The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyrighted 1903 by The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated. 
Vol. XIII. ROCHESTER, N. Y., MARCH, 1905. No. 3. 
An Interesting Story With a Point To It. 
BY A MODEST MEMBER OF THE PROGRAM COMMITTEE. 
(Preliminary Program on Page 53). 
Part I. 
Many nurserymen in Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, 
Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, etc., depend on Cowpeas 
for soil improvement. At Huntsville, for ten years, Mr. 
Heikes and others have sown to Cowpeas all land cleared of 
nursery stock the previous season, and have thought this the 
best and cheapest fertilizer. The vine has been cut for hay, 
which is of good quality, its market price per ton being very 
near that of timothy. We have known the chief fertilizing 
value was in the root. 
New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois nurserymen 
have depended on other leguminous plants, many have not 
known their value. Last June, on their journey to or from 
Atlanta, many nurserymen visited Huntsville, about 999 % 
noticed the fields of Cowpeas, all asked questions and went 
to the barns to examine the hay; many arranged to secure 
1 to 5 bushels of seed, for testing. 
Part II. 
Knowing what leguminous plants have done for us ; know¬ 
ing nurserymen generally were intensely interested in 
this matter; knowing of questions on this subject we would 
like answered I wrote Col. Brackett, (Department of Agri¬ 
culture) a former Vice-President of the American Association 
of Nurserymen, calling his attention to the Century article, 
saying we would like to have a man who knew all about 
this matter, at West Baden, to give us a short paper, and 
answer questions. I said “ Questions not strictly 
pertinent may be asked, but all with the best feeling and in¬ 
tent, therefore we wish we could have, first, a man who 
knows; second, if possible, a man who is easy and happy, 
who will answer in the spirit of inquiry.” Col. Brackett wrote, 
“Dr. George Moore is the man you want.” 
Dr. Moore wrote he would go to West Baden, give us a 
paper on the subject as applied to the particular needs of 
nurserymen and answer questions,—he too, believes in ques¬ 
tions. 
Dr. Moore is the man in the U. S. who perfected the process 
of preparing and using bacteria, in connection with legu¬ 
minous plants for soil improvement, and who patented his 
discovery for his Government, so that any poor chap could 
benefit; I presume he could have made a clean million out 
of it. 
I do not know George Moore. 1 am told by a man who does 
know him, “He is a man of splendid address and a pleasant 
speaker. He takes kindly to questioning, and the members 
need not hesitate to fire questions at him.” 
Part III. 
Upon learning there was a probability of securing Dr. 
Moore, I asked the Century Company if we could arrange for 
1,500 reprints of Mr. Grosvenor’s article, to mail to the nurs¬ 
erymen of America to arouse interest in our convention. A 
reply was received from Mr. W. W. Ellsworth, Secretary, 
saying they did not care to furnish a part of the magazine, 
but that they would “ take pleasure in mailing 1,500 copies of 
the October magazine to the nurserymen free of charge.” The 
complete magazine will do us more good than Mr. Grosvenor’s 
article alone, I told Mr. Ellsworth as much, thanked him and 
accepted. I have sent to Mr. Ellsworth a list of nurserymen, 
embracing all firms in this country East of Denver, and all lead¬ 
ing firms West of Denver. Mr. Seager has a duplicate list, the 
magazines went into the mail one day after a letter from 
Mr. Seager. Mr. Seager called attention to the article in the 
Century saying Dr. Moore would be on hand, at West Baden 
to answer questions. I invite all to look up questions they 
want answered. 
It seems to me this subject alone, in the hands of George 
Moore, should take every live nurseryman to West Baden. 
A few weeks ago a Dansville, New York, nurseryman told 
me clover grew but poorly with him, another, less than a 
mile away, said clover grew luxuraintly. There is a reason. 
George Moore can tell us why. 
As you probably know, many of us are not entirely at ease 
when listening to a paper by a man who understands and 
uses scientific, technical terms, as a rule nurserymen like 
easy, every-day, words. Some of the best nurserymen in 
America are in this class; men with clean, liberal, broad 
minds; their word is their bond; they do not deal in seed of 
the seedless melon, nor scions of the coreless apple. Such men 
honor any profession, and to be counted in that class any 
nurseryman is happy. 
I think it will do good to let the nurserymen know George 
Moore is a man, that he will talk direct to us in plain words, 
that he expects questions and will do his best to answer. 
I wrote thirty-five leading firms asking suggestions as to the 
best manner of handling this thing for the mutual good, I think 
all have replied, many knew we used cowpeas and in their 
replies they refer to cowpeas only. It is not a question 
of cowpeas, but leguminous plants, therefore, do not 
mention Cowpeas unless in connection with other plants 
of that class, as “clover afalfa, ..vetch, soy beans, cowpeas, 
etc.” I think there are legumes that will do well where 
cowpeas fail. 
