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THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
The National N urseryman. 
PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY 
The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., 
(incorporated) 
305 Cox Building, Rochester, N. Y. 
PRESIDENT ... - THOMAS B. MEEHAN 
VICE-PRESIDENT AND EDITOR - - RALPH T. OLCOTT 
SECRETARY-TREASURER AND BUSINESS MANAGER, C. L. YATES 
The only trade journal issued for Growers and Dealers in Nursery Stock of 
all kinds. It circulates throughout the United States and Canada. 
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSERYMEN. 
AWARDED THE GRAND PRIZE AT PARIS EXPOSITION, 1900. 
SUBSCRIPTION RATES. 
One year, in advance, - $1.00 
Six Months, ______ .75 
Foreign Subscriptions, in advance, - - - 1.50 
Six Months, “ “ 1.00 
Advertising rates will be sent upon application. Advertisements 
should reach this office by the 20th of the month previous to the date 
of issue. 
Payment in advance required for foreign advertisements. Drafts 
on New York or postal orders, instead of checks, are requested. 
Correspondence from all points and articles of interest to nursery¬ 
men and horticulturists are cordially solicited. 
AflERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSERYMEN. 
President, Charles A. Ilgenfritz, Monroe, Mich.; vice-president, D. S. 
Lake, Shenandoah, la.; secretary, George C. Seager,' Rochester, 
N. Y.; treasurer, C. L. Yates, Rochester, N. Y. 
Executive Committee—William Pitkin, Rochester, N. Y.; N. W. Hale, Knox¬ 
ville, Tenn.; Peter Youngers, Geneva, Neb. 
Committee on Transportation—President Ilgenfritz, ex-officio; A. L. Brooke, 
N. Topeka, Kan.; Henry Chase, Huntsville, Ala.; E. Albertson, Bridgeport, 
Ind.; Howard Davis, Baltimore, Md. 
Committee on Tariff—Irving Rouse, Rochester, N. Y.; Thomas B. Meehan, 
Germantown, Pa.; J. H. Dayton, Painesville, O. 
Committee on Legislation—C. L. Watrous, Des Moines, la.; Silas Wilson, At¬ 
lantic, la.; Charles J. Brown, Rochester, N. Y.; George A. Sweet, Dans- 
ville, N. Y.; Robert C. Berckmans, Augusta, Ga. 
Committee on Programme—George C. Seager, Rochester, N. Y.; Wilson J. 
Peters, Troy, Ohio; J. Horace McFarland, Harrisburg, Pa. 
Committee on Publicity—C. M. Stark, Louisiana, Mo.; Ralph T. Olcott, 
Rochester, N. Y.; F. H. Stannard, Ottawa, Kan. 
Annual convention for 1903—At Detroit, Mich., June 10-12. 
Entered in the Post Office at Rochester, as second-class mail matter. 
Rochester, N. Y., November, 1902. 
STOCK SCARCE AND HIGH. 
Our special reports on the season’s trade indicate that 
throughout the country the nursery business is in a flourising 
condition. A shortage of stock extends to almost all varieties, 
and one advance in prices promises to be followed by another. 
There has been a remarkably strong demand for stock of all 
kinds in the wholesale trade. Some firms have had to reduce 
sales. In the last two months time one firm refused orders for 
more than five million peach trees for this season’s delivery, 
and that was in the South too. The whole western country 
has had full crops of corn and wheat, and it is believed that 
collections in the nursery business will approximate 100 per 
cent. 
It is just such conditions as these that should be seized 
upon as a subject for discussion and action at the annual con¬ 
ventions of the American Association of Nurserymen. In 
times of depression an extra effort is made to improve busi¬ 
ness. In times of prosperity there is a tendency to bend all 
efforts towaTds keeping up with the demand, trusting that the 
demand will continue. Nurserymen should go further ; they 
should study the situation from all points, and endeavor to 
create conditions, insofar as they may, which will continue the 
demand. Now is the time for Association committees, in 
whose hands the ad interium business is placed, to act. 
OUTCOME OF THE RUSSIAN APPLE. 
No argument is needed to convince the progressive nursery¬ 
man that the Northwest offers a great field for his business, 
when the problem of hardy fruits has been solved. The stand¬ 
ard varieties of the Eastern states have not met the trying con¬ 
ditions of the Northwest. The subject of hardy fruits for the 
cold country has been studied by the leading horticultural 
authorities. Probably no movement created such a widespread 
discussion and so diversified opinions as that of Professor J. L. 
Budd of Iowa, who imported in 1882 one hundred varieties of 
Russian apples. 
Now our observations of the Russian apples run through a 
period of a quarter of a century, beginning with the importa¬ 
tions by the Department of Agriculture. For half a century 
the growers of Wisconsin and Minnesota have been endeavor¬ 
ing to attain success by planting trees of the grade of Fameuse, 
Talman, Golden Russet, Pewaukee, etc. Where the soil was 
right, a measure of success was attained. The advent of the 
Russian apples was hailed with delight. They were planted 
freely and without much regard to selection in many cases. 
There were widely varying results, most of them unfavorable. 
The fact is that too much was expected of the Russians. 
The apple is native to Southwestern Asia and adjacent 
Europe. It was natural to go to that part of the world for 
stock for a fresh start in that section of America, which pre¬ 
sented recently tried and unconquered conditions. And it was 
natural to go to the colder section of Europe in search of the 
hardy varieties for the colder part of the United States. But, 
in the opinion of experts, a mistake had been made in trusting 
all to the Russian varieties. 
In the midst of the controversy over the Russians, Professor 
L. H. Bailey said : 
“The Northwest must have an unusually hardy class of 
fruits, and any type which will grow there should be encour¬ 
aged. The Russian is simply one of these types, the Siberian 
and native crabs being others. But, inasmuch as the Russian 
type is the most highly developed of them, it follows that 
quick results are expected from it. If the Russian apples and 
the crabs are more or less adapted to the Northwest, I feel 
sure that American seedings of them will be still better adapted 
to those conditions as a whole. I therefor regard the Russian 
importations to be of benefit to our horticulture, but I look 
upon them as a means rather than as an end. The history of 
