100 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
got a full crop all over the state oftener than once in five years. 
For the intervening four years we usually have a part of a 
crop which generally brings a good price, thus making up a 
satisfactory profit to the growers. 
The Elberta has been planted almost exclusively in the past, 
but orchardists are beginning to realize that the market 
calls for something earlier and also for something later 
than Elberta. Right here is the nurseryman’s oppor¬ 
tunity and the man who will introduce an earlier or a later 
variety that will equal Elberta as a market peach, can move 
up on “ Easy Street” at once. A number of new varieties have 
been offered in recent years that gave much promise but none 
has come quite up to the mark as yet, so this rare and 
golden opportunity is still open to all enterprising nurserymen. 
We have a number of nurseries in the state which have a 
large and growing trade in general stock handled either 
through agents or by catalogue and this class of busi¬ 
ness seems to be generally in a prosperous and progressive 
condition. They are covering the field pretty closely and 
together with similar firms in other southern states are car¬ 
ing for the general trade in a satisfactory manner. There 
is no boom work in this class of the business. It is holding 
its own and making some progress. Our soils and climate 
are well suited for growing a general line of stock. Our 
nurserymen grow apple, pear, peach, plum, grape and other 
stock to great perfection. Peaches are of course our main 
line, though other stock grows equally well with us. Our 
long growing season, mild winters and cheap labor, stand 
greatly in the nurseryman’s favor here in the south. 
In ornamental and greenhouse stock but little has been 
done in this 'state. The nurserymen have confined their 
work mainly to the tree business. Only one firm in the state 
devotes any considerable attention to this department. 
There is a growing demand for this class of stock in the south, 
in the recent years of increased prosperity and the outlook 
for business in that line is good. 
NUT TREES. 
One branch of the business that is showing some special 
development just at this time in the pecan business. We have 
a few firms who are growing them exclusively in the southern 
part of the state and all our larger nurseries are increasing 
their plantings to meet the growing demand. 
As regards the nature of the business done by our Georgia 
nurseries — it is mostly retail, or direct to the planter, 
either through salesmen, or catalogue. A number of our 
larger firms do some wholesaling, but it is mainly in the way 
of clearing surplus stocks, and we have nothing that could be 
classed strictly as a wholesale business. 
THE OUTLOOK. 
As regards the future outlook of the business, in a general 
way, I would consider it good. Some branches of the work 
may require some further adjustment to business and orchard 
conditions, but so long as this period of general prosperity 
lasts we may safely count on a reasonably prosperous time 
for the grower of nursery stock. Our best posted growers 
realize the importance of not booming the buiness, as a boom 
period in any line is almost sure to be followed by a period 
of depression, and any nurseryman of ten years’ experience 
can tell you something about*over production, low prices and 
little profits. Georgia nurserymen don’t want a reproduction 
of the three-cent pear and cherry trees of ten years ago. 
LEGISLATION. 
Our state was one of the first to adopt strong laws for the 
protection of the nurserymen and fruitgrowers from the spread 
of insects and diseases. We were fortunate in securing a 
thoroughly earnest and capable entomologist who very wisely 
and judiciously enforced the laws. To some, these laws 
may have appeared too drastic but they have served well 
the purpose for which they were enacted and have been a 
great help to our nursery interests. By a recent change in 
the office of state entomologist we are given a new man whom 
we have reason to believe will continue to give us the same 
effective and considerate enforcement of our state laAvs as 
we were given by former entomologist Mr. Scott. 
These is a vast field of usefulness open to the nurserymen 
of the south as well as the north. As you know, it is diffi¬ 
cult to find a real first-class well-cared-for orchard of selected 
varieties of fruit. We find fruit trees of some sort at almost 
ever\ r home where, there are a few feet of ground unoccupied 
by buildings, but in almost every case these trees are of 
poorly selected varieties gathered up from add sources, per¬ 
haps the principal recommendation being that they were 
cheap, or cost nothing. There is an immense work laid out 
here for the nurser} r man both south and north, to introduce 
better methods and better trees and bring about an improve¬ 
ment in the orchards that surround the homes of our people. 
There is a broad field for advancement along this line and the 
nurseryman is the man to push it. 
FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS. 
Are we prosperous? That is hard to say in a general way. 
One of our southern delegations is slated to ornament the 
next United States Congress while others are accepting vari¬ 
ous positions of honor and trust. Most of us are getting 
along reasonably well. We have a good field for our work 
here in the south. With cheap labor and cheap lands, we 
are enabled to produce nursery stock at low prices. Our 
people are in need of better orchards and we are doing all we 
can to help them along in that line. 
I have always considered the nurseryman an underpaid 
public servant. When you think of the many high qualifi¬ 
cations that are necessary in a first-class nurseryman, you 
will find that he is competent to fill any position from the 
highest to the most lowly; any place, from governor of the 
state to day laborer or from commander of an army down 
to private in the ranks. To manage the nursery business 
successfully, some of the many things that are required in 
the way of capital and capability, are energy, industry 
cash, clear giit and business acumen. Then amongst many 
other things it is necessary that he be a lawyer, business 
manager, farmer, botanist, entomologist, chemist and in fact 
must be the master of more lines of learning than are required 
in any other business or profession. He must be a strictly 
first-class all around combination man, capable of surmount¬ 
ing any obstacle that may arise and competent to command 
and successfully carry out his plans against any combination 
of disadvantages. To be a successful nurseryman, he must 
be all that and a great deal more. All this being true,,,I hold 
