THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
PORTO RICAN FRUIT FARMS. 
Fruit farms are the latest scheme to promote Porto Rican 
interests, says American Gardening. A company with a capi¬ 
talization of $roo,ooo, and backed by New York and San Juan 
firms, is negotiating for land in different portions of the island, 
on which will be grown all kinds of tropical fruits, winter 
vegetables and tropical nursery stock, both fruit and orna¬ 
mental. The produce will be shipped to New York. A farm 
of ioo acres is already in operation at Rio Piedras, six miles 
from San Juan. 
McKinley early grape. 
Allen L. Wood, Rochester, N. Y., on September 28th, 
exhibited at the National Nurseryman office a bunch of 
white grapes of a variety which he has named “ McKinley 
Early.” It is a cross between Niagara and Moore’s Early and 
gives prQmise of being a valuable addition to the list. 
The McKinley Early ripens two weeks earlier than the 
Niagara, is fully as productive and has berries like the Moore’s 
Diamond. The bunches are compact and firm and well with¬ 
stand handling. The fruit is sweet and there is no acid flavor 
around the seeds. It is fully as strong a grower as is the 
Niagara and should prove to be a good shipper. Nurserymen 
who have seen it say the McKinley Early is an unusually 
good grape. 
FINEST FRUIT EXHIBIT. 
S. D. Willard, Geneva, N. Y , who has charge of the horti¬ 
cultural exhibit at the Pan-American exposition, says that the 
New York State fair at Syracuse had the finest exhibit of fruit 
ever made in America, considering the number of plates 
shown, the great variety and the extremely high quality. 
The New York State Fruit Growers’ association, organized 
six months ago, exhibited 2,255 plates of fruit and won the 
first prize, $300 ; exhibit as follows : 950 of apples (195 
varieties) ; 664 of pears (64 varieties) ; 161 of grapes (66 
varieties) ; 154 of peaches (45 varieties) ; 40 of quinces (7 
varieties), and 286 of plums (74 varieties). The Western 
New York Horticultural society won second prize, $200, with 
1,312 plates, as follows : 500 of apples, 435 pears, 64 peaches, 
13 quinces, 27 crab apples, 104 plums, 168 grapes and 1 black¬ 
berry. The Eastern Horticultural society won third prize, 
$100, with 584 plates—12 of peaches, 2 nectarines, 64 plums, 
269 apples, 113 grapes, 122 pears and 2 quinces. 
ORIGINAL GREENING APPLE TREE. 
The American Cultivator says that the original Greening 
apple tree is still standing on the farm of Solomon Drowne at 
Mount Hygeia in North Foster, R. I. The tree was a very 
old one when the farm was sold in 1801. The seller informed 
the purchaser that it was a pity the old tree was going to de¬ 
cay, as it produced the best fruit of any tree in the orchard. 
The town of Smithfield claims to have presented the world 
with this variety, based on the following facts : On the farm 
of Frederick W. Winslow, a few rods southwest of the lime 
kiln on the northern verge of Fruit hill, stands a Rhode Island 
Greening tree, which is locally known as the “daughter tree. 
This tree is a limb of the mother tree, which was broken off 
259 
in the September gale of 1815, and which, upon being thrust 
into the rich, moist soil, took root and became an independent 
tree. The mother tree was planted by Mrs. Winslow’s great- 
great-grandfather during King George II.’s reign in 1748. It 
was, therefore, 141 years old when it was cut down in 1889. 
From these two trees Mr. F. M. Perry, a nurseryman from 
Canandaigua, N. Y., secured many scions, which were dissem- 
imnated throughout New York and the middle states. 
Authentic records of trees of this variety that were planted 
about 150 years ago in the soil of north Providence, on the 
farm of the late Lemuel Angell, are still in possession of that 
family. It was introduced into the old Plymouth colony from 
Newport in 1765 ; from there it was carried into Ohio in 1796 
by Gen. Putnam. 
AT ROSE HILL NURSERIES. 
In an article in the American Florist on the P. S. Peterson 
Nurseries near Chicago, the writer says : 
“ The elder Peterson was for many years employed in the 
famous establishment of Louis Van Houtte, at Ghent, Bel¬ 
gium, but came to America in 1851, working for a time in 
eastern nurseries, but eventually locating near Chicago, where 
he steadily added to his real estate holdings until now the firm 
owns the largest undivided tract of land inside the city limits. 
In 1895 William A. Peterson, an only son, was admitted to 
the firm and the management soon devolved upon him. Mr. 
Peterson is an enthusiast, and one of the best read men in the 
profession. One of the firm’s specialties is large specimens 
for immediate effect, but so deep is Mr. Peterson’s affection 
for the treasures of his nursery that he admits that he never 
sees a noble tree, one which he has known from boyhood, up¬ 
rooted and carted off to spend the balance of its days in a 
city park or on a lawn, but what he feels a twinge of regret 
not wholly compensated for by the check which is thereby 
grafted onto the Peterson bank account.” 
A TALE OF THE SOUTH. 
The Peach Growers’ Journal, Sussex, N. J., says: “ It is said 
that the fancy prices received by orchardmen in Georgia 
the past season has started a peach craze and in some sections 
everybody who can get enough land to put out an orchard on has 
been making preparations to plant trees this winter. But 
many of them will have to wait another year before launch¬ 
ing into the peach industry. All the nurseries in North Georgia 
and those in Tennessee have sold all the Elbertas and 
Emmas they have on hand. 
“Agents for nurseries who have been canvassing Gordon 
county have accepted orders for nearly half a million trees 
that it is impossible for them to deliver. The great bulk of 
the people who have been making preliminary arrangements 
towards going into the peach business and not given much 
thought to buying trees at this early period and the news com¬ 
ing that all the Elberta and Emma varieties were sold fell like 
a bomb in their midst and created a great deal of excitement 
among those who had been at work clearing up ground and 
making other preparations. Many northern nurseries are being 
written to and if one should be found with a supply of Elbertas 
on hand it is safe to say, that all their trees will be bought at 
once.” 
