156 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
SATSUMA PLUM. 
The more we see of this variety, the more we are inclined to 
think that its full value is not recognized and appreciated. 
Among all the Japanese plums that we have tested, the form 
of this tree, its hardiness and bearing habit, impress us most 
favorably. It is not high in quality, it is not a plum to be 
eaten out of the hand; but what Japanese plum is high in 
quality? Under our observation, it has borne very regularly, 
it has shown less tendency to rot than Burbank and Abund¬ 
ance and it is in our estimation, greatly superior to these to 
varieties, as a canning plum. If a plum is a good canner, it is 
saying a good deal for it because after all, here lies the chiefest 
value of the plum. We think that Satsuma has been under¬ 
rated. What think you ? 
APPLE APHIS ON NURSERY STOCK. 
The nurseryman of the East at any rate, will remember the serious 
infestation of Apple Aphis which occurred in 1903. It caused a great 
deal of damage, not only on nursery stock but in orchards, particularly 
on the young plantings. Some complaint has been made this fall and 
a New York canvass of the subject has been conducted by Professor 
Slingerland of the Entomological department of Cornell university 
In answer to a letter addressed to some of the leading nurserymen in 
Central and Western New York, the following replies are offered: 
Ontario County — 1. “The condition in our nursery as re¬ 
gards Aphis is much the same as two years ago. We are send¬ 
ing to you under separate cover some badly infested branches 
we have cut from the apple seedlings we have budded this sum¬ 
mer. These to-day are in somewhat worse condition than 
the same kind of seedlings were at this time two years ago. 
The attack began a little earlier in the season, still not until 
some time after the seedlings were budded. This may or may 
not indicate a serious attack next year. 
“It occurred to us that perhaps an application of lime, 
siFphur and salt in early spring over these seedling tops, even 
though the tops w T ill all be cut and carted away, would be 
beneficial and perhaps prevent a serious attack of Aphis.” 
Ontario County—2. “Up to the middle of August we were 
troubled with little or no Aphis. At that time it appeared 
on some of our seedlings and it did a little damage. We did 
nothing towards checking it this year. We certainly hope that 
there will be no such repetition as we received in 1903. At 
that time we tried everything but with little or no success.” 
Niagara County —“The pest did not appear in serious 
numbers at any time in this vicinity, though I heard of their 
being quite bad in one or two places a few miles from here. 
They were even less plentiful late in the season.” 
Monroe County —“We have not been troubled with the 
Aphis this year, nor do we find any indication of eggs on 
nursery stock now.” 
Wayne County —“The Aphis were very little trouble to us 
this last year. We had one block of seedlings apples that 
were carried over (not budded) from last year, which were 
pinched twice and dipped once and these are all that the lice 
were fought by us this last year. We had almost no lice at all 
in our buds, and we account for the lice on the seedlings that 
were carried over, by the fact that we did not fight them as 
strongly there the year before, as we did in other parts of our 
nursery. “We used whale oil soap, purchasing the brand called 
“Goods Whale Oil Soap,” and we mixed a little crude carbolic 
acid with it. We can give you the exact formula if you want 
it. “We do not find any eggs on the branches in our nursery.” 
THE CODLING MOTH PARASITE. 
A despatch from San Francisco under date of November 
11th, announces the arrival of the widely advertised parasite 
of the codling moth. This was brought from the coast of Spain 
by George Compere, the agent for the State Commissioner of 
Horticulture of California. It appears that there are two 
parasites. One belongs to the large group of Ichneumon flies 
and the other is a Chalcid fly. The Ichneumon parasite 
lays its eggs on the larva, while the Chalcid lays its eggs in the 
pupae of the codling moth. 
The work of breeding these insects will be commenced in 
earnest by the California Commissioner and as soon as a suf¬ 
ficient stock has been propagated they will be distributed after 
proper precautions have been taken to guard against injury, 
or destruction when they are liberated. It is stated by Mr, 
Compere that in the districts of Spain, where this parasite is 
found, the codlin moth is so scarce that its presence is hardly 
realized and apple trees hang full of beautiful apples without 
injury from the “worm,” 
It would appear that this is a very valuable piece of work 
providing the foreigner finds the new land a congenial 
home in which to grow. May it flourish as has San Jose scale 
under American skies! 
EUROPEAN MARKET CONDITIONS. 
The English apple markets were in bad shape during the month of 
October. They were over supplied with fruit and the price remained 
low. When fruit sells in London at a penny a pound, the supply must 
indeed be large. The reason for this is that the home crop is unusually 
heavy. About the middle of October some 12,000 barrels of apples 
were offered in the Liverpool market. This caused such a slump in 
price that the fruit could not be moved at all. Baldwins were sold in 
the latter part of the month from 7 to 9 shillings, while greenings ran 
as low as 6 shillings. Only the finest and highest colored fruit, naturally 
Kings and Gravensteins from Nova Scotia, realized paying prices. 
November saw a clearing off of local fruit and slowly improving prices. 
The path of the apple dealer has not been strewn with roses in this year 
of our Lord nineteen hundred and four, nor do the husky producers find 
large reason for rejoicing. 
[NOTES AND COMMENT. 
Weber & Sons, Nursery P. O., Mo., were successful in winning a first 
premium on their exhibit at the World’s Fair. 
Charlton Nursery Company of Rochester were awarded a gold medal 
for the largest and best collection of peonies at the World’s Fair. 
Hops have been one of the great money-making crops of the farmer 
in 1904. The price has recently reached the high figure of forty-two 
cents a pound. A good ten acre hop field was equal to a small mine on 
a farm this year. 
The importations of bananas into England and the British Isles is 
steadily increasing. The banana is becoming more and more recognized 
as an article of food and apple growers of the North will be obliged to 
reckon with this fruit as an active competitor in the British markets in 
the future. 
D. L. Pierson of the Summit Nursery, Monticello, La., has sold his 
interest and good-will in his nursery to H. K. Miller and H. A. Gossard, 
formerly of Lake City, Florida. The firm will be continued under the 
same name and the present owners intend enlarging and developing it 
along ornamental lines, very extensively. 
The business office of the Nurseryman had a call from Charles H. 
Vick, who has been suberintendant in charge of the New York State 
fruit exhibit at St. Louis. It is now generally recognized that the fruit 
exbihit of New York State was one of the best at the fair. The collec¬ 
tion of grapes in charge of Mr. Vick and Mr. Loomis, was ahead of any¬ 
thing on exhibition and gave New York a big boost as a grape growing 
State. Mr. Vick has worked energetically and perseveringly and has 
succeeded in maintaining a most creditable display throughout thesum- 
mer. He has been ab[y assisted by Mr. Patterson who has had con¬ 
siderable experience in exhibition work. 
