THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
2 11 
educational, while the display of well grown stock, or labor 
saving machinery stimulates the commercial aspects of the 
meeting. Along educational lines we would like to see a 
collection of nursery stock designed to illustrate the standard 
grades, adopted by the Western Association at its last 
meeting. These properly lal.)ellcd would prove a valuable 
adjunct to the exhibit as a whole. Do not overlook your 
responsibility in helping to fill the Exhibition Hall. 
MESSRS. DAYTON, McHUTCHISON AND MEEHAN 
PLAN EUROPEAN TRIP 
It is rumored on excellent authority that a prominent 
trio of the American Association of Nurserymen start for 
Europe immediately following the Boston meeting. It is 
said that President Dayton and Tom Meehan have con¬ 
sented to be chaperoned by the well known globe trotter 
James McHutchison. It is reported that the leading 
nurseries of England, Holland and Franee are to be visited 
in addition to the prominent Hofbraus of Germany. There 
will be no question about the success of the pilgrimage 
under the experienced guiding hand of “Mack H” and then 
he will have a pair of very apt pupils. 
Correspondence 
Editor National Nurseryman: 
In the April number of the National Nurseryman I read the article 
written on the Federal Inspection bill, but in all fairness, Mr. W. P. 
Stark, of Louisiana, Mo., and Prof. S. J. Hunter, of Lawrence, Kans., 
should be mentioned in connection with the work of securing a favorable 
consideration of the bill. Mr. Stark and Prof. Hunter made two trips 
to Washington in the interests of the bill and helped to revise and 
remodel the bill when it seemed that it was going through with some 
very objectionable features in it, and I believe the two men had a great 
deal of influence in securing results, and should have credit for their 
valuable services, as they were urged to attend the meeting at Washing¬ 
ton, by myself as chairman of the committee on legislation west of the 
Mississippi river. Respectfully yours. 
Westerner. 
We beg to refer our correspondent to the March issue of 
the National Nurseryman wherein the efforts of the 
various organizations and individuals concerned in the 
passage of the Federal Inspection act are specifically set 
forth by Professor Hunter himself.— Editor. 
THE VALUE OF NURSERY LAND 
[The two following communications were written in answer 
to the question on appraising lands in the May issue.—E d.J 
The value of land for nursery purposes can not be ac¬ 
curately determined upon a nursery basis. There is no 
nurseryman who can really tell the actual amount it costs to 
grow a tree, very few nurserymen even can tell what it costs 
to grow any specific block of trees. How then can a valua¬ 
tion be placed on the land because of its ability to produce 
trees? The only way I can see to get at a valuation of this 
land is to base it upon the agricultural value of the land and 
what equally good land in an equally favorable situation 
can be bought for. The cost of ]jlanting and caring for an 
acre of trees varies with the kind of trees, with the season, 
with the size of stock planted, with the local labor, market, 
and a number of other factors. It is never the same any two 
years, and the iiroducts of this cost also vary from year to 
year; and since we are under entirely different conditions, 
such figures would be of very little value. Also in regard to 
the percentage stand and ])crcentagc trees. In the first 
place, we do not grow grafted apple more than two years— 
in fact, some years in more favorable locations, wc can grow 
a one year grafted tree 3 to 5 feet. Some years a large per¬ 
cent of them is over 5 to 6 feet tall, so that our conditions 
and our figures would be of no value for comparison, and 
even though you got such figures from a neighboring nursery¬ 
man, don’t see how any such method could be used for plac¬ 
ing a valuation on the land. 
It may be a matter of interest to know that in certain 
locations where we have branch plants and where available 
nursery land is limited, we have to pay about 25 percent 
more rental than the land is actually worth for farming 
purposes. This land, which on an average of ten years 
will make grower $8 an acre annually, will usually cost us for 
nursery jiurjioses $10 an acre; but who will say whether this 
additional charge is the result of the greater value of this 
land for nursery purposes, or whether it is due to an erroneous 
impression on the mind of the farmer that the trees hurt his 
land? 
We have had damages against railroad companies for 
running through fields of growing nursery stock—these 
are generally settled on the basis of current catalog prices, 
less handling and selling cost, for merchantable trees destroy¬ 
ed, the number of these trees being determined by the number 
of trees dug from an equal area somewhere in the same block. 
Trying to distinguish in a general way where there are no 
specific factors taken into consideration between the value 
of land for nursery purposes and for agricultural iiurjioses 
is very much like trying to find the difference between the 
cost of raising a pound of sirloin and the cost of raising a 
jiound of round steak in the same steer. 
vStark Bro’s. Nurseries & Orchards Co. 
These questions are rather difficult to answer, and it is 
impossible to answer them definitely. 
Ordinary land might grow one good crop of apjile trees 
and never grow another, and we doubt if what is known as 
nursery land is worth any more than ordinary farming land in 
the same locality. We should say that a fair average cost of 
cultivating and planting an acre of ap]ile grafts the first year 
would be about $25, the second and third year, $20 per acre. 
Think, if we got 80 percent of a stand of apple grafts, and 
when the trees were dug had 50 percent first-class, 35 percent 
second and 15 percent third grade, it certainly would be as 
much as our blocks would average, and believe rather better 
than they will average. 
The Storrs & Harrison Co. 
NEW DIRECTOR FOR SHAW’S GARDEN 
The directorship of the Missouri Botanical Garden, left vacant by 
the resignation of Dr. William Trelease, has been filled by the election 
of Dr. George T. Moore, recently plant physiologist in the Missouri 
Botanical Garden. 
