Cbc IDational IRurscrvman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK 
The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated 
Vol. XXVIII. HATBORO, PENNA., NOVEMBER 1920 No. 11 
Tree and Shrub Seeds 
Trees and shrub seeds begin to ripen in early summer 
on some varieties, but during the harvest time of the fall 
is when the great majority come to maturity. Such con¬ 
spicuous kinds as the acorns from the Oak, the showy 
fruits of the Viburnum, Pyrus and such like are easily 
seen, but in many shrubs and trees the seeds are hidden 
away in a very inconspicuous manner, and are easily 
overlooked. If you wish to get them you have to be 
more or less familiar with the nature and character of 
the plant. 
Many nurserymen miss the opportunity of collecting 
seed in their own locality, preferring to buy from those 
who make a practice of it. This would be all very well 
if it were possible to always get just what was wanted 
in good condition, but the propagator would find that 
seed collected by himself would cost very much less 
when everything is considered, and he would have the 
satisfaction of knowing just what he was sowing. 
Just as soon as seeds are ripe they should be gathered. 
It is not always possible or convenient to clean them and 
put them up in packages ready for use, but there is an 
advantage in having them on hand in any condition il 
they are needed. A good plan is to never let seed go to 
waste if it can be avoided. Gather it and put it in a safe 
place out of reach of vermin until such time as it is 
needed. In a general way, the proper time to sow seed is 
as soon as ripe, but from a practical standpoint this is 
not always feasible. Some of the tree and shrub seeds 
take too long to germinate, and it is a waste of ground 
and labor to sow them and keep the ground free from 
weeds until they germinate. 
If they are sown as soon as ripe, the ground has to be 
kept weeded and in good condition for such a long per¬ 
iod that when the time does arrive for them to germinate, 
the storms and other weather conditions have very likely 
washed away the greater part of them. 
A much better plan is to stratify them as soon as they 
are matured. This may be done by placing them in thin 
layers in a box, alternating with an inch or two of sand. 
To save time in separating them from sand, when it is 
necessary to sow them, a good plan is to place them be¬ 
tween thin burlap in the sand, in shallow boxes, the ob¬ 
ject being to give them the same conditions as if they 
were sown in the ground. The boxes may be either 
buried in the ground or left in some out of the way place 
where they will be safe from vermin. 
Providing conditions of moisture are right, freezing 
does not harm them. In fact, it is considered beneficial 
for some kinds. 
When the ground becomes in right condition in the 
spring they should he taken out of the boxes and sown, 
when they will germinate in the natural course of things 
and will have an even chance with the crop of weeds. 
A well ordered nursery gathers the seeds as they ma¬ 
ture and on wet days cleans and stores them away for 
future use. 
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOUTHWESTERN 
ASSOCIATION OF NURSERYMEN 
The Southwestern Association of Nurserymen met in 
annual convention in a very interesting two day’s ses¬ 
sion at Dallas, Texas, on September the 22nd and 23d. 
Secretary Chas. Saville of the Chamber of Commerce 
of the city bade the delegates welcome at the opening of 
the Convention and Hon. E. W. Kirkpatrick, ol McKin¬ 
ney, responded in his usual able manner. President Jim 
Parker, of Tecumseh, Okla., in his annual address which 
was filled with good things, made the special point of the 
Southwestern nurserymen advertising their stock as 
“Hardy Southern Grown” in as much as all stock grown 
in the South and Southwest is always perfectly matured 
owing to the gradual, rather than abrupt, coming ot the 
fall and winter season in this climate. All nurserymen 
know that ability to withstant the severe northern cli¬ 
mates is inherent in the varieties and not in the locali¬ 
ties of the plants’ early days. 
The members resident in Dallas did themselves proud 
with a splendid get-together luncheon and musical pro¬ 
gram at the Oriental Hotel at noon of the first day of the 
Convention. It was heartily enjoyed by the thirty-five or 
forty members present. 
In the matter of special courses in Nursery Training 
our Southwestern States represented in this Association 
are not behind, Mr. M. E. Hayes of the Extension Div¬ 
ision of the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College 
declared, and told of the course now being offered there 
under the direction of Dean E. J. Kyle. 
The matter of legislation and a new uniform Inspec¬ 
tion Law for all of the Southern States now under con¬ 
sideration was discussed by Mr. J. R. Mayhew of Waxa- 
hachie, who reported the Proceedings of the Southern 
Nurserymens Convention which was held recently at 
Charleston, S. C., in as much as matters affected the nur¬ 
sery interests of the Southwest. 
Other speakers on the program were John S. Kerr, of 
Sherman, Texas, on “Landscape Development;” Louis J. 
Tackett, State Nursery and Orchard Inspector, Fort 
Worth, on “Quarantines and their effect on Trade;” W. 
A. Wagner, of Sherman, on “Maintaining morale of 
Salesmen;” J. B. Baker, of Baker Brothers Co., Fort 
Worth, on “Ornamentals for the Southwest;” Will B. 
Munson, Denison, on “Labor Problems” and impromptu 
