THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
C. L. WATROUS. 
The subject of this sketch is of New England stock, the 
first of the name having come from England with Governor 
Winthrop and settled near Boston about 1630. He was born 
in Cortland Co., N. Y., January 13, 1837, on a farm. At age 
17 he began teaching. He worked continuously as teacher 
and student until the breaking out of the civil war. He was 
graduated from Cortland Academy, Homer, N. Y., and from 
the University of Michigan in the scientific course. In Sep¬ 
tember, 1861, he enlisted in the 76th N. Y. V. Infantry, raised 
a company, and was elected captain ; served in that capacity 
till disabled by three bullets, August 29, 1862, in the second 
battle of Bull Run ; was mustered out of service December 29, 
1862, under orders, “ for disability from gunshot wounds re. 
ceived in battle,” and was not fit for further service during the 
war. Graduated from University of Michigan Law School in 
1865, and later in the same year 
settled in Winchester, Va. Was 
there during reconstruction and 
till 1868, serving as prosecuting at¬ 
torney, and as U. S. registering 
officer during the time. 
He gave up practice of law in 
1868 by reason of broken health 
from the wounds and other dis¬ 
abilities contracted in the army. 
Being advised that out-door life 
was a necessity, he settled in 1869 
at Des Moines, la., and has since 
followed horticultural pursuits. 
In 1872, he was elected director 
of the State Horticultural Society 
and has since been an active 
worker, serving many years as 
director, and four years as presi¬ 
dent. 
Captain Watrous has always 
been active in civil affairs, hold¬ 
ing some minor offices and serving 
in the state legislature from 1884 
to 1886 ; has read extensively 
along scientific and historical 
lines, and has a library of several 
hundred volumes of the best 
authors; has been a worker in 
the American Association of Nurserymen from the beginning, 
serving twice as president and for many years, and still as 
president of its protective association ; has contributed freely 
to the horticultural literature of the Northwest, strongly advo¬ 
cating the origination and testing of American fruits instead 
of relying upon foreign ones. 
Having early tested hundreds of Russian fruits and found 
them unreliable, he has for many years protested earnestly 
against their wholesale recommendation, and sale by interested 
parties, spending more time and labor than any other one man 
in putting the facts before the people. The practices so op¬ 
posed are now substantially checked. 
He has been many years a working member of the American 
Bornological Society, and for the last six years first vice-presi¬ 
dent. He was elected president of this society at Columbus, 
September 2, 1897. 
14I 
At the annual conventions of the American Association of 
Nurserymen, Captain Watrous is a welcome and prominent 
worker. His wide experience and executive ability are appre¬ 
ciated, and his advice is invariably sought in all matters of 
importance before the association. He is chairman of the im¬ 
portant committee on insect legislation, which has in charge 
the nurserymen’s bill relating to the shipping regulations for 
nursery stock with reference to San Jose scale. 
WHOLE OR PIECE ROOTS? 
Some time ago the Kansas State Horticultural Society 
passed resolutions against “whole-root apple grafts,” and their 
conclusions appear to be sustained by the state experiment 
station. The controversy which arose several years ago over 
the relative merits of whole roots and piece roots, and long or 
short root pieces, long or short scions, and grafting low or 
high on seedling stock, etc., led 
the experiment station to enter 
upon a series of elaborate experi¬ 
ments, which have been carried 
through the intervening years. 
Judge Wellhouse, president of the 
Kansas State Horticultural So¬ 
ciety, the most extensive indi¬ 
vidual apple grower in the world 
has also experimented for many 
years in the same line, and a re¬ 
cently issued bulletin, gives the 
results reached by him. 
The conclusions arrived at are 
as follows : Whole root grafts pos¬ 
sess no advantage over piece roots. 
On the contrary unless the whole 
root stock is very hardy, sever) 
winter freezes, or drought may 
kill it. Especially is this tru? 
where the graft is set above ground 
on the seedling stock. In the 
colder extreme northwestern states 
the hardiest trees are made by 
grafting a hardy scion eight or ten 
inches long upon a short root 
piece and setting it down to the 
top of the bud. The short root 
piece keeps the hardy scion alive 
until it grows out a good root system of its own, like a cutting, 
and these roots strike deeper than the lateral systems of whole 
roots. Judge Wellhouse finds the two-inch root piece best, 
but at the station pieces five inches long gave slightly better 
results than those half that length. 
The longer the scion, up to two feet, the stronger the growth 
probably because of a larger leaf surface; but the difference is 
not sufficient to cover the extra expense on a large scale. 
Probably eight to twelve inches are best.— Western Fruit 
Grower. 
A special trade catalogue of the Wyomanock Nurseries, William 
H. Harrison & Son’s, Lebanon Springs, N. Y., for 1897-8, lists a large 
variety of ornamental stock, and calls special attention to Lord Pen- 
zances Hybrid Sweet Briars. The Ratbbun blackberry is also a 
specialty. 
C. I.. WATROUS. 
