THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
many of the fruit tree stocks that formerly came to Amer¬ 
ica must now he used to replant the destroyed orchards 
and fruit trees of France and Belgium. 
In visiting the nurseries throughout France where 
they grow the apple, pear and cherry seedlings, we found 
a pitiful state of affairs. Many of the men had been 
killed in the war and the nurseries had been kept going 
by the older men and women left behind. Of course, to 
a large extent they were in bad shape. It will take several 
years before they are back to their former standard. In 
the meantime the great shortage of seedling crop is being 
felt not only in Europe but in America as well. 
For instance, apple seedlings that used to cost us $5.00 
or $6.00 are now worth $50.00 and $60.00, and we can 
only get a few at any price, and some of the other sorts 
are even worse. In other words, in the world today there 
is probably less than one-fifth the normal supply of stocks 
for the purpose of producing fruit trees. It will take a 
good many years to get the production hack to normal, es¬ 
pecially in France, where out of about ten million able- 
bodied men they have lost about two million killed and as 
many more crippled for life, and of course a lot of others 
have been ill and won’t get back to work in normal shape 
for years; some of them never. Then, in addition, in 
many sections, they haven’t recovered from their suffer¬ 
ing and malnutrition during the war. 
In America the seeds used to produce American-grown 
fruit tree seedlings nearly all come from France and as 
there has been no seed to amount to anything coming 
from France the American crop has been reduced to a 
very small proportion of the former output. This terrific 
scarcity of fruit tree stocks, coupled with the fact that 
nearly all nurserymen turned their acreage into produc¬ 
ing cereals during the war, has greatly reduced the 
supply of fruit trees in this country, and this situation is 
even worse in other countries. In three or four years it is 
to be hoped we will be back to normal in America, but it 
will take them much longer than this in France. 
The French people love their fruit trees and orchards 
almost as their children and that is why there was such 
indignation and horror when the enemy deliberately de¬ 
stroyed all the fruit trees as they retreated. The French 
Government Post office issues calendars each year. On 
these calendars they have pictures of two or three dif¬ 
ferent kinds. On last year’s set one of the pictures 
showed a French orchard with all the trees cut and fallen 
on the ground with the bare stumps glistening in the sun¬ 
light, and with it was a statement showing the French 
hatred for an enemy who kills harmless, helpless fruit, 
trees. I saw this calendar displayed prominently in 
nearly all the homes and shops throughout France. I 
mention this merely to show how close the heart of the 
Frenchman is tied up in his fruit trees. He feels toward 
his fruit trees a good deal like the American master feels 
toward his faithful dog. 
Since the war America has realized the great value of 
her orchards and the great necessity of keeping up her 
orchards. She knows the tremendous food values and 
health-giving qualities of her fruit products. The war 
accentuated more than ever before in the minds of the 
people in general not only the value but the absolute 
necessity of plenty of good ripe or well canned fruit for 
the proper development of children and the maintenance 
of health. 
The tremendously increased interest in orchard plant¬ 
ing and iruit growing in general is the result. The cen¬ 
tral west especially is realizing the enormous profits to he 
made irom well cared lor orchards of the best modern 
varieties of Iruit, and more and more of the far-seeing 
orchardists are planting high quality varieties and var¬ 
ieties resistant to disease and eliminating such weakling 
trees as Ben Davis, etc. 
In one of our leading central-western states the State 
Horticultural authorities have reported that in the last 
ten years there has been a loss of 50% in bearing or¬ 
chards. Tins is primarily due to one thing -Ben 
Davis! Too many Ben Davis were planted. Ben Davis 
is a very weak tree, especially susceptible to all kinds of 
canker. There was, shortly alter the great Ben Davis 
planting in this state a let-up of interest in orchards, con¬ 
sequently many ol these trees were not properly pruned 
and cared lor, nence when the interest again revived they 
were heavily pruned—too heavily pruned. This simply 
invited the entrance of canker and as most of these trees 
happened to be Ben Davis the canker literally wiped 
them out by the thousands, and today, where vigorous, 
healthy orcliards might have been, there are a few snags 
and stumps. If these men who planted Ben Davis had 
planted some variety with a good healthy tree they would 
ne making thousands of doflars today where they are 
making nothing but pasture rent. 
There are those who still defend the Ben Davis and 
there is no question but what in some orchards it has 
been a great profit-maker, but the trouble is, as soon as 
the tree gets a little age it will pass out and this is where 
the big loss comes. Also, it is not right to grow such com¬ 
mon fruit as the Ben Davis apple—such poor quality— 
for the American public, when good varieties can be 
grown just as cheaply— high quality sorts that will bring 
even more money than Ben Davis, live longer, and will 
give far greater satisfaction to the ultimate consumer. 
If one wishes to plant an apple of the Ben Davis type 
there are one or two which have all the good bearing 
quality of the old Ben, a stronger tree, not susceptible to 
canker and an apple that is better quality and far more 
beautiful than the old Ben. 
Going back once more to the French orchards: There is 
one thing that stands out when one investigates the 
French fruit industry and that is the Frenchman appre¬ 
ciates quality in fruits. In America our buyers in the 
past have paid too much attention to appearance and too 
little to what was under the skin. In France the popular 
varieties are all high quality varieties. They won’t grow 
or use poor quality apples, such as the Ben Davis, and 
the popular peaches, are the high quality peaches, and 
the popular pears the high quality pears. 
In America we are learning and the public is rapidly 
coming to appreciate the difference in quality of the var¬ 
ious varieties of fruits. This is especially true in the large 
cities and is getting more and more true in the smaller 
towns as well as among our farm population. 
We can learn much from the French when it comes to 
producing large quantities of fruits on small acreage, 
back yard gardens, etc., but from a commercial stand¬ 
point their orchards are not as well systematized and 
