22 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
A VOICE FROM KENTUCKY 
Old Varieties 
Editor National Nurseryman: 
There is no desire to say anything new about crown gall 
or root-knot, only to drop into a reminiscent mood, going 
back nearly seventy years. Fifteen or twenty years ago 
the writer knew nothing about these things, further than 
that an occasional tree of almost any kind might have a 
wart or knot upon its root or stem. In those innocent days, 
it was looked upon as such a visitation as might befall any 
man or animal. 
The Lady apple is distinctively a French kind, dear to 
every Frenchman. Who brought the first to central 
Kentucky, I do not know, but prior to 1840 there were 
bearing trees. Now, my father knew the apple on its native 
heath, and was sure that the strain introduced was not the 
best; for it reproduced from seed with about the same 
certainty as Hestiescling or Henrietta-Lady, and he hast¬ 
ened to procure from his ancestors, the Baumans, then 
French, now German, the very best. This was about 
1840-5. The fruit of the only tree in his collection was the 
joy of my childhood. I have been a manipulator of trees 
all my life, and with childlike curiosity enquired why 
Pomme d’Api, as my father called it, had these knots on the 
stem. He retorted by asking why the mountain cattle had 
pendents from their briskets, and I assumed that these 
peculiarities were natural to their kinds. The tree in our 
collection developed a gall some four inches larger than the 
trunk and all around it. This gall had a wonderful capacity 
to develop sprouts, and was a terror when attacked with 
mallet and chisel. When some fifty years of age it died, 
whether from the gall, old age, overbearing, or what-not, I 
do not know; but it was one of the last survivors of that 
orchard. 
CROWN GALL 
When crown gall came to be a menace, and after the 
passing of the state inspection law. Dr. Garman one day 
began looking for this new terror, and I at once told him 
that it could be found. The second Lady apple tree dug 
had a “blooming knot’’ upon it. We no longer grow Lady 
apple, not because we particularly fear this growth, but 
because it is not popular to have such a thing about. It is 
not held that crown gall is not to be feared, but that it is not 
necessarily fatal. This conclusion is further strengthened 
by experiments made with Miner and Weaver plum trees, 
affected with crown gall, closely cut out. They have done 
just as well as other trees not affected. Our experience is 
that crown gall is sporadic, that it may affect trees of any 
kind, nursery grown, or wildlings, but that land previously 
used for raspberries is especially to be avoided. 
H. F. Hillenmeyer & Sons. 
CONDITIONS IN CONNECTICUT 
Editor National Nurseryman: 
There is a good demand for nursery stock throughout the 
East. Fruit growing is being boomed by farm papers and 
agricultural societies. Capitalists who have heretofore 
largely invested their money and energies in manufacturing 
or pursuits other than agricultural are now beginning to 
turn their attention to agriculture, mostly to fruit growing. 
Manufacturers are rushed with orders requiring increased 
number of operators, causing houses in cities to be scarce and 
rents high in price; but the electric roads are extending their 
lines from the cities in all directions for miles, enabling the 
mechanic to own a small place in the country where he can 
have a garden, a few fruit trees, some poultry, a horse and 
cow, and can go back and forth to work in the city on the 
trolley cars for about a cent a mile. All this means in¬ 
creased demand for nursery stock, and we see no immediate 
likelihood of the sales of nursery stock decreasing. 
Barnes Brothers Nursery Co. 
Yalesville, Conn. 
CONDITIONS IN ONTARIO 
Brown Brothers Co. 
The general tone of business in our section has been very 
good. The demand for stock, especially apple, peach, and 
plum, has been all that we could ask, and the disposition of 
the fruit grower seems to be in the direction of expansion, 
with increasing alertness as to culture, varieties, and 
methods of packing and shipping. The English markets 
seem to have been actually brought nearer by this year’s 
demonstration of the possibilities of refrigeration and pre¬ 
cooling as applied to peaches. The territory of the North¬ 
west as well is being brought within reach by the same 
improved methods and the population of these vast areas 
can no longer be condemned to an Edenless existence. 
Browns Nurseries, Ontario. 
CONDITIONS IN OKLAHOMA 
J. A. Lopeman. 
Oklahoma has not been blessed with its accustomed 
amount of rainfall the past season. With the ground full of 
water in the spring, together with some light rains in April 
and May, the wheat and oats matured a fine crop. The 
drouth through June and July ruined the com but cotton 
and broom-corn made a fair yield, and with prices good for 
all farm products, the country is in very good condition. 
Especially is this true of the farmers. 
Nursery stock, notwithstanding the heat and drouth, 
made a very good growth and sales were good up to latter 
part of the summer. As fall approached with the drouth 
{Continued on page 27) 
Lexington, Ky. 
