THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
*31 
with the most exclusive capitalists and reap the just rewards 
of his honest toil. We are sorry to say, however, that the 
returns from his labor do not seem commensurate with the 
talents and expenditures that he is forced to invest in the 
business. 
SOME OF HIS EXPERIENCES. 
Among the many serious subjects with which the nurs¬ 
eryman is confronted, is the crank who thinks he knows 
something about fruit trees. He puts in a large order, after 
beating the price down to the last notch, and the order is 
carefully filled with the most beautiful trees, straight and 
smooth, all carefully labeled and nicely boxed, the shipment 
is received and opened in due time, and then the trouble 
comes. He finds that the trees are too small, or they are 
crooked, or the roots are badly mutilated, or the freight 
charges are out of all reason, or he doesn’t think they will 
live after being on the road so long; and so he informs the 
patient and long-suffering nurseryman that the goods are at 
his disposal. Murder is against the law in this country,we 
are sorry to say, sometimes, so the question becomes what 
will we do'with the party? 
“There are other problems of various sorts that the nurs¬ 
eryman is called upon to face, which like the celebrated Ban- 
quo’s Ghost refuse to down, and which would floor any but 
the most zealous and earnest of our little band. My paper 
would be too long, were I to try to enumerate them all here, 
and prescribe treatment for any of them. 
THE BRIGHT SIDE. 
“It is a pleasure to know that some of you are amassing 
fortunes in spite of the problems that rise up in front of you, 
and that you are doing something to better the world in a 
material way. And speaking of missionary work, who can 
excel the nurseryman? He has his host of representatives 
on the road from early morn to dewey eve, preaching more 
trees and better ones, causing two trees to grow where only 
one grew before, improving the size of the fruit as well as the 
quality and quantity, beautifying every home as he goes 
along preaching more fruit and better. Who would ask for 
a grander memorial to his handiwork, in this world, than to 
pass away knowing that he had planted stately and fruitful 
trees around a hundred thousand homes. What monument 
could be finer than a million beautiful trees to attest his work 
in this world? It will be a satisfaction to you when you lay 
down your work, to realize that you leave behind you thous¬ 
ands of living monuments in the shape of stately trees that 
are more beautiful than could be carved from the marble of 
our mountains.” 
GEORGIA PEACH ORCHARDS. 
Secretary F. W. Hazlehurst, of the Georgia Fruit Growers’ 
Association, says: 
Large orchards are coming into bearing around Eatonton, Mayfield, 
Sparta and the eastern part of the state. Jones county has recently 
put out large orchards. The section lying petween Macon and Atlanta 
also has some large and fine orchards. North Georgia commences about 
Atlanta, at about Marietta, where big orchards are being planted. 
Further up, it is a sight worth looking at to see the big orchards around 
Plainville, Dalton, Raccoon Mill and Summerville. The North Georgia 
planters will rapidly gain on the South Georgia growers in the next two 
or three years on account of the large number of young orchards already 
planted. 
Hn Common Council. 
Editor National Nurseryman: 
What profession or calling is more systematic than horticulture or 
pomology? This being true, then there should be an established sys¬ 
tem of scoring fruit from a fixed standpoint of perfection of an ideal. 
Every practical fruit grower has an established conception of “ideal” 
fruit throughout the whole catalogue of varieties, and when brought 
in connection with an exhibition of fruit, the keen eye, like a search¬ 
light of the expert scrutinizes the whole display at a glance to sum 
up the “ideal” or the rate of perfection that is present. The score card 
that is best calculated to answer for all fruits, and cover the whole 
United States, at all fairs and fruit shows should be in five considera¬ 
tions of an ideal of 20 points each for the lead. For commercial pur¬ 
poses the score card should be headed with size, condition, quality, 
color and'flavor, 20 points each, a total “ideal” of 100. The standard 
rule at all fairs and fruit shows is to bring each variety in competition 
with that special variety: Ben Davis against Ben Davis, Baldwin 
against Baldwin, Concord Grape against Concord, Elberta Peach 
against Elberta Peach, and so on through the entire catalogue. 
If the score card was made to select the “ideal” variety out of the 
whole catalogue, then all the points of the growth, development, 
productiveness, hardiness, life and duration of the tree or plant, with 
size, condition, quality, color and flavor of the Apple, Peach, Plum, 
Pear, Grape, or any other fruit, should be the chief consideration. 
But such are not the points of consideration at the fruit shows, for if 
size were the highest score, then the competition would rest between 
the Gloria Mundi and the W r olf River in the Apple, and so on through 
all the consideration of the ideal. 
If the varieties were shown for what they actually are, in growth, 
development, health, life, duration, hardiness, etc., the consideration 
would have to be brought into the score card of all the old well-known, 
the same as of the new and unknown varieties. 
The purpose and intent of fruit shows, as is the case in all shows of 
farm products, is to stimulate the evolution of the industry in the 
well established varieties. Plant breeding, or thorough plant breeding, 
would necessarily come under the observation of the specialist. These 
five considerations cover every feature of the ideal from every stand¬ 
point, either domestic, commercial or for transportation purposes. 
Size covers the ideal of each variety or kind, uniformity of the ideal 
in size. Condition covers the ideal, Summer, Fall and W inter, in con¬ 
dition at the time of the show, and disease is the opposite to an ideal; 
quality covers the ideal of each variety and not a select sample from 
the whole; color of an ideal does not imply that all Apples shall be red, 
or all grapes black, but covers the ideal color at the time of the show, 
for Summer, Fall and Winter varieties. Flavor, if judged from a 
standpoint of the ideal in full maturity, would cut out all immature 
specimens at the time of the show, hence it would be folly to enter 
late Fall or Winter varieties in September or October shows. Each 
of these considerations are essential and of equal value in the ideal 
specimen, and any additions to these considerations of the ideal would 
serve to confuse other than establish a better consideration. 
Des Moines, la. S. H. Linton. 
STARK BROS.’ PORTLAND PLANT. 
t 
The Portland, N. Y., plant of Stark Bros. Nursery' and Or¬ 
chard Company is in charge of J. L. Ince, of 15 jear.-' experi¬ 
ence in Stark Bros. Nurseries. He had 45 men in his employ 
this Fall. T. G. Stark, of Louisiana. Mo., is in charge of the 
newlv finished office. This storage cellar is 50xS0 feet and 
there are besides grading and packing rooms. One hundred 
acres of land have been planted to grape cuttings; also a 
large quantity of fruit and ornamental stock. The firm is 
giving special attention to the Hicks, a new black grape larger 
and earlier than the ( oncord. 
