THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
7 
San Jose scale. Professor Alwood replied that unless funds 
were provided by the state or by the counties, no adequate 
efforts could be made. Professor Alwood stated that the scale 
insect had steadily spread in the orchards and gardens of the 
state, and that there has never been sufficient money available 
to pay the expense of following the work and enforcing treat¬ 
ment of cases on private premises. Thus, while the nursery 
inspection had been quite fully enforced and the restrictions 
placed on shipping infested stock into the state carried into 
effect, the spread of the trouble from infection already estab¬ 
lished was progressing in a sure and dangerous manner. 
The fact came out in the discussion that the state entomolo¬ 
gist had never been paid any salary for the duties performed 
in relation to this work, and that the crop pest commission 
had even been obliged to borrow $ 1,500 to carry on the 
necessary public work the past year, as through a technicality 
part of the regular appropriation had been withheld.- 
A resolution was passed recommending a graduated license 
tax on nurseries to pay for nursery inspection. 
THE BEN DAVIS SITUATION. 
We published recently the statement by P. M. Kiely, 
St. Louis, regard J istTcs f hi'oaPe r b.Tiavis apple. That statement 
has been widelyjp, and an editorial arp*h e re have been some 
opposing replies. Mr. Kiely says in Colman’s Rural World of 
Dec. 10 th : 
“ The publication in your journal a few weeks ago of my 
letter on the Ben Davis apple has brought to the front a num¬ 
ber of defenders of old Ben. Strangely enough the parties 
coming to the rescue of this declining apple are those having 
large Ben Davis orchards—many of them planted years ago 
.when this variety had more claims to recognition than it has 
now, or ever will have again. It is natural for a man to set a 
high valuation on his property and of course such people 
frown at any statement that reflects on their judgment or 
orchards. An apple dealer in Kansas City who is loaded to 
the guards with Ben Davis makes a hard fight for it in a com¬ 
munication to several trade journals patronized by dealers. 
The gentleman declares he has letters from many states 
calling for Ben Davis but he neglected to add that it was use¬ 
less for them to ask for any other variety and that they were 
looking for the low figures likely to arise where the Ben Davis 
were so plenty and all other varieties so exceedingly scarce. 
“At the late meeting in this city of the National Apple 
Growers’ Association I met a large number of men whose 
orchards unfortunately were composed largely of Ben Davis. 
Most of them admitted to me that if they were planting again 
they would raise more varieties that would be acceptable in 
every market and worthy of the patronage of all—something 
that would command good prices regardless of how low Ben 
Davis figures were. Other growers thought I wanted 
them to root out all their Ben Davis orchards—an idea I 
never entertained. A number of these gentlemen submitted 
what they regarded a knock out argument in “ What will you 
give us instead—what will take its place ? ” Now there is no 
necessity for seeking or presenting any one .variety but as I 
stated in my former article several and not one variety should 
take its place. W. T. Flourney of Marionville, Mo., one of 
the most successful fruit growers in the state and who owned 
too many Ben Davis trees to condemn them acknowledged 
that the article would do much good as it would set the 
people to thinking and would doubtless change many existing 
ideas and was especially valuable to those contemplating 
setting out new orchards. In fact nearly all submitted there 
was enough already planted and it was time to call a halt on 
the Ben Davis, because if another tree was not planted in 
the next twenty years, the Western markets will remain 
deluged with it during all that time because hundreds—I 
might say thousands of orchards are composed mainly of 
young Ben Davis trees.” 
BUILDING PACKING HOUSES. 
Foster & Griffith, Fredonia, N. Y., have constructed a cellar 
32 x 52 feet. 
Albertson & Hobbs, Bridgeport, Ind., found that their pack¬ 
ing and storage house added greatly to their facilities during 
the fall season. 
George A. Sweet, Dansville, N. Y., is building a storage 
plant on his grounds. It will be constructed after the most 
approved plans. 
W. C. Reed, Vincennes, Ind., has bought the Monical Farm 
two miles east of the city; price, $ 10 , 400 . This adjoins 
eighty acres upon which he has been growing stock for the 
last three years, and is two miles nearer town than his home 
place. He expects to build a large storage cellar and packing 
house on the new farm in the spring and will move his office 
and packing grounds there for the coming season. Being located 
on the main line of the B. & O. S. W. R. R., and on good 
gravel road and within one and a half miles of the street car 
terminus, he will be in much better shape to handle his fast 
growing business. 
Reports from Penn Yan and Ha.nmondsport, N. Y., state 
that the grape crop of the past season is much smaller than 
usual, shipments up to December being but one-half of the 
number last year at that time. Lack of sunshine made the 
sugar test low, and dry rot was excessive. 
It is reported that the Boston & Maine Railroad Company 
is replacing flower beds at its stations with shrubbery, on the 
ground that the shrubs require less care, are more permanent, 
and give a longer, pleasing effect. This change would throw 
the business of supplying the nursery stock more directly into 
the hands of the nurseryman. And the plan might be extended 
to other railroads. 
Professor L. H. Bailey is wanted at the head of the New 
York College of Agriculture, when Prof. I. P. Roberts retires. 
We are for Professor Bailey for any position that requires an 
able organizer, a thorough student, and a clear-headed thinker 
and man of action. We have long appreciated his work for 
horticulture, and we would not like to vote for a limitation of 
his valuable services to agriculture. He is not seeking the 
position above named ; it is clearly a case of the office seeking 
the man, and whether he will feel that he can devote the time 
necessary for that position remains to be seen. 
The Texas Nursery Company, at McKinney, Tex., established by 
E. W. Kirkpatrick in 1874, consists of 100 acres, employs 20 agents and 
ships 8,000 packages each season. E. W. Kirkpatrick is president; 
Robert Cruse, vice-president ; C. C. Mayhew, secretary and treasurer.' 
The capital stock of the company is $40,000. The officers with A. B. 
Mayhew and W. P. Head are the directors. 
