THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
211 
EXTENDING THE PLANTING SEASON. 
NOTES ON JAPANESE MAPLES 
The nurseryman’s harvest time is so short that any 
method or means of prolonging it is worthy of consider¬ 
ation and of great benefit. Broadly speaking it extends 
from October, or as soon as the wood ripens up in the 
fall, until the leaves come out in the spring. Of course, 
in many localities during the major portion of this time 
the ground is frost bound, which prohibits digging and 
planting, so that the time is really very limited when the 
nurseryman can dispose of his plants. 
In the south the season of course is much longer and 
planting is carried on all through the winter, but in more 
northern latitudes between the early fall and short spring 
the planting season is extremely short and the nursery¬ 
man is often taxed to the utmost to fill his orders in the 
limited time allowed him. 
Among the fruit tree growers, refrigeration or keep¬ 
ing the stock dormant is perhaps one of the best means 
of prolonging the shipping season, the early orders being 
shipped south and to more northern points just as soon 
as the frost leaves the ground. Then, according to the 
location of the nurseryman, of course, it is very desir¬ 
able to keep the stock dormant so that it can be sent to 
more northern points. 
, The short planting season is perhaps the most serious 
with the ornamental growers, who are unable to dig and 
store their stock in the same degree as are the fruit tree 
men, especially those that do a retail business and have 
to ship freshly dug plants. 
One means of extending the season would be to begin 
to dig early in the fall. Fall planting has not received 
the attention it should. Just as soon as the wood ripens, 
before the leaves begin to fall, is really a very good time 
for many kinds of plants. If transplanted at that time 
they have an opportunity to become established before 
the cold weather sets in and are in a position to take full 
advantage of the early spring growing weather the fol¬ 
lowing year. Every means should be used to encourage 
customers to commence planting early. Catalogues 
should be published sooner and business started well in 
advance of the fall of leaf. 
Then again better methods of digging and packing 
make it possible to move many plants at seasons when 
otherwise it would be fatal to them to dig, shake all the 
soil off the roots and leave them exposed as it is possible 
to do later in the season. Of course, such methods of 
handling are more expensive and the nurseryman must 
necessarily ask more for his stock than he would when 
it can be handled much cheaper at other periods. 
Then again there are a large number of plants that can 
be carried in pots or tubs which will greatly extend the 
planting season in late spring, in fact, well on into the 
summer. Chief among these may be mentioned such 
plants as vines and roses, which are really better handled 
in this manner, as they give more satisfaction to the cus¬ 
tomers. There are few customers that would not prefer 
to pay more if they were assured of a stronger plant from 
which all danger of loss in transplanting was removed, as 
is usually the case with plants grown in pots or tubs. 
There is quality, richness, and class in the Japanese 
Maples, and undoubtedly a big market for them, when 
they become better known, both by tin' nurseryman and 
planter. 
There are really two groups of them i. e. varieties of 
Acer Japonicum and varieties of Acer palmatum or poly¬ 
morphum. The nurseryman, however, is not so much 
concerned about their classification as their growth. 
Broadly speaking, varieties of tin' latter arc much more 
free growing, and attain much larger proportions than 
varieties of Acer Japonicum. 
The one that is best known, and most popular is the 
Blood Leaf Japanese Maple, Acer polymorphum atropur- 
pureum, chiefly on account of its color; but in addition to 
this there are many beautiful varieties, equally deserving 
of attention. It is easy to learn the different varieties and 
their habits of growth, but to be really successful with 
them on the nursery, one must become very intimate with 
their nature. The one curious fact about them is. they 
make their growth for the entire season in about 10 days 
or two weeks in April, or early May. There is prac¬ 
tically little or no growth after that during the entire 
summer. If the foliage becomes marred through late 
planting, or other cause it remains so all summer. 
Foliage that is produced so quickly is necesarily very 
tender, a cold night, or a shower of rain, followed by a 
hot sun, will occasionally spoil it before it is hardened. 
A vigorous Blood leaf Japanese Maple will make as 
much as eighteen inches of growth in its short grow ing 
season. Another peculiar feature is, the sap seems to be 
active all the winter as they bleed very freely if pruned 
at that period. This would suggest that summer is per¬ 
haps a better time to do necessary pruning. 
The Blood leaf propagates very readily by layering, 
but other varieties should be inarched or bottle grafted 
on Acer polymorphum stock. 
The common stock. Acer polymorphum is really a 
beautiful tree, or perhaps it would be better to class il 
among the shrubs, although they are minature trees in 
every sense of the word. It is not uncommon to see 
specimens 20 feet high, or more. 
The finely cut forms such as A. p. dissectum do not 
get so large; the branches have a dow nward tendency so 
that a w ell developed specimen is as broad as high. 
The variegated forms such as A. p. reticulatum and 
rosea marginatum are not very satisfactory the coloring 
of the foliage very soon fades out under the hot summer 
sun, although they are very beautiful when they first 
come out in leaf. 
The variety Acer Japonicum aureum has a beautiful 
fan shaped golden leaf, but unfortunately it is a very 
poor, short, stubby grower, good specimens are rarely 
seen, but well worth striving for. 
There are several varieties w ith green foliage that are 
often ignored on this account but are wonderfully beau¬ 
tiful when w r ell grown. Chief among them is Acer 
Japonicum aconitifolium. The unusual shape of the 
leaf, combined with its lovely fall coloring, make it 
worthy of more attention. 
The Japanese maples are among the higher priced 
plants, should be handled accordingly. Dig with ball 
and burlap and transplant in early fall and early spring. 
