THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
J 5° 
them for that money, again, the vines are worth more at two years 
old than they would have been at three years old, as they would 
have been this fall if they had been put into the ground instead of 
cold storage. 
N. B. White. 
GROWING versus BUYING NURSERY STOCK. 
In my early experience in orchard work, I was fully convinced in 
my own mind that Maine grown seedling trees were much better in 
every way and more likely to develop into profitable orchards than 
New York State trees. Hence, my first work in this line was to 
plant some apple seeds from hardy native apples. Also, my first 
purchase of trees was a lot of nearby stocks. 
As for the seeds, they came up and made a good growth, but 
only a few lived long enough to reach transplanting size; the rest 
either winter-killed or died from various diseases. Not discouraged 
(I am never that for a long time), I tried it again with the result 
that a block of 206 that averaged two feet or more the first season, all 
killed to the ground the first winter. The next attempt was on a 
larger scale with better results,' but still the work has proved un¬ 
satisfactory. 
I have tried since in recent years and never got a tree worth the 
ground it occupied. Has it been my fault? Perhaps so, yet I 
understand and have followed the practices of the best nurserymen, 
and by all theory that is sound should have had good results from 
my planting. 
Some fifteen years ago, I bought 100 seedling trees four or five 
years old from a farmer who had a small block of such trees at one 
side of his garden. They were good sized, well rooted, well branched 
and looked to be all right, yet less than half of them made healthy 
stock on which to graft. 
I have the “knack” of setting a tree in almost any kind of a 
place or soil and making it grow, but the only native trees I now 
have which are healthy and satisfactory are those that have been 
found in the pastures or fields, or in the border of the wood where 
they came up wild. And this is a survival of the fittest, for of every 
one so found probably ten sprang up and died. It is my experience 
that not more than ten per cent, of native seedlings will mature in 
good health. If they do not succumb to cold or disease, they yield 
so far as to get “black hearted,” and a blackhearted nursery tree 
isn’t worth as much as a dead one. 
I never bought but one lot of native trees that were the equal of 
New York State stock and that lot was grown in a sheltered spot 
under the most favorable conditions. On the other hand, I have 
never had but one lot of New York grown trees but what were 
healthy and made a good growth, so that I have come to depend 
on these trees for my stock. 
Even if the winter weather and deep snows were not against us, 
we should be unable to grow trees as cheaply as we can buy them 
from the commercial nurseries. Growing nursery stock is a specialty 
and the needs of the young tree or plant have to have daily attention; 
this the specialist can give but the farmer can not. Either the farm 
and orchard would be neglected or the nursery, and it would be the 
latter with most men. 
But there is another thought that properly belongs here—the 
man who wishes to start an orchard, either large or small, gains five 
years’ time by buying his trees instead of waiting to grow them. 
Life is not so long that five years at its early business stage can be 
lightly thrown away. It doesn’t take us long to learn that “what 
thou doest, do quickly,” has a pertinent application to business life. 
Again, experience has proven that native seedling stock is not 
the best on which to graft. Some hardy nursery grafted, or budded 
tree like the Spy or Tallman—I prefer the Spy—is much better. 
As long as we can buy trees cheaper than we can grow them and can 
save time and get better trees, too, why try to raise them ? 
As far as the introduction of disease and the spread of insect 
pests are concerned, it is only necessary to enforce existing law in a 
rational way and, if that be insufficient, enact such other legislation 
as may be needed, to fully protect against these evils. 
I have faith in the good old State of Maine, faith in her people 
and the future of her farm life; but great as I believe her possibili¬ 
ties to be in other directions, her orchard prospects are unsurpassed 
by even the Pacific Northwest. 
Maine can compete with the world with her apples when we 
meet our orchards and our markets with a square deal for ourselves, 
for the trees and for the consumer. - 
The best is none too good in planting an orchard, and much 
experience and no little observation and study leads to the convic¬ 
tion that the good nurseryman can sell us better trees than we can 
grow for ourselves, and at prices which makes it cheaper to buy than 
to raise them. 
While it may do no harm for a few men to experiment with 
nursery stock, I consider the attempt to urge farmers to do so, as 
untimely, unprofitable and unwise. It has been proven so by the 
experience of many. E. C. Dow in Maine Farmer. 
Waldo Co., Indian Cress Farm. 
TWO DAYS’ COURSE IN FOREST PLANTING. 
Interest in forest planting has increased so rapidly in Vermont 
since the establishment of the State Nursery two years ago that it 
seems probable that this is to become a part of the regular spring 
farm operations. In spite of the rapid extension of the nursery the 
supply of stock was so largely taken up last year by land owners of 
the State that it has been necessary to import seedlings from Ger¬ 
many this year. Experience with this imported material in other 
parts of New England indicates that it is fully as satisfactory as 
that grown here. These three-year transplants are for sale at 
between four and five dollars per thousand. Of the State Nursery 
stock there is for sale a limited amount of the following: 
White pine two year seedlings at $3.50 per thousand. 
Scotch pine two year seedlings at $4.00 per thousand. 
Norway spruce three year seedlings at $7.00 per thousand. 
Now that seedlings have been brought within the reach of all 
prospective planters, the only hindrance to extensive reforestation 
is a lack of knowledge regarding the methods and cost of planting, 
and the profit to be derived therefrom. While the work is very 
simple and of such a nature that any farmer can readily do it, there 
is a well-known conservatism in undertaking new problems. In 
order to overcome this difficulty State Forester Hawes has ar¬ 
ranged to give a two days’ course in forest planting at the Uni¬ 
versity of Vermont at Burlington, April 28 and 29. This short 
course will comprise lectures and actual field work in all the opera¬ 
tions of raising trees from seed, and setting out the nursery stock on 
the land. It is entirely free to all and no application is necessary. 
While farmers are situated favorably for carrying out this work 
themselves there are many lumber companies and non-resident 
land owners who are becoming interested in planting who are not so 
well situated for carrying on the work. It is probable that some of 
those attending this course can find employment in superintending 
the plantings on such holdings. 
Applications for nursery stock or inquiries regarding the plant¬ 
ing course should be addressed to A. F. Hawes, State Forester, 
Burlington, Vt .—Maine Farmer. 
Legislation 
NEW APPLE LAW IN MAINE 
The Pine Tree State has passed an act to provide for a uniform 
grading, packing and branding of apples. This act covers all 
apples offered for sale in closed packages, either in Maine or to be 
shipped outside of the state. It specifies the grade and size, and 
that not more than ten per cent of apples below standard shall be 
contained in any specified grade. It describes the different grades, 
and then passing to the packages adopts the standard barrel and 
the standard bushel box, the dimensions of the latter being 20x11x10 
inches inside measurement. All packages falling below the stan¬ 
dard size shall be marked “short.” A fine for selling any other than 
properly marked packages shall be $100 for the first offense and not 
exceeding $200 for each subsequent offense. 
The enforcement of the act is placed in the hands of the Agri¬ 
cultural Experiment Station. 
