THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
333 
native nut. This is in reality the southern hickory, but with 
the shell softened and the meat enriched with higher flavors 
if possible. 
There are those who fear overproduction, but in our judg¬ 
ment the cry is not likely to be heard in our time. The nut 
is not perishable; it can be stored and shipped long distances. 
It is bound to meet with a strong demand and All a large place 
in the dietary of the American people. 
THE NUR¬ 
SERYMAN’S 
BURDEN 
There is no question in our mind that the 
heaviest burden borne by the nurserymen 
of the country is the effort which he makes 
to keep in touch with the constantly in¬ 
creasing number of new varieties of fruits. A glance through 
current fruit catalogs reveals thousands of varieties, many 
of which are obsolete and many having only local repute. 
The labor of preventing confusion and mixing is enormous 
and with the greatest care possible; mistakes will occur. 
The most conscientious propagator is likely to meet con¬ 
fusion in his propagating-house, or in the field through the 
neglect or carelessness of more or less irresponsible employees. 
This raises an important question. Should each nursery¬ 
man attempt to grow this apparently interminable list of 
varieties? Is not, on the other hand, the reputed un¬ 
reliability of certain firms due to the misguided attempts to 
grow everything in the list? Is there any relief from this 
awkward situation? It would seem that there was. It 
would seem that nurserymen could control this situation to 
a large extent. They are in effect the makers of fashion in 
the matter of varieties. Can they not get together and 
agree upon standards in each class of fruits for certain 
districts? To a large extent such standards have been 
established by the American Pomological Society and by 
state horticultural societies. It does not seem thus that it 
would be more difficult to agree upon the propagation of 
certain standards than upon the sale of such at uniform 
prices. Perhaps the latter is a difficult thing to accomplish. 
There is no earthly use of growing more than a dozen varie¬ 
ties of peaches and what person or locality needs more than 
that number of pears or apples ? The paper by Mr. Osborne 
of Rochester on this subject a year ago was timely and to the 
point. Let the Experimental Stations test the new aspir¬ 
ants for public favor; let them pass upon their merits and 
when one appears which worthily replaces an older kind of 
the same class let it be added, but make haste slowly in this 
respect and thus lessen the weight of this, the nurseryman’s 
burden. 
H It has been generally agreed that the 
S THE WORK St. Louis meeting of the American Associa- 
m. OF THE tion of Nurserymen was an unqualified 
ASSOCIATION success. ' This was due in large measure 
S to the good offices and general efficiency 
] of the local committee, the executive of the Association and, 
we should not forget to add, the excellence of the program. 
T In the make-up of the latter there were many important 
5 ' subjects touched upon, most of them of an intensely practical 
¥ natiu-e. 
One of the difficulties with all association work is that in 
the nature of things it lacks continuity. New officers with 
new ideals and ideas come in and the policy and work of the 
association are deflected. The American Association of 
Nurserymen is fortunate, however, in that it has suffered 
comparatively little from this sort of thing and it has done 
splendid work through its committees. Notwithstanding 
this, there is much to be accomplished. Before speaking of 
this, it is gratifying to feel that the business of. the Associa¬ 
tion passed at the last session from the hands of an executive 
of wide training into those of another who in the conduct of 
his own affairs and the large enter]3rise with which he is 
associated has shown ability of an exceptionally high order. 
In Mr. Dayton the Association has secured an executive who 
is practical and will certainly prove efficient. 
We trust that the more important movements which were 
gotten under way during the regime of Mr. vStark will be 
continued. Among these are the root gall experiments, the 
testing of state inspection laws, the working towards definite 
standards in the grading of trees, the elimination of un¬ 
worthy and obsolete varieties and finally the establishment 
of a publicity propaganda which is effective and feasible. 
We are glad to call attention in this issue to the fact that the 
Association placed itself on record as favoring a thorough 
reorganization of its publicity work and the committee 
appointed by President Dayton is one which undoubtedly 
will work out a policy to the benefit and credit of the Asso¬ 
ciation. These are a few lines of work which President 
Dayton will undoubtedly eneourage in every reasonable 
way possible. 
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CONNECTICUT 
NURSERYMAN’S ASSOCIATION 
This active Association celebrated its annual gathering 
on the grounds of the Elm City Nursery in New Haven, 
Conn., on July 26. The Association met in the same place 
and under the same auspices last year. The conditions for 
the meeting were all that could be desired. Recent rains 
had given a green and fresh expression to the herbage and 
the atmospheric conditions were exceedingly agreeable. 
The interest of the meeting at this place was greatly 
enhanced by the display of rare Japanese plants which were 
personally collected by Mr. Ernest F. Coe, President of the 
Elm City Nursery Company during his travels in Japan 
last winter. The skill demonstrated by the unique growth 
and character of these plants and their large variety proved 
an educational feature of exceptional interest to the visitors. 
The meeting partook of the nature of an outing during 
which the nursery tracts and the cultivated stock in its 
varying variety were studied. Leaving the nursery the 
members were carried in autos to the West Shore where a 
satisfying repast awaited them. 
The meeting closed with a short business session following 
the dinner and all agreed that the 1911 outing was one of 
the most enjoyable and profitable ever experienced. It was 
the consensus of opinion also that the pleasure and satisfac¬ 
tion of the day was largely to be credited to the hosts of the 
occasion, the Elm City Nursery Company. (See frontispiece.) 
