6 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
PENINSULAR. 
Three States Join in One Society—Van 
Deman Presides —Yellows on 
Nursery Stock—Short Roots. 
The tenth annual meeting of the Peninsular Horticultural 
Society (Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) was held at 
Milford, January 6-8. The society was railed to order by 
President Van Deman, Parksley, Va. Representative Willis 
paid the society the compliment of leaving congress, in session 
at Washington, to deliver the address of welcome. Professor 
James S. Robinson, of the Maryland Agricultural College, 
made the response. 
Piesident Van Deman in his annual address said there was 
an apparent lack of local horticultural societies. In some 
states there were many county and other horticultural soci¬ 
eties. In Ohio as many as 300 persons belonged to a society 
where there was only a fraction of the investment in fruit that 
there is in Delaware. The year i8g6 was one of disaster 
to the fruit and vegetable growers of the peninsula. Crops 
were good but the net profits were almost nothing. Peaches 
were dying from yellows and other diseases. What should 
succeed them ? Success would come to the wise and vigilant. 
The question box started a discussion of the Columbian 
raspberry. A. W. Slaymaker said it was strong growing plant, 
but the berry was in poor demand because of its color. 
“ What new varieties of early pears of recent introduction 
were worthy of culture?” Professor Heiges said that the 
Lawson or Comet was chiefly responsible for the introduction 
of the San Jose scale on the peninsula. This pear was very 
handsome, but its flavor was not first-class. The Manning, 
an old pear, was good. Mr. Harris objected to the Lawson 
as the slowest in growth he ever saw. Charles Wright said 
the tree grew slowly, but he had obtained good crops in three 
years on top-grafted dwarfs. The fruit was of fair quality 
and large as a Bartlett. President Van Deman said that ihe 
Koonce was promising in the West ; was early and handsome. 
“ Do yellows appear on nursery stock ? ” was a question 
asked. 
R. S. Johnson of Stockley said that yellows had not made 
its appearance in his section, and he has never seen a case. 
Charles Barker of Milford raised a laugh by saying he persumed 
that no nurseryman would acknowledge having yellows in his 
trees. W. T. Case of Felton said that it could not be expected 
that a man should hang himself ; but candidly, he had never 
seen a tree with yellows before it had blossomed. 
J. J. Ross of Seaford thought that yellows sometimes existed 
in nurseries. He has seen a tree with yellows that had been 
planted only one year. 
Mr. Slaymaker has seen trees in nursery rows that had 
yellows. Mr. Derby has seen the same trees and he doubted 
that they were so diseased. 
Prof. Powell said that several states had passed laws requir¬ 
ing the examination of nursery stock. Maryland was one. 
Conditions different from the ordinary might give young 
trees the appearance of having yellows when such was really 
not the case. When trees were budded in a dry time, and 
warm rains soon followed, a willowy growth started in the 
young trees near their base ; but this was not an indication of 
yellows, though pronounced such by many persons. In this 
view other members agreed. 
When the question was asked “How short should the roots 
of a tree be pruned when it is set?” the chairman expressed 
the opinion that the discussion might last three days. 
Mr. Derby succeeded with pear trees from which all the 
roots had been cut. Colonel C. J. Monroe said it was now a 
practice in Michigan to reduce the tree to a whip when plant¬ 
ing. Professor White said it was the practice of Mr. Hale 
and others to cut off the roots ; that pears can be grown from 
cuttings. Mr. Case will plant deep ; the more roots the 
better. If it was available to cut off all the roots when plant¬ 
ing, why not dig the tree up every year and so prune it. 
Captain Emory believed in plenty of roots. Mr. Wright said 
that trees without roots would live in a rich, moist soil, closely 
compacted, when they would die under conditions the reverse. 
Professor Heiges has planted chestnut trees both ways. 
Those set by the Stringfellow method (cutting off the roots) 
have died ; the others lived. 
Professor Powell said that trees planted by the Stringfellow 
method often grew onesided. 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OFFICERS. 
Columbus (Ohio). —President, Professor W. R. Lazenby; vice presi¬ 
dent, H. M. Sessions; secretary. Professor J. S. Hine; treasurer, George 
AV. Sinks. 
Illinois. —President, T. E. Goodrich, Cobden; vice president, F. D. 
Voris, Neoga; secretary, H. M. Dunlap, Savoy; treasurer, Arthur 
Bryant, Princeton. 
Nortiieastekn Iowa. —President, Eugene Secor, Forest City; vice 
president, C. F. Gardner; secretary, C. H. True, Edgewood; treasurer, 
G. A. Ivins, Iowa Falls. 
Central Illinois. —President, H. Augustine, Normal; vice presi¬ 
dents, C. G. Winn, Griggsville, and Samuel Black, Clayton ; secretary, 
H. L. Doan, Jacksonville; treasurer, J T. Johnson. 
New Jersey.— President, Dr. J. B. Ward, Lyons Farm, Essex 
county; vice president, I. W. Nicholson, Camden; secretary. Henry I. 
Budd, Mount Holly; treasurer, Charles L. Jones, Newark. 
Missouri. —President, J. C. Evans, North Kansas City; first vice 
president, N. F. Murray, Oregon; second vice president, Samuel Miller, 
Bluffton; secretary, L. A. Goodman, Westport; trea.surer, A. Nelson, 
Lebanon. 
Pennsylvania. —President, S. B. Heiges ; vice-presidents, H. M. 
Engle, Marietta ; H. S. Rupp, Shiremanstown; Gabriel Heister, 
Harrisburg; recording secretary, Cyrus T. Fox, Reading; corres¬ 
ponding secretary, William P. Brinton, Christiana; treasurer, J. 
Hibbard Bartram, Milltown. 
Nebraska.— President, G. A. Marshall, Arlington; first vice presi¬ 
dent, J. H. Hadkinson, Lincoln; second vice president, J. W. Hesser, 
Plattsmouth; secretary, C A. Barnard, Table Rock; treasurer, Peter 
Youngers, Jr , Geneva ; (directors, E. F. Stephens, Crete ; J.W. Steven¬ 
son, North Bend, J. P Dunlap, Dwight. The terms of the new officers 
begin in June. 
Western New York. —President, William C. Barry, Rochester ; 
vice presidents, 8. D. Willard, Geneva; Wing R. Smith, Syracuse ; 
George A. Sweet, Dansville; Claudius L. Hoag, Lockport; secretary 
and treasurer; John Hall, Rochester; executive committee, C. M. 
Hooker, Rochester; C. AY. Stuart, Newark; Nelson Bogue, Batavia; 
E. A. Powell, Syracuse; H. S. AViley, Cayuga. 
THEY LIKE IT. 
Alabama Nursery Co., Huntsville, Ala.— “We enclose money 
order for $1 to pay for your valuable journal. We like it and wish 
you the best success.” 
