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FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK 
Copyrighted 1908 by the National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated. 
Vol. XVI. ROCHESTER, N. Y., JUNE, 1908 No. 6 
THE NURSERIES OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
The nurserymen of Pennsylvania are active and pro¬ 
gressive in catering to the demands of modern times for 
first class stock both in fruit and ornamental lines. The 
value of the nursery products in this state is over half a 
million dollars as shown by recent statistics, even when 
omitting from the count many small nurseries which do only 
a limited local trade. The nursery inspector reported a 
year ago 170 nurseries with a total acreage of 3000 acres, 
but two thirds of this stock is owned by seven firms located 
in the region about Philadelphia. These seven are: Hoopes 
Bros. & Thomas, WestChester, 600 acres; Andorra Nurseries, 
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, 350 acres; Thomas Meehan & 
Sons, Inc., Germantown and Dreshertown, 265 acres; 
Wm. H. Moon Co., Morrisville, 225 acres; Geo. Achelis, 
West Chester, 200 acres; Rakestraw and Pyle, Kennett 
Square, 150 acres; T. N. Yates & Co., Germantown and 
North Wales, 100 acres. 
SAMUEL C. MOON, MORRISVILLE. 
Of all the nurseries in Pennsylvania the oldest established 
is that of Samuel C. Moon near Morrisville. His father 
Mahlon Moon began business as a nurseryman upon the 
same ground in 1849 an( l there may be seen many magnifi¬ 
cent ornamental trees which were planted fifty years ago. 
HOOPES BROS. & THOMAS. 
THOMAS MEEHAN & SONS. 
The nurseries of Thomas Meehan & Sons had their 
beginning in 1854 when the senior members of the firm 
j commenced business with six acres of land in and about 
j Germantown. He had associated with him William 
Saunders, afterwards Superintendent of the grounds of the 
United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 
Both of these gentlemen are now dead, but the nurseries, 
under the vigorous management of Thomas Meehan’s 
three sons—Thomas B., J. Franklin, and S. Mendelson 
Meehan—are enjoying great prosperity. The late Thomas 
Meehan was well known as a horticultural writer, having 
edited for many years The Gardeners’ Monthly. In 1902 
the firm of Thomas Meehan & Sons was incorporated with a 
capital stock of $100,000.00. It includes a wholesale 
department with grounds and office at Dreshertown, Pa., 
a retail department with grounds and offices in Germantown 
and a landscape department with office also in German¬ 
town. A choice and extensive line of ornamental stock is 
constantly being propagated. 
GEORGE ACHELIS. 
Geo. Achelis has carried on an extensive nursery busi¬ 
ness at West Chester since 1866 when he purchased a half 
interest in a nursery of 65 acres which was established 
about fifteen years earlier. He secured the entire property 
about 30 years ago and has steadily increased his acreage 
until he covered, as at present, 200 acres. His stock is 
extensive along both fruit and ornamental lines and his 
soils are well chosen for nursery purposes. 
MOUNT AIRY NURSERIES. 
In 1869 the Mount Airy Nurseries were established in 
Germantown by Miller and' Yates with about 6 acres of 
land. This firm did considerable landscape work. The 
senior member of the firm, Charles Miller, now deceased, was 
Landscape Gardener of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. 
This establishment comprises over 100 acres of land for 
nursery purposes and is conducted under the management 
of Thaddeus N. Yates and Co. 
RAKESTROW & PYLE. 
Rakestrow & Pyle have been large propagators of fruit 
stock since about 1870 and have long enjoyed the reputa¬ 
tion for putting out first class trees. They do a general 
nursery business of both small and large ornamentals in 
connection with their heavy trade in fruit trees. 
The nursery of Hoopes Bros. & Thomas was established 
in 1853 by Josiah Hoopes with one small greenhouse and 
two acres of seedlings and cuttings. As the business 
warranted expansion more glass and more acres of land 
were added until now there are over 25,000 square feet of 
glass and 600 acres devoted to growing nursery stock. 
Josiah Hoopes was a great lover of Botany and devoted 
much time to the scientific side of the nursery business. 
He published in 1868 his “Book of Evergreens’’ which is a 
valuable contribution to the literature on coniferae. He 
died in January 1904. Abner Hoopes and George Thomas, 
who have been in the firm since its early days, continue the 
business with the most careful attention to every detail. 
First class fruit trees are the great specialty of this firm, 
but their ornamentals constitute a great nursery in them¬ 
selves. 
