62 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
bugs are becoming very destructive to their vine-yards, and 
also to their Pear trees; one man reports that the leaves were 
entirely eaten from his pear trees, that we furnished him 
last Spring. 
Will be pleased to hear from you, and thank you in advance 
for your trouble. 
Rochester, N. Y. Inquirer. 
Answer: —Yours of the 2nd inst. to The National Nur¬ 
seryman regarding remedial measures for the rose-bug or 
rose-chafer has just been referred to me for reply. During 
the past season I began studying this old pest, and made a 
few preliminary experiments. There is considerable more 
to learn about its life and habits in New York state, and I am 
not yet prepared to recommend with entire confidence any 
special spray mixture for it. I am not yet sure that it breeds 
in the soil around the plants on which the beetles work, or 
whether its grubs live in uncultivated grass-lands nearby. 
But I suspect the latter is the case. Therefore, I think that 
thorough cultivation is one of the best methods of reducing 
the numbers of this pest. Some experiments which I made 
in trying to poison the beetles lead me to believe that they 
can be poisoned, providing they can be enticed to eat the 
sprayed foliage. I succeeded in killing large numbers of the 
beetles with an arsenate of lead spray at the rate of five and 
ten pounds in fifty gallons of water. When I used this poison 
stronger than this the beetles would not eat the sprayed 
foliage readily, and hence no more were killed than when the 
mixture was used with less poison. The indications from 
my preliminary experiments were that if the foliage was well 
covered with Bordeaux mixture to which a strong poison, 
like arsenate of lead, was added at the rate of five or ten 
pounds in fifty gallons of water, that many of the beetles 
would be killed and the foliage largely protected from the 
depredations of the insect. I believe that where the rose 
chafers do not appear in greater numbers than they usually 
do in most infested localities in New York State, that young 
fruit-trees, grape-vines, rose bushes and their other food- 
plants can be largely protected from their ravages and many 
of the beetles killed. It will require prompt and thorough 
work with a strong poison, preferably arsenate of lead, at 
the rate of about ten pounds in fifty gallons of water or Bor¬ 
deaux mixture, as this poison will not injure the foliage, and 
will stick on much longer than other poisons. Get the poison 
on as soon as the first beetles are seen, and make a second 
or third application so as to keep the foliage well covered with 
the poison. 
Cornell University. M. Y. Slingerland. 
SUGGESTIONS ON STORAGE HOUSES. 
To Stark Bros., ; 
Louisiana, Mo. 
We are preparing to build a frost-proof building for storing trees, 
ready for winter shipment. 
We have in mind a building which we would like your opinion on 
as to whether it will keep the trees in good shape. In fact any sugges¬ 
tion you will give us will be appreciated very much. 
We are expecting to make a building with 8 foot corner post with a 
ceiling overhead (8 ft.) line it on both in and outside, then fill the 
chamber (6 inches) with sawdust thoroughly packed. Pack the trees 
in one of the three ways, sawdust, sand or heal them in the ground as 
there is to be no floor in it. Give general suggestions. 
Clayton, Illinois. Missing Link Apple Company. 
answer: 
Your proposed investment in building is quite an outlay. The value 
of trees stored is a large one hence you cannot afford to make a mistake. 
Briefly, we tried cellar storage and quit it on account of fungus, mould, 
etc. We tried “above ground” houses with sawdust between the walls 
and quit them on accoimt of dry fungus, etc. attacking both lumber and 
trees. Now we use air space, walls and roof lined on both walls with 
tarred felt paper. By making ample air space in the roof or a double 
air space and having sheds around storage building, we keep out vir¬ 
tually all the frost. We store trees like cord wood, with packing ma¬ 
terial through the trees and a heavy layer on top. If house is frost¬ 
proof but little packing is necessary. If more or less frost gets in then 
use heavily the packing material on top and next to outside walls. In 
the nineties we heeled in trees in our sheds in moss and sand. Now 
we cord up 8 feet high. The fewer windows in main storage house the 
better, as they let in cold. 
Louisiana, Missouri. Stark Bros. Nurseries & Orchards Co. 
Editor National Nurseryman : 
Dear Sir —I wish to go into the nursery business and desire some 
information. 
1. Please tell me, if you can do so, when I may be able to purchase 
fruit tree seeds. 
2. Also mention the varieties of apple, plum, cherry and pear that 
may be propagated from cuttings without grafting. 
3. Why do not people usually graft the peach? 
Thanking you in advance for answering the above, I am, 
Very truly yours, 
Washington. ' ” ” W. T. T. 
answer: 
I would suggest that you consult the advertising columns of the 
National Nurseryman for information as to the firms dealing in fruit 
tree seeds. 
There are very few varieties of tree fruits propagated by cuttings. In 
plums and pears there are notable exceptions, however. Pears of the 
oriental type are propagated in the South more or less ireely from 
cuttings. This is especially true of Keiffer and Le Conte. The Marianna 
plum is also grown in large numbers from cuttings treated practically 
in the same way as currents are handled. In Europe, quinces are grown 
from cuttings, but more generally from layers. Budding and grafting 
however, are the almost universal methods of propagating the tree 
fruits. 
Peaches are propagated exclusively by budding, for the reason that 
the method is cheaper and better than grafting. C. 
A BUNCH OF VARIED INQUIRIES. 
Please let the following questions appear through the columns of 
your paper: 
1. Can any firm handle Stark’s Trade Mark trees, and not be sub¬ 
ject to prosecution? 
2. What commission do nurserymen generally pay salesmen? 
3. Where may I procure grafting wood of Liveland Raspberry 
apple? 
4. What does it cost on an average to grow apple trees? 
5. Can. a man start say with about $500.00 and clear $100.00 in 
two years invested in a nursery? 
Woodlawn, Virginia. A Subscriber. 
answer : 
1. The legal status of the trade-mark and varietal name is dis¬ 
cussed in the October number of the National Nurseryman, at page 
129. The opinions there presented cover the case quite completely, 
and present more authoritative views than we are able to advance. 
2. The commission paid by nurserymen is usually in the neigh¬ 
borhood of 25%. There are a few who pay more, and perhaps some 
who pay less; but this will represent the average. 
3. In the advertising columns of the National Nurseryman will 
be found suggestions where grafting wood can be procured. Undoubt¬ 
edly it can be secured by applying to almost any of the leading nurs¬ 
erymen of the northern states. This summer Russian apple is one of 
the best of that class. 
4. Apple trees are sometimes sold as low as $4 and $5 per hundred, 
but the probability is that the grower makes no money at this price. 
This subject will be discussed at the forthcoming meeting of the Asso¬ 
ciation of American Nurserymen. 
