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THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
WHAT EXPERIMENT STATIONS ARE DOING. 
Michigan: special bulletin 27 brings report of South Haven- 
sub-station for 1903. This contains a report of the behavior 
of a large collection of fruits. The descriptive notes are not 
technical but general. A particularly full list of plums is 
included. Peaches are also described in large variety, as are 
pears and apples. Experiments with cover crops and with 
dust sprays are reported. The dry or dust fungicides proved 
inferior to liquid bordeaux in controlling apple scab though 
quite efficient as an insecticide. 
Michigan Experiment Station Bulletins 213, 214, are a 
review of the year’s experience in growing a large number 
of strawberries and bush fruits. This station is one of the 
few offering an annual review of the leading standard and 
new varieties of fruits. 
Ohio Experiment Station Bulletin 148. Devoted to a 
study of fungous diseases with special reference to peach 
leaf curl and apple scab. The bulletin chronicles the efficiency 
of lime-sulphur-salt spray, soda-lime-sulphur and soda-lime- 
sulphur-vitriol sprays in preventing leaf curl, nevertheless 
bordeaux mixture is preferred and is also recommended as 
the surest specific against apple scab. 
Keeping Qualities of Apples: New York Experiment 
Station, Geneva Bulletin 248. The title of this publica¬ 
tion is New York Apples in' Storage. It treats of differ¬ 
ent varieties of apples in relation to their natural season 
of ripening and keeping and their adaptability for storage. 
The information in relation was gained by tests made at 
the station by interviewing men in the business and 
by tests made with the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 
The part of greatest interest is that relating to the common 
storage of apples. Among the best keepers were Red Canada, 
Green Newtown, Winesap, Ben. Davis, Lawver, Cooper Mar¬ 
ket, York Imperial, Rome, Ontario, Roxbury, Salome, Sutton, 
Spy and Tompkins King. These are given in order of keeping. 
They all kept till the first half of March while Newtown and 
Red Canada were in fine condition the first half of June. 
The Bulletin contains a large amount of useful information 
and should be in the hands of all fruit dealers. 
Minnesota: Experiment Station, Bulletin 84. That the 
State of Minnesota was thoroughly provided with a complete 
assortment of “Injurious Insects” in 1903 is proved by the 
bulletin of 184 pages, illustrated, which the Division of Ento¬ 
mology felt called upon to publish in order to cover the “bug” 
record of the year. At all events, nurserymen and others in 
the state have in this publication a useful insect manual and 
a spray calendar combined. 
Bureau of Plant Industry, Division of Pomology, Bulletin 
61 . The Avocado in Florida. Pomologist Brackett says in 
his preface: “The Avocado is one of the most recent fruits 
to secure intelligent and systematic treatment from American 
fruit growers.” Until very recently the principal supply for 
these markets has come from the West Indies, chiefly because 
of cheaper transportation from these islands than from Florida. 
The recent extension of railroad facilities to far southern 
Florida has made possible the safe shipment of this fruit from 
that section to practically all parts of the country and interest 
in its commercial culture has largely increased. 
Another difficulty in the way of the dissemination of the 
Alligator pear has been the fact that methods of propagating 
it were not well understood. It has been recently determined 
that seedlings do not come true and that it can be propagated 
by the common shield method of budding, when the operation 
is performed before the first flush of growth in spring. Most 
people have to acquire a taste for the Avocado, though a few 
take to it on first introduction. Its buttery, curiously flavored 
flesh, is now used as a fruit salad as well as in the cooked form. 
The bulletin does not give the approximate climatic range of 
this fruit but it is presumed to be strictly tropical. 
OF INTEREST. 
Editor National Nurseryman, Rochester, N. Y 
Dear Sir —I have traveled in more than twenty different 
states for the past twelve weeks, and see no cause for alarm 
for nurserymen who are growing a good, general stock. 
Yet there is too much stock planted each season to get the 
most profit, now that labor cost more, and there are twice 
the number engaged in the business. We must grow less 
stock to burn. The greatest trouble I see is that many of 
us have allowed expenses to increase very rapidly, and it is 
difficult to economize on labor. 
The demand for trees for fall is good, and I believe that 
all merchantable stock will be needed before early spring at 
a good fair price. Numbers have planted too many poor seed¬ 
lings, and have a surplus of light trees. If we would only 
plant one-tenth of what we have done, and use the best 
stocks, putting the same amount of fertilizer and cultivation 
of same, we would come nearer saving something for our¬ 
selves. Orlando Harrison. 
Hmong Growers and Dealers. 
Irving E. Spaulding, president of the Spaulding Nursery and 
Orchard Co., has been calling on the nurserymen of Western New 
York. 
E. T. Dickson, of Chatenay Seine, France, has made his usual visits 
among his many customers in the United States. He stopped in 
Rochester early in August. 
Orlando Harrison, of the the firm of John G. Harrison & Sons, called 
on the nurserymen in New York State a short time ago. 
The Willis Nurseries of Ottawa, Kansas, write “that the floods and 
wet weather have interfered somewhat with the growth of stock in the 
West, and the Severe winter and high waters have cut down stock in 
the East. Just now we are trying to get ourselves together and find 
out where we are at.” 
Peter F. Williams, of Brighton, N. Y., formerly of Chicago, Ill., who 
for the past fifteen years was connected with Brown Brothers Com¬ 
pany, of Rochester, N. Y., has been elected president of Perry Nur¬ 
sery Company, of Rochester, N. Y.’ succeeding Mr. Chas. G. Schoener 
who retires from the business. 
Among the callers at the National Nurserman office last week was Mr. 
Harry Chase, of the Alabama Nursery Co., Mr. Chase has been look¬ 
ing business and friends in New York. 
Thomas Meehan & Sons, Dreshertown, Pa., report a very heavy de¬ 
mand for their “Red Star ”, raffia. 
In the August issue of the Canadian Horticulturist, the Helderleigli 
Nurseries owned by E. D. Smith, of Winona, Ontario, are written up 
in an illustrated article. There appears to be about 200 acres in nursery 
and 400 acres in orchard and vineyard. The Helderleigh Nurseries are 
among the largest in Canada. 
The Pebble Hill Fruit Farm and Nurseries, Inc., of Winchester, 
Tennessee, have bought The Oak Grove Nurseries also of Winchester, 
which will give them one of the best nursery locations in that section. 
They will consolidate the two nurseries under their name Pebble Hill 
Fruit Farm & Nurseries. This purchase will give them three quarters 
of million each of June Bud and Dormant Peach for this fall and for 
next fall delivery respectively.] 
