THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
161 
in recent years been lost sight of except by those who appre¬ 
ciate good quality in fruit. The main point for us to con¬ 
sider is this: is there not an opening for some retail nur¬ 
seryman who would cater to the needs, if not the demands 
of land owners and proprietors of small homes in the vicinity 
of large cities? We propose in future numbers to devote some 
space to descriptions of these finer varieties of European pears. 
We hope that all members of the American Association of 
Nurserymen are looking forward with pleasant anticipation to 
™ E the annual meeting and that a large number are 
^ U ^ L* . . _ _ _ rTAi 
meeting. already making plans to attend, these meet¬ 
ings of the nurserymen of the United States and Canada are 
valuable from several standpoints. They facilitate business. 
They are in fact a medium for business exchange; they pro¬ 
vide physical and mental relaxation; they encourage fraternal 
intercourse and lastly the intellectually inclined may find food 
for mental enjoyment. 
There are those who attend solely from business motives and 
who probably return to their homes, fatigued instead of being 
rested. There are others who go with the fraternal and good- 
fellowship point of view largely in evidence; with these we 
sympathize. These men usually get their money’s worth. 
The man who goes for a rest, does not get it as a rule but he 
does get a change, which is equal to, or better than a rest. 
Then comes the programme and as a rule that is worth while. 
In addition to all these considerations, there seem to be espec¬ 
ial attractions in the place selected for the meeting of 1905. 
The principal features of the West Baden Springs Hotel are 
set forth elsewhere. It is well worth while looking them over. 
Let us make our plans .to attend the coming annual meeting. 
It is well to bear in mind that good living consists not 
only in getting money, but also in enjoying the high privileges 
of citizenship and comradeship that associations like ours pro¬ 
vide. These privileges are only realized in full, by those who 
take advantage of them day by day as they journey along. 
The much discussed and oft thrashed out question of the 
relative advantages of budded and root-grafted trees is brought 
are root- to our notice again quite forcibly by a letter 
Gree^de- f rom a correspondent, residing in the Middle 
fective? West. The writer states it is a matter of com¬ 
mon observation in this locality, that piece-rooted apple trees 
in orchard have generally failed, because of imperfect and in¬ 
sufficient root development. The trees are said to have done 
fairly well for a time after being set in orchard but when they 
approached the bearing age they showed a tendency very 
marked in some instances, slight in others, to list to one side or 
the other. This leaning or listing he attributes to weak 
root growth due to method of propagation. 
We confess to having observed something of the same thing 
in Iowa, some years ago. Whether the leaning of the trees in 
this case is due to method of root-grafting or the character of 
the soil, we are unable to say. Certain it is, that one sees a 
good deal of this on the drift soils of Iowtl. In the east, few 
root-grafted trees are planted. 
Can we make this charge a general one? May it not be due 
to characteristics of varieties and is it not truer of weak growers 
than of v’gorous growers? Will not a strong, sturdy variety 
make good roots when grafted or budded, and is it not the 
tendency for weak growers like Jonathan, Wagener, and 
Boiken, to develop a weaker root system when root-grafted 
than when budded? If this be true, then some discrimination 
should be made by nurserymen with regard to the manner of 
propagating apples of varying degrees of vigor. We believe 
that this subject offers a very good field for investigation. We 
do not think that the last word has been said upon the relative 
merits of root-grafted and budded trees, nor do we believe 
that it is possible to generalize safely on the subject. 
In propagating cherries the nurseryman has a greater 
variety of stock to choose from then in the case of any other 
cherry class of fruit. In propagating apples he is limit- 
stocks. ed to stocks grown from american or european 
seed unless he desires to dwarf his trees, when he considers the 
merits of dwarf stocks, as Paradise, and Doucin. In cherries 
he has a much larger list from which to select. He is called 
upon to consider the qualities of Mazzard, the especial 
value of Maheleb; if in the Northwest and if he would follow 
the advice of some enthusiasts, he would use Sand Cherry; 
if in the Northeast and again following out the advice of other 
orchardists and experimenters, he might use Bird Cherry; 
and finally, if in Nova Scotia and parts of New England, he 
might be strongly urged to use Morello. 
It is probable that each of these stocks has qualities and 
values well worth considering but as a matter of fact and ex¬ 
perience, it is also probable that more cherries are worked upon 
Mahaleb than all the others put together. It is also admitted 
that we do not know as much about this whole subject as we 
ought to. 
Importers are suggesting the use of german sour cherries, one 
of the forms of Prunus cerasus. This generic group includes 
many types and the difficulty is to know what particular type 
is represented by the commercial sour cherry. There are 
several well defined types. In Russia, the Vladimir, is un¬ 
doubtedly an off-shoot of the Morello but it has been modified 
so impressively by climate and soil, that as it is now found 
growing in Russia, it is hardly recognizable. In Germany, the 
Ostheim cherries form another and quite well marked type. 
They are much larger growing trees than Vladimir and the 
fruit is lighter in color and larger in size. Montmorency 
would seem to form another natural group; the Richmonds 
still another and besides these we have forms which appear to 
be intermediate between the strictly sour and somewhat pend¬ 
ent cherries, and the more or less upright and sweet Duke 
cherries. 
In a general way, we believe that the Morello Cherry has not 
been sufficiently exploited as a stock, particularly for sour 
cherries in the Northeast. At the same time we recognize its 
limitations. It does not work as readily as Mahaleb and it 
suckers altogether too freely for comfortable and satisfactory 
cultivation. This matter of cherry stocks should be of inter¬ 
est to the trade and we are sure that letters from propagators 
who have studied the question somewhat, would be of great 
interest to the readers of the National Nurseryman All 
persons interested are invited to offer contributions in the 
form of experience, opinion, or suggestion. 
AN EXCELLENT SEASON FOR THE WABASH RAILWAY. 
The liberal patronage accorded by the travelling public to the \\ a- 
bash Railway during the World’s Fair season abundantly testifies to the 
excellent quality of the service. The efficient passenger agent at Buffalo 
Mr. Kelly, has been unremitting in his efforts on behalf of the public and 
these efforts have been successful and much appreciated. 
