THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
327 
they are given for what they may be worth as imperfect 
orchard trial balance sheets. When to the original i^rice 
of the trees at the nursery is added the cost of preparing 
the orchard land, the planting of the trees, and the mainten¬ 
ance to bearing age, the failures in attaining commercial 
importance form indeed a shrinkage of values of no mean 
proportion, which leads to the conviction that commercial 
fruit production will not be overdone tomorrow, nor the day 
after, while its possibilities, either from the view-point of the 
plant breeder, the advanced grower, or the man in the market 
place, is full of the promise of better things as the contact 
with our physical environment grows in intelligence and in 
intensity. 
The meagre figures presented are in no sense adequate on 
which to base judgment; nevertheless, they indicate a trend, 
and that is: (i) Nature will not tolerate a misplacement of 
her children beyond certain limits; and while it is true that 
we grow the fruits of the tropics on the fringe of the temperate 
zone, it is also true that Jack Frost and other negative 
elements harass the rear guard of even the most advanced 
horticultural anny, consequently, we cannot go beyond 
certain conditions; and (2) in addition, the law of change 
is always at work making tree culture on certain lands and 
under new economic influences less profitable than other uses, 
rendering negligent care inevitable. By these two processes 
not less than from sixty-five to seventy-five per cent of fruit 
trees planted out annually ever reach profitable bearing. 
In the light of these facts, it is unreasonable to assume that 
orchard planting producing A i quality fruit, properly 
packed, shipped and marked will ever be overdone. Can it 
even be admitted that its possibilities have been more than 
touched? Statistics will tell you that from eighty to ninety 
per cent of industrial and mercantile business represents 
failures, if not in the sense of the board of trade, at least in 
the sense of the non-dividend proposition—failures as paying 
investments. Is pomology in the same category? The 
person attached to the land is at least anchored, and if he 
will intelligently contact his possession, success is reason¬ 
ably sure. 
Carlyle somewhere has said, “Blessed is the man who has 
found his work, and does it well,’’ and Emerson says, “Do 
that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much 
or dare too much. There is at this moment for you an 
utterance brave and grand as that of the colossal chisel of 
Phidias, or the trowel of the Egyptians, or the pen of Moses 
or Dante, but different from all these.’’ And in'the case of a 
nurserymen’s convention, let the “different from all these’’ 
be the growing of better trees and better varieties in the 
nursery rows; and in orchard and field let it be better bear¬ 
ing trees, better care, better quality, better methods of 
harvesting, shipping and marketing, a more intelligent 
contact, not only with the soil and climate, but with the 
market place, and there will open to you new avenues for 
exploitation, full of the promise of the possibilities of the 
future—possibilities which in our present stage of develop¬ 
ment are largely a closed book. Viewed from this stand¬ 
point, and in an optimistic spirit, I throw the ball back to 
you, “Orchard Planting: Its possibilities and when will it 
be overdone?” with the hope that you will catch it, contact 
it intelligently, explore its hidden ])ossibilities, and thereby 
blaze the way for an enlightened horticultural ])racticc in 
Western America the like of which the world has not yet 
seen. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
R. C. McN .—Dionaea muscipula, Venus’s Fly Trap, 
according to the botanists is confined to the sandy savannas 
of eastern North Carolina. 
It is a very interesting little plant often found in ]:)rivate 
and botanical collections but we do not know of any one 
that grows it commercially. Maybe if you wrote J. Van 
Bindley Nursery Co., Pomona, N. C., or Biltmore Nurseries, 
Biltmore, N. C.,they could tell you how the plant could be 
secured. If you secure them pot them in chopped sphagnum, 
peat and sand and keep them fairly moist. 
A. H. A.—We presume the roses are field grown and 
you wish to dig them in the fall and store them. 
The best plan would be to build a temporary frame six 
feet wide and as long as necessary to accommodate your 
stock. See that it is placed in a sheltered, well drained 
position. Unless the soil is of a very light, free nature put 
in about 12 inches of sand to heel them in. See that the 
sand is well packed around the roots so they will not dry out. 
This is especially necessary if tied in bundles. Protection 
to the tops may be given by a covering of loose material 
such as straw or corn fodder. If you have severe or excessive 
wet weather boards or sash may be used, as an additional 
proteetion. 
The essentials are to keep the roots well covered and avoid 
too much moisture while in a dormant condition. 
PROTECTING A WATER PIPE FROM THE FROST 
We have on our nursery a water tank holding about 
15,000 gallons. This tank is 12 feet from the ground. A 
two inch pipe runs from the bottom of the tank to the ground. 
The remainder of the supply pipe is under ground and safe 
from frost. We have tried several methods to prevent this 
pipe from freezing but without success. 
Can you suggest a method of covering this pipe that will 
enable us to have an uninterrupted supply of water through¬ 
out the winter? J- V. 
The pipe should be walled in so as to fonn an air chamber 
around it. This may be accomplished by casing it in, 
leaving a three inch air space around the pipe. Then build 
an outer casing with an eight inch space between the two. 
Pack the space between the two casings with sawdust. 
This, if it is well made and perfectly air-tight, should be frost 
proof. Of course it will be necessary to carry the casing 
into the ground below frostline. 
The essential point is to form a chamber of dead air 
around the pipe which acts as a non-conductor. It is the 
same principle used with the thermos bottle. To prevent 
the outer casing being warped or affected by the weather, 
it will be well to cover it with tar paper and weather board it. 
The weakest place will be at the point where the casings 
connect with the bottom of the tank, so extra care should be 
taken to make a close fit. As an added precaution cover 
the pipe with asbestos. 
