THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
belong.”—Wm. Baylor Hartland, Seedsman to her late 
Majesty, Queen Victoria, Ware House, Patrick Street, Cork, in 
Gardener’s Chronicle. 
LARGEST CHESTNUT GROVE. 
Coleman H. Sober of Union county, Pa., owns the largest 
chestnut grove in the United States, says the Philadelphia 
Press. It comprises 205 acres, with over 100,000 trees. Mr. 
Sober is a wealthy lumberman of Lewisburg whose object is 
to render profitable the millions of wild mountain land in the 
commonwealth. When a boy of 12 he asked his father while 
grafting fruits, to graft some young chestnut trees, but was 
only laughed at. Five years ago he carried out his boyish 
idea, on land too rough even for sheep pasture, the waste of 
lumbering operations, on the sides of Irish Valley, eight miles 
from Shamokin. Pine and oak were cut down a generation 
ago, leaving chestnut standing. Cutting these down, young 
shoots sprung up which were grafted with scions of Paragon, 
a crisp, sweet nut, five times as large as tne native chestnut 
This fall Mr. Sober harvested his first crop, 30 bushels, worth 
$7 a bushel, and in - a few years his returns will be by the 
thousands. In fact, the estimate for next year is about 3,000 
bushels, which, at $6, would be $18,000, from land not worth 
$3 an acre for farming purposes. 
LARGEST HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The annual meeting of the Minnesota Horticultural Society 
was held at Minneapolis, Dec. 3-6. Landscape adornment 
was the principal topic of the first session. President Pender- 
gast announced that the society was the largest of the kind in 
the United States, having a membership of 1,000. There were 
added to the library last year 275 books. Cash balance on 
hand, $959.48. 
The general subject of the last session was the improvement 
of fruit. The following papers were read : “ Growing Seed¬ 
lings to Improve the Apple and Plum,” Wyman Elliott, 
Minneapolis; “ Practice of Budding and Its Relation to the 
Improvement of Fruits,” illustrated, R. S. Mackintosh, St. 
Anthony Park ; “ Selection of Wood for Grafting,” Clarence 
Wedge, Albert Lea ; “ Adaptation of Stock and Grafts in Im¬ 
proving Fruits,” A. J. Philips, West Salem, Wis. ; “Bud 
Variations and ‘Sports” in Improving Fruit,” Prof. S. B. 
Green, St. Anthony Park ; “ Science and Practice of Cross- 
Pollination,” Prof. N. E. Hansen, Brookings, S. D. ; “ Influ¬ 
ence of Cultivation on the Permanent Improvement of 
Fruits,” Dewain Cook, Windom. 
WOULD PLANT FIVE-YEAR OLD TREES. 
Regarding chances for success with apple orchards, Grant 
M. Hitchings, of Onondaga county, New York, says in answer 
to a query in Rural New Yorker : 
It seems to be a case of each one finding out for himself what is best 
for his particular location Now, as to what I am doing this fall, X 
have ordered 125 Spy, 75 from a Syracuse nursery, 50 of Rogers pedi¬ 
gree trees. The trees from Syracuse are grown on heavy clay, rich in 
potash, and are full of vitality. The pedigreed trees are smaller, but 
have a known parentage. I shall watch their development with 
interest. The trees from that heavy clay have always started better 
with me than the trees from other nurseries. 
tl 
I would hunt for trees four or five years old, one and one half to two 
inches through, that stand from four to six feet apart in nursery row ; 
have had good root pasturage and appear very healthy. These trees 
must have stored up in their tissue a good deal of vitality, and I think 
they -would soon come into bearing if one would nourish the buds during 
summer and fall and not stimulate wood growth by spring cultivation. 
Mulch the trees when first set to hold moisture until roots become 
established, and then let grass in spring take up fertility and prevent 
excessive wood growth. Letting this grass decay on ground during 
fall to feed the fruit buds is the key-note of my practice. Doing this 
saves a lot of labor, and I believe it is in the long run the best way. 
Irving Rouse, Rochester, N. Y., returned last month from a brief 
visit to France. 
Xotig anb Short. 
Clematis may be had of George Bros., East Penfield, N. Y. 
The Hardie spray pumps are sold at 56 Larned street, Detroit. 
John A. Salzer Seed Co., La Crosse, Wls., are headquarters for seeds. 
Transplanted Loganberry is wanted by Wm. Fell & Co., Hexham, 
England. 
October Purple plums are offered by Stephen Hoyt’s Sons, New 
Canaan, Conn. 
A foreman for nursery is wanted by J. A. Taylor, Wynnewood, 
Indian Territory. 
Jackson & Perkins Co., Newark, N. Y., offer a complete list of orna¬ 
mental and fruit stock. 
A bookkeeper and stenographer is wanted by the Elm City Nursery 
Co., New Haven, Conn. 
Hardy border plants are a specialty with the Central Michigan Nur¬ 
sery Co., Kalamazoo, Mich. 
Kansas grown Mahaleb cherry seedlings are a specialty at the Martin 
Nurseiies, Winfield, Kansas. 
Irish juniper, Norway maple and assorted peach trees are offered by 
C. L. Longsdorf, Floradale, Pa. 
The Bordeaux nozzle is sold by Henion & Hubbell, Chicago. It is 
said to be the best for spraying nursery stock. 
50,000 Crimson Rambler roses are offered by W. E. Wallace, Ridge 
land, S. C. He ships all winter in paper-lined boxes. 
Apple, peach, cherry. Keiffer pear, American arbor vitae and red 
raspberries may be had of H. M. Simpson & Sons, \ incennes, Ind. 
Hybrid perpetual and climbing roses on own roots, and Wickson 
plums can be obtained of Morris, Stone & Wellington, Fonthill, 
Ontario, Canada. 
Elmire Sebire, Filsaine, France, is grower and shipper of fruit stocks 
of all leading kinds. August Rolker & Sons, 52 Dey St., New \ork, 
are the American agents. 
The Bamberg Nurseries, H J. & O. Brabham, Bamberg, S. C., have 
for sale at a low rate a number of agent’s plate books in good condi. 
tion ; also Manetti cuttings. 
200,000 apple for spring delivery, all grades, are offered by E. S. 
Welch, Shenandoah, Iowa ; also Keiffer pear. Apple and crab grafts 
are made in any style, to order. 
Evergreen seedlings by the million are grown by the Sherman Nur¬ 
sery Co., Charles City. Iowa. They have a surplus of two-year grape 
and hardy fruit and ornamental stock adapted to the North. 
Jackson & Perkins Co., of Newark, N. Y., are receiving a large 
number of European orders for plants of their new climbing rose 
Dorothy Perkins. This is the variety that was awarded a silver medal 
at the Pan American Exposition last summer. 
The Mount Arbor Nurseries, E. S. Welch proprietor, Shenandoah, 
Iowa, are exceptionally well equipped for making root grafts for the 
trade. They pay particular attention to apple and crab, and have one 
packing house and cellar especially designed for the work of grafting, 
packing and callousing. Their winter list will be sent on application. 
