THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
*7 r 
75 
We are glad to chronicle the appearance of the first number 
of the Country Calendar, published by the Review of Reviews 
Co., New York, and printed 1 y The J. Horace McFarland Co., 
Harrisburg, Pa., This sumptuous peri¬ 
odical is launched under most favorable 
the country circumstances, backed by a powerful 
CALENDAR . publishing company, with strong literary 
assistance, printed by one of the most 
efficient and most artistic printers in the 
country,and supported by an able corps of writers, the outlook 
is most promising. The make-up of this number as one would 
expect, is artistic. The quality of the articles is excellent, 
although one notes some unevenness in literary values. The 
leading article in the first issue is by Grover Cleveland, on 
the “Mission of Sport and Out-door Life.” John Burroughs 
contributes one of his inspiring prose poems on the “Month 
of May.” Other important articles are by Secretary of 
Agriculture, James Wilson, Director L. H. Bailey of Cornell 
University. 
Aside from the well written editorial department, there are 
departments of garden and orchard, trees and shrubs, stock 
and poultry, the country house, the stable and kennel, the 
country beautiful, and the automobile department. In 
general make-up it differs but little from the Country Life of 
two or three years ago. There is certainly no good reason 
why the resident of rural districts, should now be without 
attractive and instructive periodicals on subjects relating to 
his life interests. 
Unquestionably there has been some change during the 
past few years, in the ideas of planters in regard to the height 
at which the orchard tree should be headed. The relatively 
high head has been the favorite among the 
apple growers of the East. Particularly 
was this true when tillage and spraying 
became recognized as necessary factors in 
the progress of orcharding. With the 
acceptance of the principle of tillage, 
came special types of implements adapted 
to orchard use, and with these came also 
traceless harness, which permits of tillage without injury to 
the branches of the trees among the lowest of heads. 
The trend among peach growers has been distinctly to¬ 
wards lower heads, and this in the interest of ease of thinning, 
of picking, pruning, and spraying. So it is also with apples, 
but perhaps to a less marked extent. In the West there is a 
somewhat special reason for the protection of the trunk from 
the hot suns by using low heads; for it is safe to say that we 
should not charge all the injury of the sun scalding type to the 
March and April sun. The heat of June and July is un¬ 
doubtedly responsible in some measure for part of the injury, 
and in our opinion shading the stem in hot sections, is just as 
necessary in summer as in winter. We have all seen times 
when the direct rays of the sun beating upon the stem of a 
fruit tree raised the temperature above the danger point. 
Under these conditions the life of the cells must have been 
endangered or killed. 
We shall be glad to present a concensus of opinion on this 
subject (the height of heading nursery trees) in our June 
issue. In the meantime we shall be glad to hear from any 
who wish to contribute to the symposium. 
HEIGHT OF 
HEADING 
NURSERY 
STOCK. 
THE PRUNING 
OF NURSERY 
STOCK. 
There is a diversity of opinion and practice in the pruning 
of nursery trees. Some growers insist that all small tufts of 
leaves shall be removed from the trunks of the trees. They 
do not approve of the “feathered to the 
toe” expression of a tree bearing these 
abortive leaf spurs. But if we look into 
the matter, we will find that there is a 
special reason why these little clusters of 
feeders should be allowed to remain. It 
should be kept in mind that the leaves 
bear the digestive and respiratory organs of the plant. The 
tree, therefore, is fed in its various parts by the numberless 
factories at work in these leaves. Furthermore, each leaf 
probably feeds and stimu'ates the growth of a more or less 
localized portion, as roots have been shown to do. These 
tufts of leaves, then, on the stem may be expected to have an 
important part in the growth and building up of the trunk; 
and so it is, in fact. Experiment has shown that nursery 
trees clipped of these stem feeders will grow more spindling 
than others not pruned. A straight smooth stem is, of 
course, delightful to look upon, and desirable from the sales¬ 
man’s standpoint, but nevertheless, a stocky, sturdy one 
makes a better tree. Do not “ rub” too early. 
We are glad to present in another place the complete 
program for a meeting of the American Association of Nursery¬ 
men which promises to be the most successful and interesting 
in its history. Among the leading feat¬ 
ures of this session will be the reports of 
THE PROGRAM the various sub-executive committees of 
FOR THE the Association. These will be heard 
WEST baden on the morning of June 14th. In the 
MEETING afternoon a number of eminently prac¬ 
tical subjects will be taken up: as the 
grading of nursery stock, and the desir¬ 
ability of nurserymen planting experimental orchards for 
their own use. In the evening two important illustrated 
addresses will be given; first, a description of one of the 
most interesting collections of trees and shrubs which America 
possesses; the other, that topic which has attracted public 
attention so much in recent weeks, namely, fertilizing the 
soil by inoculation methods. 
Not less interesting will be the program for Thursday, 
when our friends Stringfellow of Texas, and Taber of Florida 
will speak on methods of cultivation and of improving or¬ 
chard trees. In the afternoon the business side of the nuriery 
industry will have an inning5. Mr. Thos. B. Meehan will 
introduce the subject of office management, and W. P. Stark 
of Missouri will review the fruit exh bit at the World’s Fair. 
On Thursday evening our friend Hale, of Connecticut and 
Georgia, will give an illustrated address in his own inimitable 
manner, on the handling of fruit. This will be followed by an 
open (not closed as first announced) session, when the sub¬ 
ject of “crown gall” and root knot will be taken up by 
George G. Hedgcock, agent of the United States Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture. Friday, the last day of the session, 
will be devoted in part to papers, and in part to reports ot 
committees, anti final resolutions. Among the important 
papers will be one on the refrigeration of nursery stock 
already referred to, and one on the evolution ot the im- 
