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THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
1 he National N urseryman. 
C. L. YATES, Proprietor. RALPH T. OLCOTT, Editor. 
PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY 
The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., 
305 Cox Building, Rochester, N. Y. 
The only trade journal issued for Growers and Dealers in Nursery Stock of 
all kinds It circulates throughout the United States and Canada. 
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSERYMEN. 
SUBSCRIPTION RATES. 
One year, in advance, _____ $1.00 
Six Months, ______ .75 
Foreign Subscriptions, in advance, - - - 1.50 
Six Months, “ “ - - - 1.00 
Advertising rates will be sent upon application. Advertisements 
should reach this office by the 20th of the month previous to the date 
of issue. 
Payment in advance required for foreign advertisements. 
([^“Drafts on New York or postal orders, instead of checks, are 
requested. 
Correspondence from all points and articles of interest to nursery¬ 
men and horticulturists are cordially solicited. 
AHER1CAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSERYMEN. 
President, Irving Rouse, Rochester, N. Y. ; vice-president, E. Albert¬ 
son, Bridgeport, Ind. ; secretary-treasurer, George C. Seager, 
Rochester, N. Y. 
Executive Committee—C. L. Watrous, Des Moines, la.; R. C. Berckmans, 
Augusta, Ga.; F. H. Stannard, Ottawa, Kan. 
Committee on Transportation—N. H. Albaugh, Tadmor, O.; Irving Rouse, 
Rochester, N. Y.; A. L. Brooke. North Topeka, Kan.; Silas Wilson, Atlantic, 
la.; N. W. Hale, Knoxville, Tenn. 
Committee on Tariff—W. C. Barry, Rochester, N. Y.; J. J. Harrisoh, Paines- 
ville, O. 
Committee on Legislation—C. L. Watrous, Des Moines, la.; N. H. Albaugh 
Tadmor, O,; Silas Wilson, Atlantic, la.; Irving Rouse, Rochester, N. Y. 
Annual convention for 1898 —At Omaha, Neb., June 8, 9 . 
Entered in the Post Office at Rochester, as second-class matter. 
Rochester, N. Y., June, 1898. 
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. 
The twenty-third annual convention of the American Asso¬ 
ciation of Nurserymen will be held at the Millard hotel, 
Omaha, June 8 and 9. The combined attraction of the con¬ 
vention and the exposition should make the trip especially 
interesting. Following is the programme so far as prepared : 
Irving Rouse, of Rochester, N. Y., President’s address ; 
Professor S. M. Emery, of the Montana Experiment Station, 
Bozeman, Mont., “Fruit Prospects in Montana;” Professor F. 
W. Taylor, of Lincoln, Neb., “ Relation of Agriculture to the 
Exposition Hon. C. L. Watrous, of Des Moines, la., “ A 
Little Matter of Business Hon. N. H. Albaugh, Tadmor, 
Ohio, “ Is the Insect Agitation of the Day a Good or Bad 
Thing for the Nurseryman.” 
The annual gatherings of the members of the association 
become more enjoyable each year as the bonds of acquaint¬ 
ance strengthen. It is the one time in the year when the 
nurserymen can get together and discuss trade topics and 
enjoy an outing at the same time. At other seasons they 
depend upon their trade journal for the information of interest 
to the trade and as a medium for the exchange of ideas. The 
members are urged to use the journal freely for this purpose. 
As the official journal of the Association it is ready at all 
times to advance the interests of the members collectively and 
individually. 
The National Nurseryman, as usual, will be fully repre¬ 
sented at the convention and will endeavor to reflect the 
sentiment of the members. 
IMPROVEMENT OF TYPES. 
Contrary to the opinion of many writers, Professor L. H. 
Bailey, of Cornell University, believes that the introduction of 
new types of fruits, while important, is less so than the im¬ 
provement of types already introduced, and that with the 
introduced types the most promising results are to be looked 
for through the further improvement of the forms already 
highly improved rather than through work with the original 
wild stock. Plant breeders should work along the line of 
natural evolution rather than against it, endeavoring to in¬ 
tensify the desirable characters which already existed in the 
wild sorts. 
It is thought there are needed more special purpose varie¬ 
ties of all fruits, more widely unlike varieties and more minor 
strains of the most popular ones. The native grapes in the 
estimation of Professor Bailey, need first attention, the native 
plums next, then the native raspberries and blackberries, and 
next the amalgamation of western crab apples with domestic 
apples, etc. 
In this connection we present in this issue the views of an 
English promologist on the subject of improvement in apples 
and pears. 
THE GHENT QUINQUENNIAL. 
Once in five years the most prominent horticulturists of 
Europe gather at a great exhibition of flowers and trees and 
plants at the great horticultural center of the old world, Ghent, 
Belgium. Such a gathering has just been held. It was marked 
by a large and representative attendance and exhibits which 
outranked anything of the kind in previous years. The event 
is of world-wide interest. For nearly a century, since 1809, 
these exhibitions have been red letter occasions from which 
the most important events and discoveries in plant circles have 
been dated. 
The exhibitions were instituted by the Soci6te Royale 
d’Agriculture et de Botanique de Gand. The president of this 
society is Comte de Kerchove, a leading propagator of azaleas 
and other plants for which Belgium is noted. Connected with 
the exhibit were several elaborate social functions at some of 
which the king and queen of the Belgians and suite were 
present. King Leopold is the foremost amateur flower grower 
of the kingdom. 
The exhibits were in every way representative of the remark¬ 
able progress in horticulture during the five years since the 
last exhibition. Indian and Ghent azaleas in immense num¬ 
bers, magnificent condition and wealth of color were shown. 
The most important collection from a spectacular point of 
view was that of Ghellinck de Walle, of Ghent. The thirty 
