312 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
.stock. 
The Valdesian Nurseries do mainly a wholesale trade, 
shipping stock by car load into the various states al¬ 
though I hey do both a retail and landscape business and 
recently received high commendation in the “Charlotte 
Observer” lor landscape work done in that city. Mr. 
Jones is giving special attention to the propagation of 
new and rare plants, a propagating house was built the 
past summer and another will be erected shortly. He ex¬ 
pects to have some choice and rare stock to offer another 
season. 
ITALIAN FRUIT STOCKS 
By J. Dykhuis 
When after the armistice the demand for fruit stocks 
became urgent, America naturally looked again to Eur¬ 
ope for its supply. Europe, especially France, had al¬ 
ways been the emporium. The quality was dependable, 
the supply sufficient and the prices right. 
But the war also had held its ravages amongst the 
fruit stock growers. Nurseries had been turned into veg¬ 
etable gardens, orchards had been destroyed or neglected 
and when the growers intended to re-establish their cul¬ 
tures, no seeds were available and what was put on the 
market was of undependable quality. 
Holland growers were about the first to offer a quan¬ 
tity of stocks at comparatively fair prices, considering 
the high outlays for seeds and the considerable increased 
overhead expenses, and they were met with enthusiam 
and appreciation, for the demand was great and the sup¬ 
ply short, and so the Hollanders were instrumental in 
checking the “hausse” of the french prices. 
But Holland did more. It concentrated the market for 
fruit and rose stocks, studied the sources of supply and 
acted as a clearing house for American consumers, who, 
th rough the greatly altered conditions in Europe were 
unable to be acquainted with the new markets. 
These facts are probably not always sufficiently ap¬ 
preciated by the consumers who became more or less 
misguided by the facts that fruit tree stocks were offered 
by so many different firms. 
One Holland firm especially should have credit for the 
fact that it leads in this respect, who brings markets to 
the front which otherwise would be neglected and which 
now. through keen competition tend to lower the price 
and increase the quality. 
One of these markets is Italy. The Italian fruit stock 
region is little known and wrongly estimated, and it is 
for this reason that we thought of giving a brief descrip¬ 
tion of that section of Italy where the Myrobolans are 
grown, and in this way do justice to this market of sup¬ 
ply. 
Italy is a great peninsula that projects from the mass 
nf Europe far to the south into the Mediterranean Sea. 
Its greatest length is from North-West to South-East in 
which direction it measures 718 English miles. Its 
breadth is. owing to its configuration very irregular. The 
northern portion measures about 290 English miles 
while the peninsula, which forms the largest portion of 
the country does not generally measure more than 90 to 
100 miles across. 
It is apparent that the climatic conditions in a country. 
extending from 46.40’ and 37.35’ N. lat. and between 
6.35’ and 18.35’ E. long, must be of enormous variation, 
especially where mountain ranges, plains and seas help 
to increase this difference. Is it therefore any wonder 
that parts of the country have the favorable cool climate 
of central Europe, while others the heat of the North 
African deserts? Great differences therefore exist with 
regards to climate between Northern and Southern Italy, 
due in great part to other circumstances as well as to 
difference in latitude. Thus the great plain of Northern 
Italy is chilled by the cold winds from the Alps, while 
the damp warm winds from the Mediterranean are to a 
great extent intercepted by the Ligurian Apennines. 
Hence this part of the country has a cold winter climate, 
so that the thermometer descends as low as 10 Fahr. 
and the main winter temperature of Turin is actually 
lower than that of Copenhagen. Throughout the region 
north of the Apennines no plant will thrive which cannot 
stand severe frosts in winter. 
In this northern part of Italy, occupied by the basin 
of the River Po, which comprises the whole of the broad 
fertile plain extending from the foot of the Apennines to 
that of the Alps, together with the valleys and slopes on 
both sides of it, lays the little town of Saonara near the 
city of Padu where Messrs. Fratel Li Sgaravatti have 
their great Myrobolan nurseries. 
The soil in this section is alluvian of recent creation 
like all the soil in the Po River Plain. It consists of lime 
with a good quantity of sand and is free from stones. 
The soil by itself is not very fertile and is classified by 
the production tax as 3rd quality. The subsoil is deep, 
irrigation is not possible nor necessary. A little rain in 
the summer is sufficient to insure a free growth. 
The climatic conditions belong to the middle European 
Temperate zone. The flora is deciduous like in Austria. 
Germany, Switzerland and France, and differs greatly 
from Central and Southern Italy, which belong to the 
Mediteranean zone and has the hard leaved flora. 
After Hann, the average temperature in the year of 
Paris, expressed in degrees of Celcius is 11.5, while the 
average temperature of Milan, which is the centre of the 
River Po Plain is 12.8. 
Average temperature in Jan. April July Oct. 
Paris. 2.2 9.8 18.1 9.9 
Milan. 0.5 13.2 24.7 13 3 
which shows that in Northern Italy the winters are cold¬ 
er, the summers warmer than in Paris. 
The average temperature in Padua from 1866 to 1910 
according to observations of the Astronomical Institute 
of the University of Padua is 12.89 with a minimum of 
12.24 in 1875 and a maximum of 13.54 in 1900. 
In Padua the days with rain and snow are about 113 
in the year and the average rainfall in mM. in the period 
of 1872 to 1910 was 871 mM. 
The average number of snowdays in the year is about 
5. 
The climate in Southern Italy is quite different. The 
average temperature in the year of Naples is 15.9. 
Average temperature in Naples in Jan. April July Oct. 
8.2 13.9 24.3 17. 
which goes to show that Naples has no frosts in winter, 
rainfall is seldom and snow unknown. It has the Med- 
