THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
I 53 
Business JVIovcments 
Henry P. Hill formerly of Irondequoit, N. Y. has changed his 
address to Penfield, N. Y. 
W. B. Cole, Painesville, O., is making many improvements in his 
nursery, including electric lights. 
Thos. Meehan & Sons, Inc., of Philadelphia, have opened a 
branch office in the Metropolitan Life Building, New York, for their 
retail department which is constantly enlarging .—Florists Exchange. 
We are indebted to the Florists Exchange also for the following 
notes: 
The Key City Nursery Company of Dubuque, Iowa, has added 
Mr. Scott Bett to active membership in the firm. 
The Sneed Nursery and Orchard Company, of Tyler, Texas, has 
decided to discontinue business. 
The Miller Brothers, prominent orchardists of West Virginia, 
have organized the Imperial Orchard Company of Hampshire 
County, West Virginia, with a capital stock of $ 30 , 000 . An office 
will be maintained at Paw Paw. The orchard is located near 
Kings Camp, where H. W. Miller already is extensively established. 
Editor National Nurseryman. 
Sir:— 
It is true that we have added some land to the Nurseries, hav¬ 
ing purchased a couple of farms, where we are now making our 
first plantings. The next time you are this way, we shall be glad 
to see you and show you the area and illustrate in this way how 
a nursery grows. 
Wm. Warner Harper, Prop. 
Note and Comment 
ORCHARD COVER CROPS 
A very interesting pamphlet giving a reprint of a paper on this 
subject by W. P. Stark, of the Missouri State Board of Horticulture, 
has recently been received at this office. The paper outlines the 
principles of cover-cropping, showing that it is an essential practice 
in the maintenance of the humus of the soil, and in the improve¬ 
ment of the soil’s physical condition; that it adds fertility as well as 
increasing the holding capacity of the soil. It draws attention to 
the many advantages of the cover crop system in a very timely and 
practical way. Nurserymen will do well to consider the practice in 
connection with methods of maintaining fertility of nursery lands. 
OSIER WILLOWS 
The Federal Experiment Farm at Arlington, near Washington, 
has made a distribution of considerable quantity of basket willow 
cuttings the present season. This is for the purpose of encouraging 
the ozier industry. There has been a considerable demand for in¬ 
formation on this subject during the past two or three years, and it 
seems to us timely that the Government is turning its attention to it. 
This recalls to mind also the fact that a distribution of this same 
type of willow cuttings was made by the Bureau of Forestry under 
one of the first heads of that department, Dr. E. B. Fernow, fifteen 
or sixteen years ago. At that time a dozen or more varieties of 
osier willows were sent out. We are wondering whether the in¬ 
formation accruing from the growing of these plants has ever been 
collected and collated. 
OPENINGS FOR NURSERYMEN IN HAWAII 
The Director of the Hawaian Experiment Station at Honolulu 
draws attention to the fact that the demands for nursery stock in 
the islands is increasing. There is no adequate source of supply, 
neither is there any well equipped nursery. The plants demanded 
by growers in that region are not propagated on the American main 
land and are not easily procured from the east. The opportunity 
therefore for nursery work seems to be unique and attractive. 
Those who desire special information in regard to the whole field and 
its needs should apply to Dr. E. A. Wilcox, Hawaian Experiment 
Station, Honolulu. 
TREATING TIMBER TO PREVENT DECAY. 
The Bureau of Forestry has recently issued in Bulletin No. 51 a 
preliminary account of the experiments which have been under way, 
in treating timbers for the prevention of decay. This report is 
presented by Dr. Hermann von Schrenck, who has had immediate 
charge of the investigation. 
Large quantities of ties of different varieties of wood were treated 
and then submitted to the wear and tear of the moist climate of 
Texas. The experiment has been going on about two years, but the 
results have already shown themselves so pointedly that it appears 
worth while to make this report, of which the following is an 
abstract: 
( 1 ) Practically all of the untreated timbers show more or less 
decay. So far hemlock, tamarack, loblolly pine, and beech have 
shown the least resistance, closely followed by longleaf pine. The 
oaks show the greatest resistance. 
( 2 ) Ties which received the zinc chlorid and the Wellhouse 
treatments have so far shown no signs of decay. This is true also of 
those treated by the Allardyce process when it was carried on in a 
proper manner. 
( 3 ) The results shown by some of the oaks which were subjected 
to extreme heat and which had to be removed on account of brittle¬ 
ness should serve as a warning against excessive heating of the 
wood, whether with dry or steam heat. 
( 4 ) Timbers which received the spirittine treatment are generally 
in good condition. The small fungi which were found growing on 
the ends of the ties were not considered as wood-destroying fungi. 
They have so far not affected the soundness of the timber. 
( 5 ) Of the timbers treated by the Barschall or Hasselmann 
process, the beech, hemlock, and tamarack have fungi growing on 
the ends. These timbers were treated in the second run which, as 
stated by the report of the representative of the Barschall Company, 
found in the Appendix, did not give proper treatment. The oaks 
and pines treated by the Barschall process are so far sound. 
(6) The results of the test clearly indicate that where timbers 
treated by various processes are to be compared they should be 
treated preferably in large quantities, and as nearly as possible under 
the usual conditions governing the treatment of timber for commer¬ 
cial purposes. 
PROSPERITY. 
National Nurseryman Publishing Co., 
Gentlemen: 
We think prosperity in full tide, must have struck the nurseiy- 
men right in their pocket-books this year, by the way they have 
poured in orders for Box Straps. They have simply kept us swam¬ 
ped. Had to split orders, and ship a little as made, from New 
England to Oregon to keep all going. We have now about caught 
up on back orders, and ought to thank our friends for their business 
and patience. Do it. for us. We shall soon commence piling 
straps for the next run, and as our works are now operating steadily, 
we don’t intend to get caught this same way again. We are glad of 
our friends’ prosperity. 
Yours very truly, 
W. C. Dickey, Secy, and Treas. 
It is reported that the Patten Nursery of Charles City, Iowa 
has been secured by the Department of Agriculture and will be made 
an experiment station. 
H. R. Cotta of Rockford, Ill., landscape architect, contractor 
and proprietor of the Cotta Nursery has removed his office fiom 
625 Rockton avenue to the Ralston building, 122 N. Church street, 
in order to handle more promptly his increasing trade. 
