THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
111 
mire the beautiful “Golden Chain” trees, Laburnum vul- 
(jare. Although that variety is not hardy here, we have 
one that will grow not quite so large hut equally as 
l)retty, namely. Laburnum Alpinum. Uiis is the hand¬ 
somest yellow flowered small tree that can he grown in 
New" England and curiously is little known. It seeds 
freely every year and a quantity usually spring up under 
the tree. 
At the end of June and lasting in flower for three 
w eeks is a large shruh called Halimodendron Argenleum. 
This is a native of Siberia and is usually covered with 
pea-shaped, fragrant flowers of a pale rose color, and 
their beauty is enhanced by the silvery color of the 
foliage. It is one of the best summer flowered shrubs 
and the seeds if left on the shrub over winter germinate 
readily. It will also root from cuttings. 
One of the largest growing Honeysuckles is Lonicera 
Maackii podocarpa. Its desirability lies in the fact that 
the large shiny scarlet fruits are only ripening in late 
October and November, 
now TO BECOME EAMOUS 
It is taken for granted that every nurseryman, w orthy 
of his profession, w ants to grow something or do some¬ 
thing in his line a little better than the other fellow^, and 
after all that is all there is to fame. The reason most 
of us w ho try do not become famous is because we go 
in the “free for all” instead of specializing. The world is 
always quite ready to recognize the fellow who knows 
more about one particular subject, or can do one thing 
better than anyone else he it ever so sinq)le. 
The nurseryman wdio grows a lot of things fairly w-ell 
is not so likely to become so famous as the one who 
grow s one thing better than anyone else in the country. 
Most of us are ready to admit the reasonableness of the 
above hut the main thing is how to do it, and at the same 
time pay our hills and meet other obligations. 
One w^ay for the nurseryman is specialize on one thing 
without neglecting the others. As money is the com¬ 
mon measure of success and is usually essential in carry¬ 
ing out plans or schemes of any kind, it is advisable to 
select a plant or group of plants for which there is a 
ready market or at least a potential one, another inq)or- 
tant thing is to choose something that suits your par¬ 
ticular local conditions of soil, etc. It is just as well to 
have the stars in their courses w ith you as against you, 
and then “go to it.” 
There are numerous plants and grouj)s of i)lants that 
undoubtedly have a future. 
Take for instance, the following:—Elowering crabs, 
Lilies, Hydrangeas, Dogwoods, Bhododendrons, Azaleas, 
Barberries, Crepe Myrtles, Viburnums and Privets. 
Among these are plants suitable for a northern nursery. 
Southern nurseries, those wtli sand, peat, or heavy loam, 
and all have almost unlimited possibilities of develop¬ 
ment both in the improvement of the plants and in their 
commercial (jualities. 
The first essential is to liave a liking or interest in the 
plants and then study lliem at first hand. 
If w^e select the llow^ering crabs for a specialty, the 
next thing is to set aside a piece of ground for the ahore- 
turn or stock groimd and start gathering together a col¬ 
lection from every available source not only from other 
nurseries hut also from botanical gardens and private 
sources. 
It is safe to say, if the interest holds until the major 
portion of the collection flow er and fruit, you will know" 
more about that particular group of plants than the av¬ 
erage nurseryman and w ill he able to form pretty good 
opinions as to those most likely to he profitable to grow 
in quantity and exploit, also the best w^ay to commer¬ 
cially propagate them. 
The man who has not the patience to wait for results 
and wants immediate returns had far better stick to 
staples, hut the man who has a genuine love for plants 
will usually find full compensation for well applied 
efforts. 
Raising new or improved varieties is a slow process at 
best a life times’ w ork rarely producing more than a step 
in advance of some oilier man’s w ork w hen view ed as a 
whole. 
But in a group of jilants such as the flow ering crabs, a 
practical study of them under growing conditions on the 
nursery might uncover some little know n sort that w"ould 
only need to have its merits known to become as popular 
as a Crimson Rambler Bose or a Spiraea Van Ilouitei. 
Becoming recognized as an authority upon a particular 
kind of plant or group of plants is usually worth while 
even from a commercial point of view. 
MB. BOCKWELL ON THE JOB 
Mr. E. E. Rockwell, Mgr., for the Nurserymen’s Na<r 
tional Service Bureau, is on tlie job and judging from 
his w riting in the Philadelphia Press, Farm, Garden and 
Poultry Magazine he is telling the public what they 
should know about the nursery business. 
It is just such infoi'mation as the follow ing that needs 
to he disseminated. 
Very few persons realize the peculiar difficulties which are in¬ 
volved in the nursery industry. Anyone at all familiar with bus¬ 
iness realizes the importance of a quick “turn-over” in making a 
business successful. In the nursery business the “turn-over” on 
many items is only once in two or three years. The larger sizes 
of ornamental trees and of evergreens are not sold until they 
arj several years old. Added to this is the great element of 
risk from injury to stock from uncontrollable conditions, such as 
severe winters, like the one we had last year, hailstorms, which 
may completely ruin in a few minutes the entire product of 
several years’ work, and drought. Then, too, the growing and 
selling of nursery stock is a “seasonal” business of the worst 
kind. Practically all the work of growing has to be done during 
the six or seven open months of the year, leaving a bad “slack” 
period through the winter months, and the period of shipping out 
