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THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
Ripening of Varieties: —Starting with Carman trees 
were too full and poor color, sold most of the first twelve 
cars for $1-90 to $1.10 per carrier f. o. b. Berlin. Cham¬ 
pion sold in Newark, N. J., for $2.00 to $2.50 per carrier. 
Belle of Georgia and Ray,—picking about same time, 
were placed on Boston market and sold for $3.25 per 
carrier. 
Elberta,-—We left them on trees until they attained a 
large size. We picked eleven cars one week. August 
16 to 26, selling from $3.00 to $3.50 per carrier. In Bos¬ 
ton, four cars were sold f. o. b. Berlin at $2.80 per car¬ 
rier. 
Crawford Late,—were left too thick on trees and by 
adding five pounds of nitrate of soda and the late rain in 
addition to the fertilizer used in early season, the quality 
of the peach was injured and the fruit did not color well, 
showing the excess of Nitrate of Soda, and rain will 
make size to a peach at the expense of flavor and color— 
this variety selling from $1.00 to $2.00 per carrier. In 
our test orchard we had several promising varieties 
fruited and we find by the use of self boiled lime and sul¬ 
phur the list of peaches can cover a long season with 
profit. 
Among the most valuable ones were:— 
Slappey, an early yellow 
Mamie Ross, medium season, red blush, white 
Fox Seedling, white flesh, red blush, late 
Shipley’s Late Red, white flesh, red blush, late. 
The Chinese strains are usually best, but the Smock 
family and Salways do well under good care and spray¬ 
ing, winding up with Hughs I. X. L. the latest of all in 
our test orchard. 
Care was used in caring for the peaches; as fast as 
packed they were hauled to refrigerator car under cover, 
keeping them from the rays of the sun so far as possible. 
Car doors were kept closed, except when loading, men 
working by lantern. 
Labeling Crates: —We used our label on only the se¬ 
lect grades. Soft peaches were sold near home. There is 
one feature which should be encouraged by this society, 
that is, encourage our canning people over the state to use 
all number two’s and soft peaches for pie fruit. One can- 
ner paid 50 cents per bushel for all such peaches in West 
Virginia and it made good for him. We should keep 
the culls off the market. 
Peach growing in Maryland will pay if you are willing 
to work, or teach your boys to work, or see that the other 
fellow works and give it your personal attention, it will 
pay greater and quicker returns than any other 
tree fruit. On the one hundred acres I have described 
in 1913, we sold 60 cars of peaches netting over $25,000. 
In 1914, we shipped 41 cars, netting over $18,000, a total 
of $43,000 net from one hundred acres in two years. 
How It Was Done :—Summing up the situation how 
we grow and marketed our peach crop of 1914—It was 
done by having the right soil, a sandy loam, starting on 
time pruning—the right varieties; thorough cultivation, 
proper feeding, spraying at the right time freely with the 
right materials, proper package, fruit left on tree till 
ripe, carefully packed, full packed, good from top to bot¬ 
tom, only the best of fruit. Placed on a market where a 
high grade of fruit was wanted. 
INCREASING HARDINESS IN PLANTS 
Looking over the writings of a noted horticultural con¬ 
tributor of some fifty years ago, it is evident he had no be¬ 
lief in the changing of the character of a plant in the way 
of making it hardier than it was, holding that in its for¬ 
mation there was something unchangeable in this respect. 
While in a practical way we may agree with this, there 
seems many things pointing to the truth that changes do 
take place, but that the slowness of it is of little use in 
one’s lifetime. There are many trees of the same species 
growing both in our Northern and our Southern States, 
seedlings of which, placed side by side show marked dif¬ 
ferences in hardiness. Many of our Oak trees, native to 
both sections, are examples of this. Young plants from 
far South planted alongside of far Northern ones will be 
injured in Winter, while the native ones will not be 
harmed. This has been proved many times, and with 
many different species. 
Accepting the general opinion as correct that many 
plants have sprung from a common center, there arises 
the thought that climate has made changes in behavior, 
and, in fact, this has been proved to be the case in many 
instances. Plants introduced to a colder climate than 
their own, if they suffer at all, it is in the first two or 
three years, and it is caused by their slowness in ripen¬ 
ing in Autumn. The Northern plants alongside of them 
will have shed their leaves, their wood well ripened, 
while the more Southern ones will still be desirous of 
prolonging ripening as has been their custom. In the 
course of a few years the Southern plants do as their 
Northern companions do, start their ripening earlier, thus 
acquiring more hardiness. 
If we agree that their distribution has been from a 
common center, we may assume there has been a loss on 
one side, the Southern one, and a gain on the Northern. 
It seems fair to assume that plants do push their occupa¬ 
tion further north as well as south, but it is in such a 
slow way it is not observed. That there are many plants 
capable of enduring much more cold than they meet with 
in their wild condition is proved by many of the Pacific 
Coast trees and shrubs, which flourish northward where 
temperatures in Winter are far lower than any they ever 
met before .—Joseph Meehan in the " Florist’s Exchange. 
FIRE AT THE PANHANDLE NURSERIES, 
GREENFIELD, INDIANA 
On February 4th, about 9 o’clock p. m., the packing 
shed 24x54 feet adjoining the main cellar at the Pan¬ 
handle Nurseries, caught fire and burned to 
the ground and destroyed part of the roof of 
the cellar. The fire department did good work and man¬ 
aged to save the cellar excepting part of the roof, but 
most of the stock was rendered unsalable on account of 
the heat and they will not be able to offer it this season. 
However, they have part of their apple, pear, cherry, or¬ 
namental trees, etc., which were in the field and were un¬ 
injured. 
They expect to be able to take care of their customers 
and next fall will have their usual assortment of stock. 
The loss as near as we can estimate it now will be 
about $10,000 partly covered by insurance, 
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