36° 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
A sample of peach stock carrying dormant buds. The Storrs & Harrison Company, Painesville, Ohio. 
when we find Jesse Storrs located on some eighty acres of 
land near the village of Painesville engaged in general farm¬ 
ing, but growing a few fruit trees and ornamentals on the 
side to supply a small local trade. Here we find him soon 
after joined by an Englishman, j. j. Harrison who has all 
his life been interested in gardening and propagating and 
who at this time is engaged in what was at that period a 
very important business, namely the retopping (top-grafting) 
of the numerous seedling apple orchards throughout the coun¬ 
try with the newer and more valuable named varieties of 
that period. These two then, the farmer-nurseryman and 
the propagator joined hands and gradually built up what has 
in this day and in the second generation developed into 
probably the most comprehensive nursery establishment in 
regard to the scope of its products, in the entire country. 
The nursery of today in¬ 
cludes in its area the original 
location, and where the 
green-houses stand was the 
spot where the enterprise 
started some sixty years 
ago. The evolution of a 
great business like this 
makes a story of surpass¬ 
ing interest. Beginning 
with the common run of 
outdoor, hardy plants, as 
fruits and decorative 
shrubs, we find that the 
demands of the times were 
soon answered by the 
erection of green-houses for 
the propagation of tender 
plants. The green-house side of the business has been in 
operation for over forty years. As this progressed, the allied 
business of seed growing and handlingjwas suggested and we 
find that the seed business was added some twenty-five 
years ago and is now an integral part of the whole enter¬ 
prise. Then came the extension of the areas devoted to 
hardy ornamentals and the gradual increase of herbaceous 
plants and roses till these two occupy more than a hundred 
acres. 
Soil and Location. 
The head-quarters of the old establishment was located 
on a slightly elevated plain about a mile from the shore of 
Lake Erie. From this point to the lake there is a gentle 
but continuous fall so that excellent drainage is afforded. 
Not only is soil drainage desirable in fruit growing but air 
drainage is equally important. Undoubtedly much of the 
success which has attended the efforts of this firm may be 
attributed to favorable location in reference to soil and 
climate. This is not said 
with a view of detracting 
any iota from the personal 
credit which is due to the 
members of the firm, for, 
however favorable soil and 
climate may be, these con¬ 
ditions must be backed up 
by knowledge and intelli¬ 
gence, good business 
methods and perseverance 
in order to erect a great 
enterprise of this kind. 
The soil of the Lake Erie 
region varies somewhat 
from light gravelly loam 
characteristic of the old 
shore bed to streaks of clay 
and sandy clay. These differences are characteristic of the 
Painesville region and to these soils are also added black 
muck loams, very desirable for the cultivation of heaths 
and some of the perennials. 
