142 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
HORTICULTURE IN JAPAN, AS SEEN BY AN AMERICAN 
NURSERYMAN 
By E. F. Coe 
The old style gardening methods and the unpopularity of 
fruits as an article of food together with the lack of any 
quick methods of transportation did not make a combina¬ 
tion calculated to encourage the development of large nur¬ 
sery interests in Japan under the old regime. Conditions 
are rapidly changing, so rapidly in fact that “picturesque 
old Japan” bids fair to soon be a thing of the past. West- 
tem methods of living are being adopted very rapidly. The 
use of tree fruits is becoming very general for food, so that 
large areas are being planted to Apples, Pears, Plums, 
Peaches, Persimmons, Cherries, Grapes, Oranges, etc., while 
berries of all kinds are not being neglected. Re-foresting of 
the mountains where careless lumbering in the past has done 
much mischief, is going on on a large scale. 
The demand for Ornamental Nursery stock is now large. 
Many new large fortunes are being made, calling for many 
new estates which, while largely developed along time 
honored Japanese landscape lines mostly show the influ¬ 
ence of western methods with the materially increased use 
of ornamental stock. The cities especially the larger ones 
are making rapid modifications, making them more and 
more in line with western ideas which calls for an increased 
demand for street and park trees, etc. An export trade has 
also developed for Japan’s many attractive trees and shrubs 
which is undoubtedly rapidly increasing. 
All these active forces together with good transportation 
facilities have encouraged the nursery business to rapidly 
develop within the last few years until now it has assumed 
large proportions in certain favored sections especially in 
the near vicinity of Yokohama, Tokyo, and Osaka. Today, 
large quantities of small forest trees, ornamental evergreens, 
fruit trees, etc., are being propagated by very much the same 
methods that are in popular vogue both in America and 
Europe; and also large quantities of the picturesque dwarfed 
and much twisted flowering shrubs and evergreens in pots so 
popular with the Japanese for forcing and house decoration 
are being raised, but as most of this special stock demands 
much individual care and attention its culture is largely in 
the hands of small growers who can afford to give it the 
extra care this class of stock demands. 
The Japanese are now rapidly realizing the importance of 
watching out for plant enemies. The Experiment Stations 
are doing good work along this line and enjoy the co-opera¬ 
tion of the important nursery interests. Stringent laws will 
undoubtedly soon come into effect with the purpose of 
controlling such matters along similar lines to those being 
adopted by other countries. All in all, the nursery interests 
in Japan appear to the writer to have a bright future. 
New Haven, Conn. The Elm City Nursery Co. 
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL 
Editor National Nurseryman: 
Sir:—Your March number, as usual, seems to be full of 
interesting matter. 
There is one article on page 104 in regard to wholesale 
nurserymen publishing their prices in periodicals and 
advertising mediums, which puts us in mind of a good deal 
of talk during the past few years at our conventions, when 
many wholesale nurserymen have expressed themselves 
strongly against wholesalers furnishing planters with their 
trade lists. 
Our attention has been called during the last few days to 
three different cases where wholesale companies have given 
planters the benefit of their lowest wholesale rates as sent 
out to dealers and in one case besides giving the lowest 
wholesale price as published, have offered to pay the freight 
on goods which was in the neighborhood of a thousand miles 
distant from their place of business. 
It seems to me that it would be just as well to^drop this 
subject and quit talking about it or have some understand¬ 
ing about furnishing members with names of the firms 
making such offers. 
We do know that some wholesale concerns refuse to send 
out their lists to planters, but certainly if it is fair for one, it 
is fair for all. Yours truly, 
T. J. Ferguson. 
NEW ROSES WORTH GROWING 
{Continued from page 141) 
very pure and chaste. Flowers of good substance and form. Very 
vigorous branching habit. An ideal rose. 
Mrs. Dudley Cross —Apparently an improved Marie Van 
Houtte. Buds extremely large, well pointed, opening into a mam¬ 
moth bloom that stands the sun well. A vigorous grower and very . 
constant. 
Mrs. Edw.yrd Vicars —Bright carmine shaded rose. A very - 
promising variety. 
Mrs. B. R. Cant —Not a novelty, but the trade has the habit of 
overlooking good things every now and then. One of the very best 
garden roses extant. Color dark carmine, flushed crimson. Very 
free and constant, rank grower and about the best of its color. 
Paula —A vigorous free flowering variety of erect habit. Color 
sulphur yellow, with deeper center. Of very recent introduction, - 
but it promises well. 
W. R. Smith —Like Helen Gould this rose is of such exceptional 
merit, but it may be well to include it in this list, as many nursery¬ 
men are not acquainted with it. It is much like the Cochet in 
growth, vigor, freedom and formation of flower. It ranks with the . 
Cochets and Helen Gould, and this is the greatest praise that any 
garden rose can receive. In color it is rose pink, salmon pink, 
shaded with flesh, and various light tints, which make a combination . 
difficult to describe. 
