THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
9 
exhibition at St.Louis was also eminently successful. Added 
to these, are the numerous small exhibitions the country over. 
Nearly every little town where floral interests are at all rep¬ 
resented, has had its chrysanthemum exhibition and most of 
them are recorded as being successful. This speaks well for 
the immediate future of this great greenhouse favorite, the 
Chrysanthemum. 
plant lice the past summer. It is very important that the 
nurserymen sections infested with plank lice should exercise 
every possible precaution in cleaning their stock before rhe 
opening of an other summer. Trees that are dug and cel¬ 
lared should have their tops dipped in lime and sulphur this 
fall before storing or during the dormant period. Altogether, 
the fall sulphur washes offer a rather promising means of 
destroying some of our injurious insects. 
The spring weeks are always over-filled with necessary work, 
consequently orcharclists and nurserymen quite occasionally 
find themselves unable to do all the spraying that their original 
programme contemplated. In the case of 
FALL spray- those sprays which can only be applied 
ING with when the tree is dormant, as lime and sul- 
SVLPHLR phur and crude petroleum, it is very im- 
WASHES portant to know whether the spring is 
the only time when they can be applied 
efficaciously. Recent experiment's by some of the Station 
workers, appear to show that fairly good results can be ob¬ 
tained by applying lime and sulphur in the late fall or early 
winter. The advisability of spraying at this time has been 
questioned by a large number of orcharidsts of the State. 
Some experiments designed to throw light on the subject, 
were undertaken by the Cornell Experiment Station last fall. 
Peach, pear plum, and apple trees were sprayed while still in leaf 
but after the wood had become fairly well ripened. Ordinarily 
it is not necessary to spray trees when in leaf, but some va¬ 
rieties hold their foliage late in the autumn after which there 
often occurs a favorable season for this work in October, so that 
if it is possible to spray at this season with good effect, it is 
well that we should know it. The trees sprayed at Cornell Ex¬ 
periment Station dropped their leaves soon after the spray was 
applied. There was no apparent injury to the terminal shoots 
and in the case of plums, pears and apples it was not proved that 
the buds were injured, although there were indications that some 
injury to the blossoms did occlir. The peach buds were un¬ 
questionably injured to the extent of perhaps five or ten per 
cent, both leaf and fruit, but as the trees were subsequently 
root-killed by the winter, their final behavior could not be noted. 
The entomologist of the New York Experiment Station says, 
in regard to the experiments carried on at Geneva that, ‘‘There 
is some doubt as to the effects of fall spraying upon fruit buds. 
Some experiments conducted in 1902 showed that such treat¬ 
ment was not detrimental to Elberta or Crosby peaches, 
Burbank or Lombard plums, and in the destruction of scale 
compared favorably with results obtained by early spring ap¬ 
plication. It is true that the effects of such sprays often 
vary with the weather following the applications, and with the 
condition of the trees themselves, so that a single test cannot 
be considered a certain index of the value of such treatments.” 
In short, it does not seem that there is any serious danger of 
injuring the tree by using the lime and sulphur sprays in the 
autumn and that San Jose scale may be treated at this time 
apparently as effectually as when sprayed in the spring. 
Where nurseries are infested with plant lice, it looks as if 
this might be a promising time to destroy the eggs which 
remain upon the twigs in the fall and reproduce little 
sucking insects in the spring. We have had some intimation 
that certain sections of the country were again infested with 
As we have already seen by the evidence mainly published 
in the November issue, by members of the Association of 
American Nurserymen, the year has been a satisfactory one 
retro. on the whole. It has not been without its 
spective and discouragements and drawbacks. When 
salutatory. c | 0 we fi nc [ a year without these? It has 
been varied climatically. This has given new experience; has 
forced the adoption of new methods; but experience care¬ 
fully conned is capital for the future. The man who comes up 
smiling after a hard round in life’s battle, is the man who is 
altogether likely to win in a hard run; is the man who comes 
out first in the average of events. “The man worth while 
is the man who can smile, when everything goes dead wrong,” 
says Ella Wheeler Wilcox. (Ella gets off some good things, 
notwithstanding the halo of “yellow” which usually surrounds 
her sayings.) 
We believe at any rate that the balance sheet for 1904 will 
demonstrate to the greater number of members of our circle 
that they are richer not only by reason of increased financial 
endowment but are richer in garnered experience, in friend¬ 
ships and in wholesome and sound business ties. These are 
often more valuable than bank accounts. 
This journal underwent a change of editorial management 
during the year. When the present editor was installed he 
expressed in the most impressive manner possible his desire, 
that this journal should be the mouth piece and exponent of 
the best principles and practices of the Nurserymen of the 
United States and Canada. This wish is again reiterated and 
the request repeated that the members of the association will 
aid him by counsel and support in placing this paper upon a 
high plane in the ranks of the horticultural journals of this 
and other countries. 
Speaking editorially, we wish to say that our association by 
correspondence during the past six months with the rank and 
file of American nurserymen has been of the pleasantest char¬ 
acter. It has also been instructive in the highest degree. Our 
earnest hope is that it may thus continue. We shall with a 
willing spirit do the best in our power for the individual as 
well as the collective body. We rely upon your support in the 
future as in the past. 
On behalf of the Business Manager and the President 
the Editor presents thanks for past favors, and wishes the 
patrons of the National Nurseryman a happy and prosper¬ 
ous New Year. 
The man who meets no opposition usually pursues a dead level ex¬ 
istence. 
Some people are so proud of their ancestry that they never exert them¬ 
selves to benefit posterity. 
The man who prepares for death wastes his time; the man who pre¬ 
pares to live is wise indeed. 
