THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
39 
1ln Bursev)? IRows. 
Russian Cherries —M. E. Hinckley, Marcus, la., says ; “ In 
cherries we are at least ten years behind the present status 
of plum culture. Some experimenters claim that the introduc¬ 
tion of the Russian makes an era in cherry culture. Just how 
far north the best of Russians may be grown remains to be 
tested. What we chiefly need is to have some enterprising 
nurseryman in the Northwest propagate a select list of these 
hardy sorts and push them in that section. 
Ben Davis Apple —S. D. Willard, Geneva. N. Y., says: 
“ For the last five years, in the cities of New York and Phila¬ 
delphia, the Ben Davis apple has been selling at from twenty- 
five to fifty cents over the Baldwin. Last fall it sold at fifty 
cents over the Baldwin. It is a better keeper than the Bald¬ 
win, and when the latter has melted down and gone out the 
Ben Davis is in good condition. It is a fine cooking apple, 
and it meets the wants of the people in certain directions.” 
Itasca Plums —Dewain Cook, Superintendent of the Win- 
dom, Minn., Trial Station, reports as follows: “I received 
samples of what promises to be a plum of extraordinary value ; 
they were sent me by the Jewell Nursery Co. They were of 
very large size and of good quality ; what may prove to be of 
great value is its exceeding earliness. Trees sent me last spring 
of this variety, which they call the Itasca, grew vigorously un¬ 
til about July ist and then ceased to grow, resembling in this 
respect the Manitoba plum, thus indicating that its origin was 
in the far north. On account of its good quality, large size, 
earliness and apparent hardiness of tree, I predict for this 
variety a large range of usefulness, not only in good plum grow¬ 
ing sections but in the far north where most other varieties 
would fail.” 
Pear on Quince Stock —At the U. S. Experiment Station 
at Fort Collins, Colo., experiments were recently made in the 
use of quince instead of French pear stock for grafting pears. 
The following varieties were tested : Bessemianka, Buffum, 
Clapp’s Favorite, Edmond’s, Idaho, Kieffer, Lawrence, Le 
Conte, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Mount Vernon and Vicar. 
Some years ago an equal number of scions of each variety was 
grafted on French pear stocks, and on quince stocks, and the 
trees have grown in contiguous rows on low land. None of 
the varieties named have done well on the quince stocks. The 
dwarfing action of the stock seems to have gone beyond the 
limit of healthy growth, and the trees present a stunted and 
sickly appearance. On pear stocks the growth of all varieties 
was good, but Clapp’s Favorite excelled in vigor and appear¬ 
ance. On the western slope in Delta county, quince stock is 
favored and is being planted largely. 
Crimson Rambler —All that has been said of this beautiful 
climber is borne out by inspection of the flowering plants at 
Ellwanger & Barry’s greenhouses. Last month the large pyr¬ 
amidal clusters of deep crimson hue were admired by many 
visitors. The habit of this variety is so different from that of 
any other that it attracts marked attention anywhere, even 
among a large collection of new and striking kinds. The 
blossoms are in clusters of fifty or more and it is easy to 
imagine the brilliant effect of many of these clusters spread 
over a large surface upon a skillfully trained climber. The 
blossoms retain their color and form a long time. Ellwanger 
& Barry have a very large stock of plants of the Crimson 
Rambler in all stages and of thrifty growth. They have also 
plants of Aglaia (Yellow Rambler), Thalia (White Rambler) 
and Euphrosyne (Pink Rambler) and specimens of new French 
roses recently imported. The first Marechal Niel brought to 
this country was brought by Mr. Ellwanger the senior mem¬ 
ber of this firm. That was 35 years ago and ever since that 
time the firm has been making a specialty of roses. 
SPORADIC PLANTERS OF PITS. 
A bill is before the Michigan legislature relating to the pre¬ 
vention of injurious diseases of nursery stock through intro¬ 
duction from other states or countries. Except in one par¬ 
ticular it differs little from enactments answering the same pur¬ 
pose in California, writes Leonard Coates, the well-known 
California nurseryman, in the California Fruit Grower. 
This exception is in sections 5 and 6, whereby it is made 
necessary for nurserymen to obtain a license, and give a $1,000 
bond, in order to do business, which also applies to nursery¬ 
men outside the state. A synopsis of the bill did not show 
how it was proposed to do this, in regard to the latter clause, 
but, broadly, the idea is good. 
If a man is unable to purchase a license, he is pecuniarily 
unfit to be a nurseryman ; if he cannot produce a thousand 
dollar bondsman, he is morally deficient. An individual may 
open a store for groceries, or dry goods, fruit or fish, and 
cannot, by intent or through ignorance deceive or mislead the 
public to any extent. In the nursery business it is different. 
During a period of high prices there always crops up a lot of 
mushroom dealers and propagators, would-be nurserymen, but 
who have had no training as such, and who manage to bud a 
stock of fruit trees which become ready for sale when the mar¬ 
ket begins to fall. The result is, that these trees are sold for 
about what they will fetch, and they have succeeded in injur¬ 
ing those nurserymen who are worthy the name, and who fol¬ 
low the business as a profession. But have they, on the other 
hand, benefited the planter ? In some cases it has undoubtedly 
enabled him to get his trees cheaper, by the trade being obliged, 
to some extent, to meet these hucksters half way. But it is a 
question if the gain be real or permanent. Whatever tends to 
cheapen the market value of goods, does not, necessarily, give 
better value for the dollar. These spasmodic or sporadic 
planters of pits, and budders thereof possess but narrow ex¬ 
perience, and are apt to be enthusiasts and hobbyists, if noth¬ 
ing worse, and will propagate and recommend varieties which 
do well on their particular five acre lot, knowing little and car¬ 
ing less about the very varied conditions and requirements, 
even in a limited area. 
This cheapening of nursery stock cannot but work harm to 
the fruit interests of the state. There may be nurserymen who 
love their profession for its own sake, and artists who paint, 
or sing for art’s sake, but they do not exist in great numbers. 
Without due compensation, or a reasonable percentage of 
profit, there is no encouragement to spend money in the en¬ 
deavor to introduce and originate improved varieties, or to use 
only the best stocks, no matter at what cost, on which to graft 
or bud. For this one reason alone, the proposed duty on im¬ 
ported nursery stock, and the Michigan idea of a nurseryman’s 
license are blessings as much to the planter as to the propagator. 
The skilled horticulturist has done much for mankind, the 
results of his labors being every whit as amazing as improve¬ 
ments in the realm of the mechanical arts and sciences. 
