THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
275 
A JOB FOB NUBSFBYMEN 
Editorial Published in the Country Gentleman of 
Septemtur 0th, 1919. 
The propagation of fruit plants is an art. It takes two, three 
or four years to develop nursery stock to planting size. 'The 
war cut down propagation work to an unprecedented degree. 
France, from which come most of the seedlings used by nursery¬ 
men, has been able to grow and ship but a fraction of her nor¬ 
mal output. The supply of nursery stock for planting this fall 
and next spring is short. Fruit stocks will be shorter next year 
than this. Hundreds of small nurserymen are out of business 
and more must suspend with the digging of the plantations now 
maturing, because of inability to secure seedlings for new plan¬ 
tations. 
Fall prices are higher than ever known and may well be high¬ 
er yet by spring. Prices are expected to make a record peak in 
the fall of 1920 and spring of 1921. Since peach trees are propa¬ 
gated wholly upon American stocks and since they can be pro¬ 
duced in two years, it seems reasonable to expect that peach 
tree prices should be reasonably stabilized by the spring of 1922, 
but the prices for apple, cherry, plum, pear and quince trees may 
remain abnormal for some years after the French growers get 
readjusted. It is not at all certain when that will be. 
All this is, of course, perfectly understood by the professional 
nurserymen, but it is not understood by the folks who buy and 
plant what the nurseryman sells. Planters should appreciate the 
situation for two very excellent reasons: First, because the sup¬ 
ply of many standard varieties is almost certain to be exhausted 
before long. That means that orders should go in earlier than 
ever before. Always urgent, this year and next it may be im¬ 
perative. Orders should go in early. 
Second, shortage and high prices are pretty sure to bring out 
all manner of old,oversize, runty and generally inferior and un¬ 
dependable stuff which will be offered to buyers under unusual 
and high-sounding description. There never was a time when 
the planter needed to use more caution in his purchases. Beware 
of the fly-by-night salesman of nursery stock. 
It is the immediate duty of every agricultural college, experi¬ 
ment station, county agricultural agent and secretary of a hor¬ 
ticultural society to revise his list of dependable nurserymen. 
The inexperienced planter who fails to consult with those really 
competent to advise him will be entitled to little sympathy if 
his orchard turns out a failure. Even old-timers in the fruit¬ 
raising business may very well see to it that their lightning rods 
are well grounded. 
The nursery business is difficult and hazardous to a degree 
not appreciated by the planter. Too often the planter has been 
able to buy good stock at less than the cost of production. Too 
often the faithful and conscientious propagator has received 
neither appreciation nor a fair money return. Too often the 
slick agent and the brass- band catalogue have got the planter’s 
money leaving the planter and the honorable nurseryman to hold 
the bag. 
For long and trying years the nursery business has been con¬ 
ducted in a manner satisfactory to neither the on-the-square pro¬ 
ducer of nursery stock nor to the ultimate user of that stock. If 
it is true that the public has never appreciated the good nursery¬ 
man, it is also true that the good nurserymen have never pulled 
together long enough nor hard enough to clean up their industry. 
They have ])rovided no way by which the average planter can 
distinguish between the dependable Arm and the get-rich-quick 
rascal. 
It is because of this that legislation and regulation of the nur¬ 
sery business become constantly more severe. The next year 
or two will bring things to a head. If the on-the-square nursery¬ 
men of the country permit the scalawag members of the indus¬ 
try to take advantage of the present situation to the general det¬ 
riment of the fruit-growing public, they may expect, very shortly, 
a mass of legislation of such character as may put the business 
of plant propagation upon a new basis. Fruit growing is too 
important to be put in jeopardy, piecemeal, through petty trick¬ 
ery or wholesale, through the dissemination of pests and dis¬ 
eases. 
It is up to the planter to recognize thoroughly good stock and 
to pay a fair price for it, but it is up to the respectable nursery¬ 
man to raise the standard of ethics in his trade and to provide a 
sure means of identifying himself. 
BEPLANTING FBUIT TBEES IN DEVASTATED 
FBANCE 
Treasurer Hill has called my attention to the work of the 
American Committee for Devastated France, which is endeavor¬ 
ing to raise $100,000 to replace the fruit trees destroyed by the 
war in the four cantons of Aisne-Soissons, Vic-sur-Aisne, Coucy- 
le-Chateau, and Anizy. 
For a time the American Association of Nurserymen had a 
committee on French Relief. It was, however, felt that gifts of 
trees would deprive the French growers of the opportunity to 
sell their products, and as they have doubtless been denied this 
opportunity during the period pf the war, it seems only right 
that now that the opportunity has come to them, that American 
nurserymen should not donate trees which would deprive them 
of the only market of consequence that they have had in four 
years. 
If, therefore, any nurserymen desire to help with money con¬ 
tributions, the war sufferers of France to replace their orchards, 
these contributions can be sent to our Executive Secretary, John 
Watson, 400 Nassau Street, Princeton, N. .1., who will be glad to 
have them applied to the purpose for which they were sent 
through arrangements which he can consummate with organized 
committees that are restoring these trees. 
Very respectfully, 
J. Edward IMoon, 
President of the American 
Association of Nurserymen. 
'The Tree Club of America have appropriated $8000.00 for re¬ 
placing Fruit trees in devastated France. The purchasing and 
planting of these has been assigned to the American Friends 
Service Committee, and Wendell F. Oliver who was with the 
Wm. H. Moon Company, and is now connected with the Friends 
work, with Henry Stabler, has been placed in charge of this 
woi'k 
They are at present visiting the nurseries of Orleans, France, 
with an idea of purchasing as many fruit trees as are available, 
with their appropriation, and will then have the planting done in 
the districts which are most in need of the reestablishment of 
their orchards. 
Weeliawkeii, N. J., September 11th, 1919. 
The National Nurseryman, 
Ilatboro, Pa. 
Gentlemen:— 
I am retiring from actual business and wish to thank 
you and all my friends and eustomers for the good will 
and their very liberal support in business shown to me 
dining the thirty years I have been residing in the 
United States. 
For some years I have been intending to retire from 
business and leave the work* to the younger generation, 
the four sons of my hrother who are grow ing nursery 
stock in Boskoop (Holland). 
Some years ago my brother died and the sons have 
been eondueting the nursery for their mother. Last 
March she also died and now^ I have to go to settle up the 
business in wdiieh I have been a partner. With Quaran¬ 
tine 37 in force I may just as woll stay there until better 
times come and more friendly I'elations exist between the 
different nations. 
It is with sorrow^ that we leave yon and the U. S. 
w here wo have lived most of oui' lives and have so many 
friends, but we will keej) up the aeiiuaintanee and let 
you hear fiom me once in a while. Please send your 
paper to me in Holland to P. Ouwerkerk, Boskoop. (Hol¬ 
land). 
Yours respectfully, 
P. Ouwerkerk. 
