THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
142 
One of the important and very attractive features of the 
work of this society is the distribution annually, of new and 
promising plants, or of worthy old but little known plants. 
To illustrate the scope of the distributing work of the society 
we call attention to the fact that a member can make a choice 
of any two groups of eleven lots of flowers and bulbs, or he 
can secure the Canadian Horticulturist for one year, with one 
tree of a desirable variety of plum, or one vine of a valuable 
variety of grape. In addition to these privileges the member 
can compete, without extra fee, for any of the piizes 
offered by the society and can secure occasional bulletins 
and pamphlets issued under direction of the organization. 
This is a remarkable opportunity for anyone interested in 
fruit growing. All this is possible,through the policy of the 
provincial government of Ontario, which under certain 
conditions offers to societies of this type a maximum sum 
of $350, for the puspose of supporting and pushing the work 
in which they are interested. 
In looking over the various groups of plants offered we find 
roses, bulbs, perennials shrubs, house plants, and orchard 
fruits. 
It is interesting to observe that individual members offer 
prizes for the accomplishment of special objects, as the im¬ 
provement of a particular school-ground, the exploiting of a 
special type of plant or the increasing of the interest of 
children in school gardens. The work of this society is so 
admirable that no excuse is offered for drawing attention at 
some length toit. It is true that very few organizations in 
this country are able to secure governmental support. Yet, 
in our opinion, there is no reason why village improvement^ 
societies shou d not work along the same lines, and although 
they may be unable to offer as extended a list of prizes, or 
work on such an elaborate scale, yet with the application of 
a reasonable amount of zeal, and the effacement of selfishness 
on the part of members, vast good can be accomplished. 
To those who would like to obtain more specific information 
regarding the work of the society referred to above, we would 
suggest addressing the Secretary-Treasurer Mr. J. F. Wat¬ 
son, Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Canada. 
THE WEST VIRGINIA NURSERYMAN’S ASSOCIATION. 
A meeting of the West Virginia Nurserymen was held at Parkers¬ 
burg, West Virginia, July 29. W. A. Gold, Mason City, West Virginia, 
was elected president and II. R. Harris, Harrisville, secretary and 
treasurer. The next meeting will be held at Clarksburg, West Virginia, 
January 9th, 1906. 
We hope by this organization to be able to meet some of the local 
issues. 
Harrisville, W. Va. _ R. R. Harris. 
WHITE FLESH PEACHES. 
“The Peach Grower and Fruit Culturist” is responsible for the 
statement that the white flesh peach is superseding the yellow flesh 
varieties in the South. It is stated that large plantings in the South are 
now being made of the white flesh varieties. Samples of this type are 
the Belle of Georgia, White Cling, Champion, Waddell and Carmen. 
White Cling is said to be a large and handsome variety, ripening in 
September in the northern part of Georiga. 
It is estimated that almost 3,000,000 barrels of apples were held in 
cold storage in the United States this last year. 
Oregon apple growers are congratulating themselves on the high 
prices lately secured for Hood River Newtown Pippins in the London 
market. These brought $5.43 per box, which means that they sold the 
apples at seven cents apiece. 
ONE OF L. R. TAYLOR & SON’S PROPAGATING 
SPECIALTIES. 
This frontispiece illustrates the wrapping of grafts with 
Waxed Paper at L. R. Taylor & Sons, Topeka, Kansas. 
This firm claims to make from 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 Paper 
Wrapped grafts for the trade and their own planting each 
winter, and have evidently got paper wrapping down to a 
science. Itis claimed by Messrs. Taylor and others that grafts 
wrapped with waxed paper are superior to those wrapped 
with string for the reason that they are more nearly air tight. 
This wrapping keeps out germs, dirt and water from the splice 
and allows root and scion to callous and unite naturally. It 
is also asserted that these grafts do not sprout at the collar, 
which seems reasonable. Again the paper does not cut the 
wood, as is the case with string, thus discouraging and per¬ 
haps preventing root gall in considerable degree. 
THE EXTENT OF THE NURSERY. 
The Nurseries of L. R. Taylor & Sons of Topeka, Kansas, 
comprise some 500 acres, of which the bulk is closely planted 
to nursery stock. They make a specialty of growing Apple, 
Cherry, Peach and Plum trees, Apple and Pear seedlings for 
the wholesale trade, and .during the winter their grafting 
cellars are full of men putting up grafts both for their own 
plant and the trade in general. 
Their branch nurseries at Rossville, which they recently 
established for the purpose of growing Apple Seedlings, 
comprises 160 acres. The land here is situated in the fertile 
valley of the Kaw river and is peculiarly adapted to growing 
Apple Seedlings, and they are able at this point to get plenty 
of new land each year for the coming crop. 
Raising Apple Seedlings for the Trade is this firms long 
suit. For this years’ plant alone they imported from France 
over 3^- tons of French Crab seed, and their plant of these 
seed covers 150 acres. 
TROUBLES OF TREE PLANTERS IN EARLY DAYS 
IN ILLINOIS. 
The following interesting reminiscence is from the pen of Mr. T. H 
Douglas of Waukegan, Illinois. 
“Now that I have gone back to the dim past I will tell you of the first 
trees father ever had shipped to him. Late one Saturday in 1848 he 
was notified that the steamer had left a box of trees on the pier for him. 
Early the next morning (Sunday) he sent a man down for them. It 
was snowing heavily at the time with the prospect of a freeze up, and 
he wanted to have them planted at once. Finally he got three men to 
help him. There was only one spade in the village except what Uncle 
Jeremiah Porter, a former contractor in the East, controlled. Father sent 
one of the men to the village school-teacher to borrow from Porter but he 
would not let him have them to use on Sunday. Father then went to 
him and explained his predicament but with no better success. As 
he turned away he remarked to himself but out loud “ what a pity such 
beautiful trees will all have to die though the Lord has tended to them 
Sundays as well as week days.” and started off. He had hardly taken 
a step when “Uncle Jeremiah” shouted “hold on Robert, I had not 
looked at it in that light before. Come back and take all of the tools 
you want.” Two of those trees are still living that I know of and I 
hope many others are. 
NOTE—The incident related regarding the first shipment of trees 
to Waukegan, illustrates at least two things—the primitive condition 
of the country and the puritanical way of looking at Sunday and Sun¬ 
day work. How times have changed! and perhaps not all for the best, 
because one can not help wishing that some of the good old Presbyterian 
notions regarding Sunday had been retained and that some of the 
twentieth cenutry developments had never been bom.— Ed. 
