THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
53 
IIS THE EAST. 
Some Damage to Nursery Stock By Cold Weather—Heavy Sales 
at Geneva Notwithstanding—Late Spring In New York 
State Retarded Shipping—At Rochester. 
Geneva, N. Y., April 20.—Nurserymen at this point report 
that peaches, sweet cherries and European plums are dam¬ 
aged by the weather about 50 per cent.; there has also been 
considerable damage by field mice. It is estimated that 
the Geneva nurseries will ship this year about 4,500,000 
trees representing an aggregate of nearly half a million dollars 
in business. 
Rochester, N. Y., April 9.—Brown Brothers Co.: “Trade 
has been quite satisfactory with us, although we have not 
sold as much as we would have done had the winter been less 
severe. We expect to make our usual plantings this spring, 
and feel that the future looks bright.” 
Rochester, N. Y., April 14.—H. S. Taylor 
&Co.: “Owing to the weather conditions 
during the past season, we have felt the 
effect in our retail trade; on account of the 
severe weather it has been impossible for our 
salesmen to get about, and in consequence, 
sales have shown a decided falling off. 
“As regards the wholesale trade, it looks 
as if there was going to be a pretty good 
clean up in most every line of stock this 
spring. The prospects for the coming season, 
we think, were never better, and we are 
planning to plant out a large amount of a 
general line of fruit and ornamentals. 
“On the whole, we have been fairly well 
pleased with the past season’s business, 
and look for much better business during 
the coming summer.” 
Rochester, N. Y., April 19.—John Charl¬ 
ton & Sons: “Owing to the severe winter, 
we did not anticipate as large a business 
as usual this spring. It has, however, 
expectations, and the result is a very good business has 
been done. We think, so far, that the spring’s sales, will 
rank with the average spring sales of the past few years. 
“There has been, however, more surplus stock offered this 
spring than usual; which it seems is being worked off quite 
satisfactorily. Prices have been well maintained, and we 
think that the trade in all its branches has been remunerative. 
This spring’s weather has been very disagreeable, and un¬ 
favorable for early packing, with frost and snow up to this 
19th day of April 1904.” 
Dansville, N. Y., April 20.—James M. Kennedy: “At 
the present time nurserymen are busy digging and shipping, 
all of the wholesale orders have been shipped, and our retail 
packers are doing more than their usual business. Prices 
have ruled high and the nurserymen have had a prosperous 
year. Plantings will be about the same as they have been 
for the past three years. Some stock has already been 
planted, but a greater portion is still in the cellar owing to 
the lateness of the season. We have had a long, severe 
winter, and early in the season it was thought a great deal 
of damage had been done by the extreme cold, but now that 
the frost is out of the ground and a more thorough and com¬ 
plete examination is possible we find the damage so much 
lighter than was anticipated that we can congratulate our¬ 
selves. 
“ It is generally understood that collections have been 
above the average and the nurserymen in Dansville will have 
about the same amount of stock to offer this season as usual. 
“Never in the history of the trade was their so little sur¬ 
plus as Dansville had to offer this spring. A greater portion 
of the stock was shipped last fall and the bulk of the stock 
that was carried over for spring trade was in the storage 
which has enabled the shippers to get their stock to their 
customers on time and in good condition.” 
PIONEER NURSERIES COMPANY. 
John Watson 
Salt Lake City, Utah. 
exceeded our 
The Pioneer Nurseries Company, Salt Lake City, Utah., is 
one of the oldest and best known of the 
western nursery concerns. It was estab¬ 
lished in 1850 and incorporated in 1893. 
Its directors are: Sidney Tuttle, George J. 
Foster, W. E. Rossney, M. E. Callahan, 
and John Watson. The accompanying 
photo-engraving is that of the secretary of 
the company, John Watson, who was born 
fj^ at Brenham, Tex., 33 years ago. His father, 
William Watson, established the Rosedale 
Nurseries in Texas in 1859. John Watson 
was thus raised in the nursery business, 
becoming thoroughly familiar with its de¬ 
tails, outside and inside. He was educated 
in the local public schools and graduated 
from the University of Texas in 1891; he 
studied law, but the force of heredity and 
environment was too strong to overcome, so 
he became associated with his father in 
the nursery business. After the death of 
the father, the business was continued by 
the brother of John Watson and the latter branched out 
for himself. He was associated with the Phoenix Nursery 
Company, at Bloomington, Ill., as a member of their office 
staff. Then he decided to take the advice of the late Horace 
Greeley and go west, two years ago. 
Mr. Watson is now a director and secretary of the Pioneer 
Nursery Company, which has 200 acres devoted to nursery 
purposes, growing largely for the wholesale trade, a con¬ 
siderable portion of the output going to eastern firms. They 
grow pears equal to Western New Tork, better apples than 
Kansas, and seedlings up to those of Topeka. They are 
also fruit growers, having quite a fruit farm at Provo, forty 
miles south of Salt Lake City. 
Secretary Watson has interests in Texas which is his home, 
although he spends but a portion of each year there. Be¬ 
sides his nursery interests he is a director in the King Standard 
Oil company, a half-million dollar corporation owning 8,000 
acres of land in the Farmington oil fields in Utah. He is a 
member of the various trade organizations, and is vice- 
president for Utah of the American Association of Nurserymen. 
