Ok IHational nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK 
The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated 
Vol. XXVIII. HATBORO, PENNA., DECEMBER 1920 No. 12 
Growing Material for the Florist's Trade 
The proper co-operation between the fnursery and 
Florists Trades has never been developed to the extent 
that would seem called for by their close connection. 
The fault seems to be rather on the side of the nursery¬ 
men, as they are to a great extent the growers of the raw 
materials which the florist works up into a condition for 
the consuming public. 
There are many florists who also do a nursery bus¬ 
iness, in fact, try to cover the whole scope of Horticul¬ 
tural Art from making a funeral design or decorating for 
a society function, to laying out an estate, and perhaps 
in fewer instances the same may be said about the nur¬ 
serymen. 
There is no reason why they should not if their organ¬ 
ization is big enough to carry experts to compete with 
specialists in the various lines. 
But this is an age of specialists, and usually'all the 
concentration and skill available is necessary to carry on 
one branch of the busiess successfully. 
With the shutting off of the foreign supply of what 
might be termed the raw material in the way of plants 
for forcing, it opens up a big field that is in the province 
oi the nursery grower. It remains to be seen if the nur¬ 
serymen proper will force the llorist’s trade to grow its 
own material. While it is foolish to attempt to draw an 
arbitrary line between the florist and nurseryman, the 
fact remains there is a recognized province for each, due 
to the fact that the florist trade is largely one of green¬ 
houses and stores, while the nursery trade is growing 
upon acreage. 
The nursery trade should plan to propagate all the 
plants the florists need, and bring them to the stage de¬ 
sired, which is usually “ready to be forced.” It is only 
necessary to recall the large quantity of Rhododendrons, 
Azaleas, Deutzias, Roses and other hard wooded plants, 
that used to be imported to realize the immense demand 
for early spring blooming subjects the florist needs in his 
business. Unless it is available the florist trade will 
either grow them itself, or substitute bulbs, herbaceous 
and what is generally known as greenhouse plants for 
the winter demand for plants for interior decoration. 
There is no doubt the florist trade will develop its own 
growers of greenhouse plants, that were formerly im¬ 
ported. Its equipment is along the line necessary for the 
pioduction of this class of plants, but for the propaga¬ 
tion and material of woody plants the nurseryman is in 
the best position to give the florist what he needs. 
There are endless ways in which the florist trade could 
be catered to to the advantage of both trades. Ever¬ 
greens for winter is one of them. Few nurseries make 
any special effort to give the florist trade all it needs in 
tubbed evergreens for porch decoration or small ever¬ 
greens for window boxes, or cut evergreens for interior 
decoration, yet there are many beautiful subjects prac¬ 
tically unknown to the florist that could be grown in 
quantity for the purposes of cutting. 
There may he reasons the Southern Smilax, Holly Ga¬ 
lax leaves, Laurel, Ferns, Mahonia, etc., are gathered 
from the wild and shipped long distances in such quan¬ 
tities, but those reasons are not complimentary to the 
enterprise of the nursery trade, and this source may be 
permanent but it is very much like wasting natural re¬ 
sources. 
Then there is a big field in ornamental berried plants, 
the florist trade knows very little about, and it is up to 
the nurserymen to show them. One can almost imagine 
the sensation a big supply ,of Celastius scandens, Ilex 
verticilata, deciduous Euonymus, would cause if it were 
available in quantity and in prime condition for the 
florist decorating trade. 
Bud Selection 
What Henry W. Kruckeherg, Secretary of the California 
Growth and Development 
In the evolution of the nursery and fruit industry the 
one big object that was ever uppermost in the minds of 
nurserymen was the betterment of their product, not 
only with respect to health and vigor, but more particul¬ 
arly in the selection of the best varieties for special pur¬ 
poses and for particular conditions of soil and climate. 
Much has been learned in this direction that has proven 
of practical application. The nursery interests, with 
their working knowledge obtained through experience, 
are quite ready to supply the most adaptable varieties for 
varying conditions, affording root stocks and buds that 
are reasonably certain to give satisfactory results in both 
the growth of the plant and the quality of its product. 
The increase of land values and more discriminating 
Assn, of Nurserymen says about the Bud Selection Idea 
markets (due to a constantly increasing volume of pro¬ 
duct) and the variable character of trees and quality of 
fruit produced, has emphasized and made imperative that 
if California horticulture is to render maximum returns 
in the future on investments, the quality and bearing 
capacity of all her fruit trees and vines must be im¬ 
proved. And this leads directly to the subject of bud se¬ 
lection. 
A Pivotal Movement 
Individual plantsmen have been diligent in their search 
for buds from trees yielding quantity and quality fruit 
of types fulfilling these requirements. Individuals, too, 
have been scrupulously careful to use only the best ma¬ 
terial and grow their stock with care. Still the results 
have been individual rather than general, which has re- 
