92 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
PROFESSOR BAILEY’S ADDRESS . 
Practical and Pertinent Suggestions on the Outlook In the 
Nursery Business—Should Be Larger Field of Discussion 
—Plea for Specialties and Original Catalogue Work 
— Opportunities In Abandoned Farms—Im¬ 
provement of School Grounds. 
Much interest was manifested, as usual, in the address by 
Professor L. H. Bailey at the Milwaukee convention. And, 
as usual, Professor Bailey had some very practical thoughts for 
nurserymen. In the course of his address he said : 
I may say that I owe this society a debt of gratitude. This is the 
only organization that has asked me to speak before it more than once. 
When I was asked for the subject of my address, I wrote that it 
might be : “ Some of the Obligations of the Nurseryman to the Fruit 
Grower.” At that time I had an idea which has since been lost, so I 
will talk to you on “ The General Outlook in the Nursery Business.” 
On my way here, and since I arrived, I have been interviewing nur. 
serymen and studying conditions. The first city I ever saw, as well as 
the last, is Milwaukee. Born in Michigan, I came here in a sail-boat. 
I have been out to-day visiting some of the familiar places. 
I want to say to you that I believe we must come into a larger field 
in our discussions. First of all we should remember that we are men 
and citizens and have our part to do. I would review some of the 
things you will have to do in the future. At Ithaca, recently, a man 
said to me that he was sorry to see on the university campus a building 
devoted to dairying and milk products. He thought it had nothing to do 
with an institution for the literary training of youth. I told him it was 
a part of our work to convert him to a different belief, and that I 
would not. argue with him. How was I to do this ? Not by interest¬ 
ing him in agriculture and dairying, but to interest him in men, for 
all should be educated along this line. To do this, we must open a 
man’s mind by chemistry, mathematics, the study of milk and butter- 
Any subject is worth its place in a university curriculum that will 
produce this result. I wouldn’t have a man taught Greek or history 
or mathematics, or the nursery business alone —that would make him a 
narrow man. 
The nurseryman’s place in the world, from the point of view of the 
nurseryman, seems every year to denote greater variety of interest. 
Of all trade organizations that I meet, this one is quite unique in that 
it does not confine itself to trade interests ; but takes a broad view of 
the horticultural field. It is only about thirty to fifty years old. It 
had almost no literature until the last generation. 
I can remember when there was opposition to a trade journal by the 
nurserymen. All now have come to know that such a journal is a 
necessity. 
I know of no other class of business-men that have higher ideals. 
The old idea of flaying people is past. I recently asked a man how he 
was doing. He replied, “ I am doing well; but I am also trying to do 
good to others.” 
IMPOEiTANCE OF SPECIALTIES. 
The time is coming when specialties in the nursery business will be 
emphasized, when we shall adopt the old-world type of nursery busr 
ness, when the special type for the special man in the special district 
adapted to it will be sought. When a man asks for a certain kind of 
nursery stock it is simply picked out of a row. Our idea is to grow all 
alike in a row. Time will change this. You will find greater diver' 
sity. A science is cut and dried when new ; so with the science of 
agriculture. The old idea was to analyze coustituents. Now we are 
outgrowing the idea that we can put upon the soil something that will 
cure the ills of agriculture. Take feeding standards, for instance, and 
the compound ration. These are only theories. Recent books are 
breaking away and are trying to adapt to the individuality of the 
animal to be fed. New views are expressed regarding the growing of 
nursery crops in succession. Nursery rotation is a long one. The 
fundamental reason for failure is that you burn out the humus and 
interfere with the mechanical character of the soil, and not that you 
pump the life out of it. 
As to spraying, all formulae are on the cut and dried plan. But go 
into the large orchards of to-day, and you will find the successful 
grower knowing and testing the amount of material without figures, 
yet he may scarcely know the formula of Bordeaux mixture. We are 
going to spray more in the future, because there are going to be more 
insects, and there is going to be great horticultural increase ; and we 
shall also spray less because we shall spray more intelligently. We 
are growing away from the agricultural pill to cure an agricultural ill. 
As to novelties. By novelties we mean progress. I don’t believe we 
shall ever have a novelty for the whole country. I am wondering 
whether some of you nurserymen might not better take up some of 
the old kinds and push them for all you are worth. I come to you 
with some experience along this line. I am wondering whether there 
might not be a large development in the nursery business on that line- 
As to catalogues. We must become teachers of the people. I am 
wondering whether the nurseryman should not use new and original 
cuts in his catalogues, and own those cuts. No body of men stands 
for artistic life as do the nurserymen. 
ABANDONED FABMS. 
A subject particularly germane to the nurseryman is that of aban¬ 
doned farms. There are various causes for abandoned farms. In the 
course of time, the original owners pass off from the scene of action. 
It is in the regular order of the biological problem, the round of life. 
I may take up work on an abandoned farm and make a success of it, 
and in the course of time I pass on and others come, and years after 
the farm is again abandoned. 
I have seen abandoned farms in all parts of our country, I have 
seen them in the South; I have seen them in New England, and I have 
seen some of them in New York State. I don’t worry about the con¬ 
centration of people in the cities ; it is world-wide. But if I may be 
deemed optimistic, I do know that there is a movement back to the 
country that has got to be worked out by some body of men. To 
what uses may an abandoned farm be put ? There are three uses, in 
my opinion: Grazing, forestry and apple growing. In the last two 
of these, the nurseryman should be directly interested. 
In New England abandoned farms can be purchased for from $3 to 
$20 per acre ; in New York State for $10, $15 or $20 per acre. Much 
of this land is suitable for apple growing. It would not pay to under¬ 
take the raising of peaches or grapes on these farms, because in many 
cases the farms are removed from easy means of transportation ; but in 
the case of apples this is not so material. Years ago the growing of 
fruit was very much a matter of guessing ; to day apple orchards are 
planted with almost a certainty of success. This is owing to improved 
methods. I know of a man who is renting abandoned farms to a con¬ 
siderable extent and he, by thorough tillage, secures a profit therefrom 
in ten years’ time. 
New York nurserymen are growing great quantities of apple trees, 
which they are selling in the West. But in time the West will fill up. 
You have got to look out for the market for your stock. 
BUREAU OF PUBLICITY. 
In this connection I believe there should be a bureau of publicity. 
The nurseryman could do much to develop his own section as well as 
to grow for the entire world. Under the inspiration of Downing and 
others, Western New York was the great apple-growing district; but 
gradually the growing of apples has extended to the westward. We 
do not now grow so many apples in Western New York ; we are grow¬ 
ing more peaches and other fruit. I look for advantages in the plant¬ 
ing of more apples. 
I want every nurseryman to be interested in the improvement of 
school grounds In New York we have interested the children in 
gardening clubs. We have 15,000 children in such clubs, and I would 
not wonder if the number would be 20,000 by the time I get back. All 
are sowing something this year ; it may not all grow ; but it is a 
beginning. All are to have a mark made on a large map in the office 
of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in Albany, in recognition 
of their services. The giving of prizes for the improvement of school 
grounds is a good thing. For the first year the children should not 
plant anything in the school grounds. For a whole year they should 
be taught to tidy up. We found that this was very necessary. The 
children must first be taught to clean up the grounds and to keep them 
neat. We found that then progress was rapid and continual. I wish 
the nurserymen might become interested in this subject. In my opinion 
