622 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
of the lighters were like so many giant fire flies flashing in 
and out among the trees. A great canopy of smoke hung 
over the orchards, pierced here and there by various air cur¬ 
rents giving an occasional glimpse of the clear sky and the 
sparkling stars overhead. The sun, rising in the east from 
behind the majestic mountains of the Continental Divide, 
suddenly appeared a great globe of red gold in the sky and 
proved a welcome sight to the tired frost fighters whose 
work was at an end for that night. It’s no child’s play, this 
frost fighting business. It’s a grand battle from start to 
finish, but the reward for the grower after the fight has been 
won is ample and satisfying, for the use of the orchard 
heater simply means the difference between a good crop and 
no crop at all. 
The frost this year during the danger period was much 
more severe than last season, but on the other hand, the 
growers were better equipped to fight the elements, and as a 
result reaped larger reward from their efforts. 
It would appear that oil is the favored fuel, and that from 
75 to ioo fire pots to the acre are required to insure im¬ 
munity from killing temperatures. This means that the 
fruit grower is expected to expend on frost insurance about 
$10.00 per acre. Where the revenue may amount to four or 
five hundred dollars per acre this amount is comparatively 
insignificant. But on the other hand it means a good deal 
to the grower who is struggling under the handicap of insuffi¬ 
cient capital and waiting impatiently for the orchard to 
reach the productive period to allow him to square himself 
in the financial world. 
Possibilities of this kind tend to throw fruit growing 
enterprises in the hands of capitalists, those who are able to 
command capital. To some extent this is regrettable. 
WEATHER CONDITIONS 
IN THE EAST 
Although the latter part of April and the fore part of 
May were unseasonably cold and greatly in contrast with the 
warm wave of the preceding weeks, yet the danger frost line 
does not seem to have been passed, and the outlook for a 
good crop of apples, pears and peaches in the western part of 
the State of New York is excellent. Small fruits, including 
strawberries, promise well. Here and there away from the 
tempering influence of large bodies of water, peaches were 
considerably injured. 
IN THE MIDDLE WEST 
The damage to the fruit crops in the Middle West is 
undoubtedly discouragingly heavy. Reports from Michi¬ 
gan say that peaches are destroyed in unprotected situations 
and injured practically everywhere. Apples and pears are 
very much hurt. Oceana county suffered heavily. 
In Indiana and Southern Illinois conditions are very 
irregular. Some orchards appear to be cleaned out while 
others promise a fair crop, but the damage appears to run 
everywhere from complete destruction to something like 
fifty per cent of a crop. 
Georgia reports show that injury varied from little to 
severe, meaning io or 15% to 75 or 80% destroyed. So far 
as we can learn the cold wave did not seriously effect con¬ 
ditions west of the Rockies. 
personal fdentton 
C. W. McNair, Dansville, N. Y., called at the office on 
the afternoon of May eighteenth. 
Win. C. Moon, Morrisville, Pa., made a short call upon 
the Business Manager on May 20. He was in Rochester 
a short time on business. 
Mr. J. McHutchison of McHutchison & Co., New York, 
returned from abroad May 12, on the steamer “Oceanic”. 
He reports a very pleasant trip. 
Mr. W. van Kleef, Jr., representing W. van Kleef & Sons, 
Boskoop, Holland, spent several days in Rochester, May 
19 to 21. He had just come from western points and re¬ 
ported business to be better than last year. After visiting 
nurserymen in this section he left for New York, Phila¬ 
delphia and other cities in the East. Mr. van Kleef sails 
June 8, on the Lusitana. 
H. G. Benckhuysen representing H. den Ouden & Son, 
The Old Farm Nurseries, Boskoop, Holland, called upon us 
May 17, to make our acquaintance and talk over business 
conditions. Mr. Benckhuysen had just come from Iowa 
and Illinois and reports that everywhere prosperity seems to 
reign. He left for Boston and other eastern points. June 
14 is the date on which he will sail for Holland. 
PETER OF THE WILD WEST 
Peter Youngers of Youngers & Co., Geneva, Neb., in the days of 
yore was a great fighter and hunter on the plains of Nebraska, so F.A. 
Weber, chairman of the Entertainment Committee, tells us. Mr. 
Youngers has promised to meet the convention delegation at some 
point near St. Joseph, Mo., and will be ready to tell “the boys’’ some 
stories about the way they “used to fit” the Indians in them days 
out on the sandy prairies of Western Nebraska. What Pete don’t 
know about that country isn’t worth telling. He can show points 
“way off yonder” where he camped out and shot buffalo and stalked 
deer, etc. Gracious Peter! 
HOW CAN HE? 
Chairman Weber wants to do two things at once, to wit, be in 
St. Louis when the Rochester car arrives and yet be in Denver one 
day ahead of the schedule to complete arrangements with his com¬ 
mittee and with the Denver people. We are sorry that we can offer 
no solution that will enable him to carry out the double program. 
A COMMENDABLE THEFT 
Chairman E. P. Bemardin of the Exhibits Committee invaded 
the sacred precincts of the family album to send the National Nur¬ 
seryman his photograph to be placed along with those of the other 
Chairmen of Committees. Such domestic audacity is truly com¬ 
mendable especially when the cause is so worthy. Will some of our 
Nurserymen friends go and do likewise? All of the pictures that 
should be in our Hall of Fame—some call it the Rogue’s Gallery— 
are not there. 
WINFIELD RASPBERRY 
The year book of the United States Department of Agri¬ 
culture for 1909 illustrates the Winfield Black Raspberry, 
introduced last year by the Winfield Nursery Company of 
Winfield, Kansas. The special features of value possessed 
by this variety are earliness, good quality, vigor of plant and 
general hardiness. 
