154 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
At present there are over 350,000 peach trees of fine quality, on a gentle ridge running north and south, and sloping 
ready for market. east and west, thus affording natural surface drainage 
The second specialty taken up was Strawberries and this . and an easy outlet for under drains when needed. This soil, 
began some fifteen years ago, when a twenty-five dollar order mostly Miami fine sand and silty loam has been built up, 
THE PACKING SHEDS 
Preparing for winter. A gasoline engine is used for cutting box heads, sawing wood and pumping water in connection with packing house work. 
was received for a dozen plants of as many varieties from J. H. 
Hale, of Connecticut. The first year, the firm felt elated when 
they sold 40,000 plants; now their annual output reaches the 
two and half-million mark. Much of the success of this end 
of the business is due to the growing of the plants on strictly 
virgin soil. Here, among the pine stumps, in soil filled with 
humus, strong, lusty plants are grown with perfect freedom 
from disease. 
A third specialty for a number of years has been Apples. 
The friable, sandy loam grows fine, strong, stocky trees under 
the system of culture practiced and described later on. The 
visitor may now look at 150 acres or more in apples, of which 
Baldwin, York Imperial and Y r ellow Transparent are leaders. 
NURSERY MANAGEMENT. 
It might be said that there is nothing remarkable about the 
system of cul- 
ture prac¬ 
ticed. It con¬ 
sists in simply 
applying the 
k n o w ledge 
which scien¬ 
tific investiga¬ 
tion has shown 
to be reason¬ 
able and desir- 
able, tothe 
growing of 
tree crops; yet 
this is unusual 
in the Nursery 
business. In 
the extension 
of the nursery 
lands a num¬ 
ber of so-call¬ 
ed “worn out” 
The Harrison's 
regenerated, by putting back the humus which unskillful 
management and poor rotation had burned out. Humus bear¬ 
ing crops are now frequently used and rarely does a block of 
trees go into winter quarters without a good surface cover of 
sorghum, millet or a leguminous crop like crimson clover or 
cow peas. This year fully sixty bushels of crimson clover seed 
have been used in seeding the broad acres occupied by apples, 
pears, cherries and other fruits which admit of the use of 
secondary crops of this nature. 
Cultivation in the Nursery is not conducted for the primary 
purpose of suppressing weeds. The eradication of weeds is a 
minor consideration. The saving of moisture, the improve¬ 
ment of the tilth, the liberation of plant food, are the objects 
aimed at. So shallow cultivation follows the spring plowing, 
and is continued until the trees are laid by, at the close of the 
growing sea¬ 
son by using 
a p 1 a n k e r, 
which at once 
pulverizes and 
levels the in- 
terspace. 
Nurs ervmen 
do no t u s e 
leguminous 
cover crops 
sufficiently. 
Many dollars 
laid out on 
fertilizers 
could be saved 
if- the prin¬ 
ciple of using 
humus pro¬ 
ducing and 
nitrogen col¬ 
and practiced, 
nursery crops 
s, 
. APPLE SEEDLINGS GALORE. 
This is a block of 350,000 Apple Seedlings which are from 2 to 3 feet high. Every fifth row has been planted for 
orchard purposes. The Apple Seedlings are French stock and of the best [grade. In the interspaces sorghum was sown 
about the middle of June which has made a growth equal to the height of the seedlings. 
or run down farms have been purchased, lecting cover crops were understood 
rent very little. These lands are situated Not only that, but less rotation of 
