THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
13 
STANDAUDIZATIOxN OF COMMEllCIAL NURSERY 
PRODUCTS 
By Wm. T. Kirkman, Jr., President of Kirknian Nurseries, 
Fresno, Cal., Before the San Jose Convention, 
California Association of Nurserymen. 
Last year I asked you to consider with me the great 
mutual heiietits to be derived from a general adoption of 
the caliper grading method, which results in the customer 
obtaining trees of uniform size in ordering a given grade, 
instead of receiving trees varying in caliper from the 
size of a broom handle to that of a lead pencil, even 
though all of said assortment might actually fall within 
the height measurement of “four to six feet,” which is 
the usual designation for standard first grade deciduous 
trees. 
At this time I am glad to report, that there is quite a 
general tendency amongst our members to deliver stock 
with considerable regard for caliper specifications, thus 
eliminating the unjust competition of slender second 
grade stock, as against correctly graded trees of our con¬ 
temporaries. 
As all of us adopt this method of grading, the outsider, 
or the Californian, who attempts to mislead prospective 
planters with a lower quotation, with the idea of deliver¬ 
ing trees not up to caliper, will soon find himself very un¬ 
popular, not only with the nurserymen who are endeavor¬ 
ing to uphold the grades, but with the planting public as 
well. 
The proposition I want to ask you to think over for later 
definite action is the Standardization of Varieties, and by 
this I mean the selection and improvement of varieties 
wdierever possible, and the elimination of inferior strains, 
and the general adoption by the California Nurserymen’s 
Association of w^ell defined varieties. 
It seems to me that a good way to begin a movement of 
this kind, that will eventually command the co-operation 
of every propagator in the state, would be to collectively 
organize and own a sort of bureau for the careful and 
diligent study of varieties and distribution of propagation 
wood. 
This bureau for the betterment of California Horticul¬ 
ture would appoint an advisory commission of a few of 
our members who are best fitted by experience to act as 
a consultation board, and they employ an active, compe¬ 
tent man to personally make a careful study of standard 
and new varieties, and determine from what portion of 
the state and from which orchards, and from which in¬ 
dividual trees in said orchards, can be procured bud 
w^ood of the record breakers of each respective variety 
being called for by the planters of the state. 
There are many of us who are doing what w e can 
toward the improvement of our production by the selec¬ 
tion of parent trees, but gentlemen, our efforts are at 
present seriously lacking in unity. For instance, there 
are at least a dozen new midsummer Cling peaches be¬ 
ing propagated and heralded as the very best varieties to 
ripen betW'een the Tuscan and Phillips. We are all per¬ 
fectly honest in believing that the varieties w e have dis¬ 
covered, and are propagating, are the best, and we in¬ 
dividually spend considerable time and money working 
on these matters, and considerable money in advertising 
according to each individual view point. 
To refer again to the midsummer Cling instance, some 
of us recommend the Simms, others the new Peaks, and 
Van Emmons, of the Selma district, others the llaus 
Cling of Yuba County, and then some one looks closely 
into all these favorites and advances the possibly correct 
ultimatum that all four of these varieties are identical! 
Measure in dollars and cents the value of youi' time 
and mine in individually working out such matters, and 
the cost of printing for the puljlic to read elfusive descrip¬ 
tions of each of these varieties w ill total a sum sullicient 
to relieve all of us of trying to do what some one head 
scientilic horticulturist could do, easily, correctly, and 
wdth much greater satisfaction to the buying public. 
A few years of intelligent and consistent work by a* 
man qualilied to undertake this scientilic work of deter¬ 
mining varieties, improving strains, eliminating super¬ 
fluous names, and delivering to the progressive nursery¬ 
men of this state the results of these investigations, 
should put the California Association of Nurserymen in 
a class by itself. 
Our reputation for delivering nursery stock of the 
highest possible types, and of correct nomenclature would 
mean to the horticulturists the country over, what Hol¬ 
land endeavors to moan to the bulb buying world, and 
what Kentucky strives to deliver in mules. 
The value of such a movement would be unquestioned. 
The investment would not be greater than it now is, con¬ 
sidering the dilliculty of the work as we now separately 
attempt to do it. Elliciency experts are employed in 
many lines not to be compared with the importance of 
this. 
The honest advertising value of this sort of standard¬ 
ization would put California Nurserymen—in this peer¬ 
less empire of horticulture—where they belong, unques¬ 
tionably the best—the “Timken bearing” of the orchard 
industry of the country. Think it over. 
SUPPLY OF BOXWOOD IN JAPAN 
The nearest equivalent in Japan to Turkish boxwood 
appears to be “tsuge” {Buxus sempervirens, Linn.;, 
which has been used by the Japanese for many years in 
cutting w ood blocks for printing and engraving. It is 
of a yellowish color, fairly hard, easily w orked, has a fine 
close grain, and is unusually free from the fault of split¬ 
ting and cracking. It is now used in the manufacture 
of ollicial seals, abacus counters, combs, etc. The chief 
drawback, however, would be the dilliculty of obtaining 
blocks which measure more than 6 or 8 inches in diam¬ 
eter, as the large timber of this variety is nearly all ex¬ 
hausted. At best the trunk seldom exceeds a foot in 
diameter. 
Cherry wood also is used to a considerable extent by 
the Japanese and is obtainable in larger blocks than 
tsuge. Tlie grain, however, is said to be too coarse for 
line work. 
Aogiri, or Sultan’s parasol {Sterculia platanifolia), 
and honoki [MaynoUa hypoleuca) are also used, but are 
rather soft and easily marred.— Commerce Reports. 
