THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
162 
Another commercial value is given to it by the use the 
florists make of it as cut evergreens. If is in great de¬ 
mand. especially around Christmas. 
What interests nurserymen is the possibilities of it, as 
a marketable product, for him to grow. Prior to the 
operation of Quarantine 37 much was imported. It was 
one of the staples coming from Holland in the form of 
pyramids, standards and bushes in various grades. 
Since that time many nurseries have propagated heav¬ 
ily. but, for nurseries north of the Mason-Dixon line, the 
hardiness of the box in its young stages is an uncertain 
quantity. While it may not be killed outright, by early 
fall freezes, such as experienced last October which in¬ 
jured young plants as far south as Bridgeton, New Jer¬ 
sey, so much of the growth is lost annually during the 
winter that it is likely to prove an unprofitable crop. 
When the plants are older and well established it com¬ 
pares very favorably in hardiness with the majority of 
the choice evergreen shrubs. 
NOTES ON SEED BEDS 
Anyone that writes the truth and the whole truth about 
tree seed beds, must confess some failures even if be has 
to blame it on the seed. Poor seed is undoubtedly the 
cause of some failures. They are harvested under such 
varying conditions and come from such distant points 
that it is to be expected that the germinating vitality 
must be affected in many instances. 
The expert, or anyone who handles them constantly 
becomes very efficient in distinguishing quality and of 
course there is the microscope and knife to help to exam¬ 
ine the kernel or germ. 
Even with good seed there will be failures. The seed 
the writer failed with the past season, were those for 
which there was no excuse, and the reason, lack of fore¬ 
sight, native oaks— Quercus rubra, coccinea, palustris, 
phellos and the native pines, Pinas strobus, taeda, Vir¬ 
ginia. The ground was splendidly protected from the 
north and east winds, consisting of a good sandy loam, 
beds properly prepared, sown soon as gathered, and 
covered with slat shades. 
Failure seemed impossible but the squirrels found 
them and made a very clean job of removing every seed. 
Many failures of seed can be attributed to rodents and 
when sowing, their possibilities for destruction should 
be taken seriously. It is a good plan to coat large seed, 
such as nuts, with red lead and oil, but a better way is 
to get rid of the rodents. 
It is much more interest ing to talk about successes and 
these come by thoroughly knowing your subject through 
experience. Perhaps the easiest tree to raise from seed 
is the silver maple, Acer dasycarpum. This accounts for 
it always being in good supply and cheap. The silver 
maple ripens its seed in May, falls to the gound and 
sprouts. All the nursery has to do is to locate a tree, 
rake up the seed when they fall, sow them on moist 
ground and it will have a stand of five or six feet lining 
out stock the coming fall. 
Most tree and shrub seeds, however, ripen later in the 
summer and it is often middle winter and spring before 
they can be secured. Seed that has been allowed to be¬ 
come dry will often fail to germinate until the second 
year, so if they are not received from the seedsman until 
late spring, remain dormant in the ground all summer, 
whereas if they could have been shown in the fall pre¬ 
vious or as soon as ripe and in condition would have 
germinated the following spring. It is a fairly good rule 
to try and sow seed as soon as they can se secured in the 
fall or winter. A stronger plant and quicker germination 
in most cases can be secured. This is especially true of 
the hard shelled seeds. 
The late Edward Meehan was very particular on this 
point, often sowing on frozen ground, covering them with 
a soil reserved for the purpose rather than keep the seed 
out of the ground until spring. 
Of course seeds that do not germinate for two years 
should be stratefied as it is a waste of time and ground 
to keep the beds weeded for an entire season, to say 
nothing of the loss that is likely to occur by heavy rains, 
washing and heaving of the seed during that period. 
Among these are the thorns, viburnums, some of the 
roses, hollies and a number of other hard shelled seeds, 
unless the conditions are very favorable to germination. 
Among seed sown by the writer in spring 1922, Berberis 
Thunbergi, Liguslrum japonicum, Zizyphus communis, 
Thuya, gigantea, Citrus trifoliata, Cryptomeria japonica 
were lined out in the fields by the time Mahonia aqui- 
folia, Cratragus in variety, Junipers and Euonymus in 
variety, and numerous others had begun to germinate. 
A sowing of Scyadoptys verticilata sown in April did not 
germinate until October and then promptly died. 
Nurseries that grow large quantities of one thing, of 
course, soon learn to standardize their practice in hand¬ 
ling each item, until the process becomes almost as me¬ 
chanical as raising wheat or corn, but the nurseries sow¬ 
ing a great variety of tree and shrub seeds in small lots 
procured from various sources and at varying times finds 
many uncertainties and much to interest. 
GOOD WILL 
The good will of a business is a very intangible asset 
when it comes to placing a money value upon it, but an 
extremely valuable one to a going concern. 
“The favor or advantage in the way of custom, which 
a business has acquired beyond the mere value of what 
it sells’’ is a part of the definition of good will as given 
in Webster’s dictionary. How long and patiently ac¬ 
quired yet how easily squandered by a change of policy 
or lack of a definite one. A nurseryman has worked up 
a reputation for sending out, carefully packed, high grade 
plants. IIis stock is known and in time becomes market¬ 
ed through definite channels. He diverts bis goods into 
channels other than the ones that were accustomed to re¬ 
reive them, perhaps for only a temporary gain. Even 
without breaking a definite contract he has squandered 
good will perhaps far more valuable than his immediate 
gain. 
He sells to the trade and finds he is overstocked with 
a few items upon which be cuts the price; this cut price 
enters into competition with the stock he previously sold 
to his regular customers; again he has squandered good 
will far in excess of the money he saved from the brush 
