THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
A NOTABLE SPEECH 
The death of Mr. Stanley Watson, will recall to the 
many nurserymen who attended the convention held at 
West Baden Springs, Indiana, June 1905, the very cap¬ 
tivating speech which he made at that time. 
The names of several cities had been mentioned as the 
convention city for 1906 when Mr. Watson took the floor 
and extended an invitation to the Association to hold its 
meeting in Dallas, Texas. 
There was little doubt but that few nurserymen present 
would vote to take the Convention so far south-west, but 
after hearing Mr. Watson, the meeting was swept off its 
feet, and a ballot being immediately taken, it was unan¬ 
imously decided to accept the invitation. It was gen¬ 
erally conceded that not another man at the meeting could 
have accomplished this feat. 
Its effectiveness was not in just what he said, or the 
words he used, it was the smooth appealing tone of his 
voice, coupled with that southern drawl and accent that 
touched the hearts of the members. 
MR. WATSOn’s speech 
We are all of us bowed down by a load of gratitude to the 
State of Indiana for the magnificent entertainment it has afforded 
us here, we appreciate what the people of Indiana have done 
for us. Don’t you ever propose to give the people of the South- 
West a chance to even up this debt that you have been piling 
upon them the last thirty years? Don’t you ever propose to 
extend that opportunity to the millions of this American Union 
beyond the Mississippi? According to this Association the 
United States is bounded on the west by the Mississippi River, 
and I am here to call your attention to the fact that beyond that 
river lies an empire, an empire that will welcome you with open 
arms. 
There has been something said about Dallas being hot, and 
there has been something said about Dallas being u long way off. 
We will confess that we have not got the North Pole in Dallas 
County, Texas, but the idea that the desert of Sahara lies in 
Texas is all a mistake, and while it may be a little warmer than 
it is at the North Pole, I do not think that you need to worry 
about suffering from the heat in Texas. Texas in June is one 
of the most pleasant places on the earth. If you come down 
there, we will show you the time of your life. As a matter of 
fact, just before I left home we put a whole lot of old hens into 
training and when you get down there you will find that spring 
chickens are just ripe. 
There has been something said about the eastern Nurseryman 
not going so far and that we will lose all these great men from 
the State of New York, that they won’t go to Texas. But, my 
friends, no matter where you hold this Convention, remember 
that little line from Holy Writ which says, “Where you find the 
worm is, there will you find the hen also,” and these big men are 
hunting for these small nurserymen, and they will go to the Con¬ 
vention if you go to Honolulu. Notice that my friends, they are 
deeply interested in you, it is the small nurserymen upon whom 
they grow rich, they are interested in you just the same as the 
interest which is illustrated by this little story:—One warm af¬ 
ternoon—that is away down the south of Texas where it is 
warm—I will call your attention to that—a gentleman was walk¬ 
ing along the banks of one of our beautiful crystal streams and 
two little nigger boys were fishing on the bank of the stream, 
and the little nigger boys you know get sort of sleepy in the af¬ 
ternoon. One of them dozed off and he slipped down into the 
water, “ker-chunk,” the other one looked around, saw him in the 
water, dived in after him, pulled him out, laid him on the bank 
and this gentleman went up to him, patted him on the back and 
said, “Brave boy, that was a gallant deed, what is he, your 
brother?” “No,” he said, “that nigger ain’t my brother.” “Why,” 
the gentleman said, “was he your friend?” “No, sir, not any par¬ 
ticular friend of mine.” “Well, don’t you love him?” “Of course 
I don’t love that nigger chap.” “Then why did you risk your life 
for his?” “Because that nigger had the bait in his pocket.” 
(Laughter) Just so long as my friend the small nurseryman of 
the west and southwest carries the bait in his pocket, you can 
91 
depend on it that the big fellows are going to come. Besides 
that, have you ever figured on the particular variety of water¬ 
melon you get in Texas in June? Don’t you know that if you 
come down there we will stuff you so full of watermelon that you 
won’t lick dust? 
Now, about this place where we have had so delightful a time, 
I am informed, and I have taken the gentlemen’s word for it, I 
am informed that a certain liquid known as “Water” there are 
thirteen varieties. Now, I say, we cannot offer you that many 
varieties of water in Texas, but I can assure you that if you 
come down there, you won’t dry out. 
Another proposition, of course it is mighty nice and convenient 
also to have this Association right where these big fellows can 
run up in a few hours, but what about these Ittle fellows down 
south that can not go a long ways? What is this Association 
for, any how, if it is not to get bigger and stronger all the time? 
And don’t you know, if you get down to the southwest, that you 
will get a large number of members that cannot go to Indian¬ 
apolis? We have not got as much money as you eastern people 
down there, as a matter of fact, you have been loaning us money 
run up in a few hours, but what about these little fellows down 
to the Convention. Ain’t you ever going to give us a chance to 
square? 
Now, I want you all to vote for Dallas, vote for Dallas, because 
every man, woman and child in the State of Texas wants you to 
come and will welcome you with open arms. 
THE PERUVIAN STRAWBERRY BUSH. 
{Physalts Peruviana) 
S. L. Watkins, Pleasant Valley, California. 
A unique and beautiful fruit, that will succeed over 
a wide area of country. This fruit has been known and 
cultivated in Peru and Chili for over 200 years. At the 
Gape of Good Hope, South Africa, it is widely grown 
and goes under the name of Gape Gooseberry. 
Also in the English settlements of New South Wales it is 
extensively cultivated and well known, and is the chief 
fruit at present that the colonists possess there, and is 
eaten raw, or made into pies, puddings, preserves, etc. 
In Peru and Chili it i's also grown in commercial quan¬ 
tities. 
It is a hard woody shrub, bearing a great profusion of 
golden yellow berries, highly fragrant and having a re¬ 
freshing strawberry like flavor. It is used in Peru and 
Chili the same way as we use strawberries, and for every 
purpose that a strawberry is put to. 
The Peruvian strawberry bush is highly recommended 
as an ornamental plant of great merit. It can be grown 
successfully over a very wide area of the Pacific Coast, 
and in localities where it is frozen down by severe win¬ 
ters it will spring up in the early part of spring and make 
a luxuriant growth and give a large crop of fruit. It is 
a perennial and will grow for many years when once well 
established. I am of the opinion that with some protec¬ 
tion of the roots this plant can be successfully grown 
in all of the colder portions of the United States. The 
young plants should be set about 5 feet apart in the rows 
and the rows made about six feet apart. 
There is no question but that when better known the 
fruit of the Peruvian strawberry bush can be marketed 
to great advantage in all American cities and towns. 
The general yield is about 15,000 quarts per acre with 
fair cultivation. 
