296 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
pear, and the standard orchard crops, San Jose scale and bac¬ 
terial blight, pass him by. But we need not expect to re¬ 
main in this semi-paradisical condition. We can be certain 
that as pecan areas increase the parasites of the tree will also 
respond to the improved opportunities for propagation and 
growth. We should, in my judgment, stand together on the 
principle of fighting insects and diseases. Nearly all the im¬ 
portant enemies, especially insect enemies, of our orchard 
crops could have been exterminated or at least controlled, 
had they been taken in.time. Parenthetically, I may add 
that a good many of them were imported. We were not sat¬ 
isfied with our own stock of these pests, so we laid tribute on 
the pestiferous hosts of foreign countries, and planted them 
in our own orchards. But to resume the thread of my dis¬ 
cussion in this connection, I would say that no pecan orchard 
should be abandoned and allowed to become a pest hole or 
a propagating center for the fungous and insect parasites of 
this crop. This association should see to it that such leg¬ 
islative enactments are provided as will enable the proper 
authorities to condemn and destroy any orchard which is 
simply acting as a propagating center for disease or insect 
parasites. Such trees should be cut down and burned under 
direction of state authorities. 
THE NURSERY INTERESTS OF MISSOURI 
J. G. Whitten, Professor of Horticulture, University of Missouri 
In considering the nursery interests of Missouri, it seems 
first desirable to state certain conditions which favor or op¬ 
pose the growth and development of the industry. The de¬ 
velopment of any human activity .depends so largely upon 
natmal conditions and environment that it cannot be prop¬ 
erly considered apart from these. Natural conditions in 
Missouri have favored the development of the nursery in¬ 
terests. 
Our first consideration is the climate. The state occupies 
a central position between north and south and between east 
and west. This admits of the growing of the large range of 
species and varieties of fruit trees and ornamental plants. 
This fact is indicated by our natural flora, which embraces 
northern, southern, eastern, and western species of plants. 
In fact, the overlapping in Missouri of representative species 
of the extreme parts of the country is perhaps even rernark- 
able. Our flora embraces plants of the Rocky Mountain 
region, to some degree, as well as those of the Atlantic slope. 
Hardy northern species often reach as far south as Missouri, 
while many species of the Gulf States find their northern 
range in this state. With this natural flora also are em¬ 
braced a rich flora in our native fruits, such as crab apples, 
plums, cherries, berries, and very emphatically our native 
grapes. 
FRUITS NATIVE TO MISSOURI 
Our Vitis riparia, or river bank grape, which is the har¬ 
diest and most northern species of the American grapes, 
grows side by side in the same woodland with the Vitis 
Aestivalis, or summer grape, of the central states and South¬ 
west. The still more southwest Lincecumii, or southwestern 
summer grape, also reaches splendid development in the 
Ozark Mountain region. Even the Vitis rotundifolia, or 
southern grape, of which the Scuppemong is the leading cul¬ 
tivated representative, grows wild adjacent to the swamp 
region in southeastern Missouri. 
The prairie states crab of the far northwest is found here 
along with the more southern pawpaw and persimmon. The 
Soulard crab, now recognized as a hybrid between the wild 
crab and the common apple, first came to notice in this state 
where it grows and fruits abundantly. 
The Prunus Americana, or the northern native wild plum’ 
overlaps in this section with the southern Chickasaw type’ 
These two have hybridized somewhat abundantly in nature, 
giving rise to the hybrid type of plums known as Prunus 
hortulana. 
Added to these are blackberries, dewberries, and rasp¬ 
berries, some of which have already been brought into culti¬ 
vation from the wild. The black wild cherries and choke 
cherries also reach splendid development, and the omomental 
shrubs and trees found native in Missouri are too numerous 
to mention here. 
This varied and abundant natural fruit flora shows con¬ 
clusively that the soil and climatic conditions favor the growth 
of kindred species in the nursery. Among our best nursery 
soils should be mentioned the loess soil which comprises large 
areas along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. Through¬ 
out the State this deep, rich, mellow, well drained soil is 
among the most favorable for general nursery work. Some 
of our high, deep, black, sandy river bottom soils are also 
unexcelled as nursery lands. Some of the richest soils of the 
Ozark region such, for instance, as those in Lawrence county, 
are also favorable for the nursery business. Some of the 
nurseries of the State also thrive well on the rich, deep, mellow 
prairie soils of the western part of the State. 
DEVELOPMENT OF NURSERY BUSINESS 
The history of the development of the nursery business in 
Missouri has been an interesting one. Recorded data con¬ 
cerning its development exists largely in the reports of the 
Missouri State Horticultural Society, which cover something 
more than the last fifty years, and in the files of our older 
agricultural journals, such as Caiman's Rural World. Many 
of these interesting facts have been compiled by Professor 
C. H. Butcher of Warrensburg, Missouri, and appear in the 
Proceedings of the American Pomological Society for 1905, 
page 90. In additition, some of the older nurserymen now 
living are able to contribute facts concerning the pioneer 
work. Quoting from Professor Butcher: “There is legend¬ 
ary and mythological evidence that there were two nurseries 
in Missouri in the year 1800. In 1850, we had some thirty- 
two, and in 1895, more than four hundred.” Of course, the 
