ridges, are like English walnuts, and the shells are so thin 
that they may be cracked with one’s teeth. Scions have 
been sent to nurserymen and a Central New York firm, out of 
4,000 scions, produced only eight grafted trees which died. 
The Wichita Nursery Association, Wichita, Kan., has been 
incorporated with a capital stock of $20,000. The directors 
are W. E. Stanley, L. S. Naftzger, Finlay Ross, L. M. Schell. 
A. N. Wallace, Whitney Tucker and W. F. Schell. The 
officers are L. S. Naftzger, president ; Whitney Tucker, vice- 
president ; W. F. Schell, secretary and treasurer. 
Mr. Schell is one of the oldest nurserymen in Kansas. He 
has been in the business for a life time and has had years of 
experience, both in the propagating and selling departments. 
He was born in Geneva, N. Y., and served his apprentice¬ 
ship there. He is a member of the American Association 
of Nurseryman and has a wide acquaintance among 
nurserymen. 
The company already has $2,000 invested in seeds, cuttings 
and grafts which will be planted on its grounds at 1930 
North Emporia avenue. 
WILSON J. PETERS. 
Wilson J. 
Wilson J. Peters was born in 
Adams County, Pennsylvania, Aug. 
9, 1894. Nineteen years later, with 
his father, George Peters, he moved 
to Ohio, and they engaged in the 
nursery business at New Carlisle, 
under the firm name of George Peters 
& Son. About eight years later they 
removed to Troy, Ohio, where they 
continued in business until the 
father’s death in 1883, since which 
time the business has been carried 
on by the two sons, Wilson J. and 
Norris B. Peters, under the name of 
George Peters & Co. 
George Peters & Co., in partner¬ 
ship with J. H. Skinner, also have a 
nursery of some three hundred acres 
at Topeka, Kans., known as the 
Capital Nurseries, Peters & Skinner, 
proprietors. The land devoted to 
the business in Ohio amounts to over 
Peters. u j j 
seven hundred acres. 
Mr. Peters is a member of the American Association of 
Nurserymen and of the executive committee of the American 
Nurserymen’s Protective Association. In both of these or¬ 
ganizations, as among nurserymen generally, Mr. Peters’ opin¬ 
ions on subjects connected with the trade are sought and are 
highly regarded. 
THIS ADVERTISING SELLS STOCK. 
Thomas W. Bowman & Son, Rochester, N. Y., Feb. 12 , 1898 .— 
“We are pleased to tell you that we are receiving inquiries for the 
stock mentioned in our advertisement in this month’s issue of your 
journal, and having closed out some of the varieties will have to ask 
you to cross off the apricots and cherry currants in next’s month’s in¬ 
sertion.” 
Samuel D. Willard, Geneva, N. Y., Jan. 21 , 1898 . —“In the 
hard times we have been having encouragement is very slight to at¬ 
tempt anything in the way of promoting trade interest, but I certainly 
highly appreciate your journal; otherwise I should not hand you this 
advertisement. I want to encourage and aid such a good publication 
as yours.” 
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