THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
29 
salads and other vegetables of all kinds were grown between 
the shrubs and underneath the shade of the ornamental 
deciduous trees. In many parts of Holland the nurseries are 
located upon a black mucky soil which has been reclaimed from 
the bottom of the sea. This is laid off in little squares of from 
one acre to five or six, each square being surrounded by a 
deep ditch, the top of the soil lying, as a rule, not more than 
two to four feet above the level of the water, so that you can 
appreciate in such a location, plants never suffer for the lack 
of moisture. There was but one criticism from my standpoint 
against the Holland nursery and this was that stock, as a rule, 
was grown too close together and not given sufficient air space. 
This results in a very close heading in of the plants in order to 
keep them down and from interfering with each other. This 
sharp cutting and the lack of circulation of air and sunlight 
around the base of the plants, produces, in many evergreens, 
a thinness at the bottom of the plant which deteriorates in it 
value, and this could be obviated by giving the stock a little 
more room. 
However, there is some excuse for the Holland nurseryman’s 
crowding his land in the manner which he does, and that is 
the high rental cost of the land used for nursery purposes. 
I found that the average rental land in the most favored 
nursery districts of Holland, exceeded, in some instances, the 
purchase price of land within rifle shot of the Cottage Gardens. 
Taken as a whole my trip was decidedly instructive and I 
believe that I absorbed considerable valuable information. 
I certainly enjoyed it very much indeed and returned to 
America not only much improved in spirits and health, but 
with a much livelier appreciation of the ability of our brethren 
on the other side of the pond. 
C. W. Ward. 
Cottage Gardens Nursery Co., Queens, L. I. 
PENNSYLVANIA NURSERYMEN IN SESSION. 
The first annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Nurserymen’s 
Association was held in the parlors of the Commonwealth 
Hotel, Harrisburg, Pa., on January 16th and 17th. This 
organization was effected last year. The nurserymen of 
Pennsylvania have long felt the want of a State organization 
and consequently, when the call was made for a meeting, the 
nurserymen very quickly responded. There are some thirty- 
five members of the Association, twenty-seven of whom were 
in attendance at the meeting. 
This being strictly a trade organization, it was decided to 
hold the session behind closed doors and this was carried out. 
At the meeting on Monday evening however, the Secretary of 
Agriculture, Hon. N. B. Critchfield, and the Economic Zoologist, 
Prof. H. A. Surface, and State Inspector of Nurseries, 
Mr. E. B. Engle, were invited to attend the meeting. In¬ 
formal addresses were made by them as to the best legislation 
to propose concerning San Jose Scale, fumigation and nursery 
inspections, this being one of the important questions that was 
up for discussion at the Executive sessions of the meeting. 
The Association through its legislative committee prepared 
a new bill to be entered in the legislature covering the inspec¬ 
tion of nursery stock. This bill was accepted and endorsed 
by the Department of Agriculture and will be presented at 
this meeting of the Legislature and every effort made to have 
same passed. The bill covered not only the inspection of 
nursery stock, but also similar inspection and treatment of 
any trees or shrubs throughout the State that may be known 
to be infested with San Jose Scale. It has the advantages of 
not only looking after the nurseries but also of cleaning up any 
old orchards or trees that may be infested with scale. 
The members of the Association were very enthusiastic 
over the success of the organization. The officers of last year 
were re-elected. They are as follows: Wm. H. Moon, presi¬ 
dent; Thomas B. Meehan, vice-president; Earl Peters, secre¬ 
tary ; and Thomas Rakestraw, treasurer. 
COLLAR ROT ON THE KING. 
It is a very regrettable fact that a healthy King apple tree 
over twenty years of age is difficult to find anywhere in the 
country. The trouble usually lies in canker at the base, near 
the surface of the ground, or in the forks or branches. This 
collar rot at the base is a corroding or eating away of the bark. 
It appears in a small patch, which gradually increases in size 
till it encircles the tree and causes its death. The trouble is 
well known to orchardists over the country, and is called 
variously "canker,” "King disease,” "collar rot,” etc. Other 
varieties affected by the same trouble are Twenty Ounce, Hub- 
bardston and Greening, the latter to a slight extent. This 
fungous disease appears to be especially prevalent in New 
York, but is found in some sections in New England where the 
King is grown. 
Prevention.—I have seen cases where trees have been saved 
by bridge grafting, but this is an uncertain remedy, because 
the disease may take a fresh grip and kill off the "bridge” as 
well as the old original tissue. The fundamental remedy 
seems to be the placing of the King on another stock not sus¬ 
ceptible to the disease. Wherever I have seen King on Spy 
or Russet, there has been no trouble from this enemy. It is 
probable that Tallman and Haas will be equally satisfactory. 
The thousands of top grafted Kings scattered here and there 
throughout the country and in good condition at this time— 
some on old seedling stocks—give evidence of the desirability 
of this method of growing this apple. The King on its own 
stock is a variety whose days are short and full of trouble. 
It seems to me that here is a very desirable field for enter¬ 
prising nurserymen—the King on healthy, vigorous stocks. 
The value of the King as an orchard variety has been empha¬ 
sized the last season by the fact that when buyers sniffed at 
Baldwin and Russet they were willing to make a bid on Kings. 
J.C. 
We are very much pleased at the marked improvement in The Na¬ 
tional Nurseryman. Its horizon is broadening and the field is of 
greater interest than heretofore. The big and little are given a chance, 
and their experiences are read with general interest. Accept our con¬ 
gratulations for the splendid work you are doing. 
Lake City, Minn. The Jewell Nursery Co. 
SIGHTLESS AND SPEECHLESS. 
William A Pinkerton tells of an old-time confidence man who used to 
do business in Chicago. He was anxious to work unmolested around a 
depot where a special officer was engaged to protect the unwary. The 
crook one day walked up behind the officer whom he knew pretty well 
and suddenly reached around and put his hands over the officer’s eyes 
“Can you see anything now?” asked the “con” man. 
“ Not a thing,” said the other, as he raised his hands. The crook re¬ 
moved his hands and a $20 gold piece fell into each of the officer’s hands. 
The crook walked away laughing, but the officer followed. “Say,” 
he remarked, “ if you put one of those into my mouth I could not even 
speak .”—New York Times. 
