THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
397 
duty it is to look out for the appearance of insect and 
fungous pests. True, it may cost from $900 to $1,200 a 
year if the man’s services are maintained winter as well as 
summer but when we consider that this amount may be 
spread over 60 or 250 acres of nursery stock, it is a 
comparatively light tax. Again his services may not be 
required during the entire year. Three months in the sum¬ 
mer will cover the period of active insect and fungous inva¬ 
sion. It is often possible at this time, to secure the services 
of a reliable young man from one of the agricultural colleges, 
who is making a specialty of insects and fungi. This man 
should patrol the stock and be constantly on the alert for 
the appearance of injurious parasites. Such a man could 
probably be secured for $75 per month and would in the 
majority of cases earn his wages many times over. In deal¬ 
ing with insects and fungi, prevention is more than half the 
battle. The point is that a superintendent, however 
observant and however active he may be, cannot catch 
everything in time, but if an inspector were on deck he 
wo\ild not only observe the beginning of the attack but keep 
up the spraying until the enemy was routed. It seems to 
us that the larger nursery men might well give more atten¬ 
tion to this feature of nursery stock growing. 
The season for the handling of stock in 
storage has now arrived. In regard to 
the best methods of storing stock there is 
a diversity of opinion. Some growers 
believe in covering the stock with soil 
after the older style of trenching in. Others cord it and pack 
with moss, while others cord tightly and give no protection 
whatever. Undoubtedly all these methods are successful 
with different men, and unquestionably they are successful 
just in proportion as the type of treatment is intelligently 
conducted. 
The underlying requisites for successtul storage of plants 
are a uniform temperature close to freezing and a reasonably 
humid atmosphere. Excessive or even moderate dryness of 
atmosphere brings about abnormal conditions and increases 
the difficulties of safe storage. Given a uniform low tem¬ 
perature and an atmosphere charged with considerable 
humidity, the stock may be wintered in good condition with¬ 
out packing material. If the temperature is higher and if 
at all variable the difficulties are correspondingly increased. 
I ln fact trouble is likely to accompany an attempt to store 
nursery stock after any fashion in varying temperatures. 
This suggests that an insulated storage house is essential and 
experience of nurserymen bears this out. 
Aside from temperatures and packing conditions it is 
important in the autumn to disinfect the storage house. 
During the summer it stands idle. There is usually a con¬ 
siderable accumulation of organic matter of one sort or 
another, moss, straw and other packing material, which 
naturally tends to decay. This forms a breeding ground for 
the fungi of decay and gives unfavorable conditions for the 
storage of stock. It is true that the germs of decay (sapro¬ 
phytic) so called,do not often attack living tissue, never-the- 
less they provide unfavorable conditions for the preserva- 
jl : tion of living tissues. It is well therefore to disinfect the 
STORAGE OF 
NURSERY 
STOCK. 
| cellar thoroughly and this may be done by spraying it with 
I a two per cent, solution of copper sulphate. The fumes of 
sulphur form a good insecticide but the copper salt solution 
is easily applied. White washing is also a good old- 
fashioned method of sweetening a cellar and is much better 
I than no disinfection at all. 
Hmong the Bxperiment Station 
^dorkera. 
Preservation of Pitch Pine Fence Posts: C. C. Buffum, 
in Bulletin 75 of the Wyoming Experiment Station gives 
the results of some interesting experiments in preserving 
pitch pine posts, by the use of various preservatives. Mr. 
Buffum found that the best treatment, “and one which was 
eminently successful in preserving the posts,” was dipping 
the lower ends in crude petroleum and burning off the oil a 
sufficient distance to come above the ground when set. 
This seems to drive hot oil into the post, which with the 
protecting char cover keeps it from decay. Posts treated 
in this way 16 years ago were still in good condition when 
recently examined, and the experimenter concludes that 
they appear as if they would last indefinitely. Oth er experi¬ 
ments in which crude oil alone or in tar was used did fairly 
well. Under ordinary conditions, however, it must be 
noted that pitch pine posts in Wyoming without treatment 
will last from 12 to 20 years. 
SPRAYING POTATOES. 
The New York Experiment Station at Geneva has 
recently published a bulletin giving the results of spraying 
experiments from 1903—1906 inclusive. These experiments 
included fifteen plots covering an area of 225 acres. The 
results for 1906 were as follows: 
The average increase in yield per acre amounts to 42.6 
bushels. The average total cost of spraying per acre was 
$5.18, and the average cost per acre for each spraying 
$0,985. The average net profit per acre was $13.89. 
The results for the four years from 1903-1906 inclusive 
show the following profits: i9°3> $ 2 3-47 profit per acre, 
1904, $24.86; 1905, $20.04; 1906, as stated above, $13.89. 
These figures are sufficiently conclusive to render argument 
in favor of spraying totally unnecessary. 
THE AMENDE HONORABLE. 
The Florists’ Exchange says the National Nurseryman copied 
I a news article from this exchange and ran it without rendering 
credit. On investigation we find that our esteemed contemporary 
is quite right and we herewith present our apology for the oversight. 
It was unintentional and we hope will not occur again. Our readers 
! will feel sure that the source guaranteed the high quality of the item. 
. 
PERSONAL AND GENERAL. 
William, son of Mr. W. P. Stark, treasurer of Stark Brothers Nur¬ 
series and Orchards Company, is a senior in Cornell University and 
will graduate in June, 1909 . Mr. Stark, Jr., in coming east made a 
tour of the nurseries along the line of travel, visiting the principal 
ones in Michigan, Ohio and \\ estern Net\ \ 01 k. 
