15S 
THE NATIONAL 
NURSERYMAN 
The growing of tree? is still onr principal business. We do not employ 
an agent but sell direct through catalogue. Our trade is chiefly in the 
cities and towns, hence we give special attention to shade trees, ever¬ 
greens, roses, and other ornamental stock. 
In 1899 Wm. Baker died, but the business is still conducted under the 
same name, Mrs. Wm. Baker attending same interest. 
Fort Worth, Tex. Baker Bros. 
A Wichita Fails House. 
In the fall of 1S85, Dudley Hart. W. H. Downing and myself, J. L. 
Downing, started the Wichita Nursery, at Wichita Falls, Texas, as 
“Hart & Downing Bros.” Our beginning was very small. In ’86 we 
bought Mr. Hart’s interest, and then ran as Downing Bros. We grad¬ 
ually built up until we have a very good business. We grow a general 
assorted stock suited to this section. 
I have now purchased my brother’s interest, and I am now better 
prepared than ever to grow trees, being under irrigation. 
Wichita Falls, Tex. J. L. Downing. 
Firms About Tyler. 
I had been propagating trees for our home orchards in southeast Ala. 
since a boy and up to the time I came to Texas. My father was a great 
fruit man, and I naturally inherited a love for the business. After 
traveling in 
Texas for two 
years as a dealer 
in quest of loca¬ 
tion etc., we 
started a nur¬ 
sery at Tyler 
under the name 
of “J. F. & A. 
F. Sneed,” in 
January 1889. 
Owing to my 
brother’s ill 
health and sub¬ 
sequent decease, 
we con t i nu e d 
under this name 
only two years. 
Then I con¬ 
tinued in the 
business, as sole 
proprietor, for 
seven years; 
John F. Ford, 
growing some 
stock for me 
several years, 
and was also known under the firm name of “ Sneed & Ford ” for one 
year. In fall of ’9S, we dissolved co-partnership, since which time I 
have been in business alone. 
From the very first I have sold my stock almost exclusively to the 
wholesale trade. 
Altogether I have been in the nursery business at Tyler, Tex. for 
about 16 years. When I started in business there were three other 
nurserymen at Tyler: John T. Whitaker, J. C. Medlin and T. J. Sham- 
burger. 
Tyler, Tex. Jxo. F. Sxeed. 
J. T. Whitaker died several years ago, J. C. Medlin and T. J. Sham- 
burger, still continue in business. 
My circular letter was addressed to several other nurseries in the 
State, that have been in business some years, but they failed to respond. 
However, I think about all the pioneers are represented, either by them¬ 
selves or by reliable witnesses. 
Horticultural Societies. 
In 1879 was organized the Xorth-Texas Horticultural Society, meet¬ 
ing at Denison, Texas. It ran very successfully for ten years, and was 
the first successful horticultural society in the State. Through the 
interest awakened by it and by the aid of some of its leading members* 
was organized “The Texas State Horticultural Society,” and a number 
of other horticultural societies. Out of the State Horticultural 
Society was evolved “The Texas State Nurseryman's .Association,” 
“The Texas Farmer’s Congress,” and numerous other agricultural 
societies, all of which are now branches, or sections of “The Texas 
Farmer’s Congress,” under the able Presidency of Prof. J. H. Connell, 
now Editor of “The Farm and Ranch,” but former Director of Texas 
State Experiment Station. 
There are now above two hundred nursery and floral establishments 
in Texas, the larger cities having several each, and few towns in the 
State having a population of 1.000 or more are without a local nursery¬ 
man or two, while there are half a dozen or more doing more or less ex¬ 
tensive wholesaling as well as retailing. 
Through much experimental and testing work, chiefly of the pioneer 
nurseryman, has commercial fruit growing advanced from nothing in 
1876, to very extensive and profitable proportions at the present time. 
WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ON NURSERY RESTRICTIONS. 
{Professor W. M. Scott, Washington, D. C. Read before the Southern 
Nurserymen’s Association.] 
According to the Twelfth Census there were 367,164,694 bearing fruit 
trees in the United States in 1900, an increase of 153,712,106 bearing 
This represents onlv bearing trees, and the nursery¬ 
men can testify 
that there has 
been an unpre- 
cedented in¬ 
crease in the 
plantings of 
fruit trees dur¬ 
ing the four 
years since 1900 
census was 
taken, Georgia 
alone having 
added 7,500,000 
peach trees to 
her already 
enormous orch¬ 
ards. A reliable 
dealer recently 
remarked to me 
that the south¬ 
ern nurserymen 
produced at 
least 25,000,000 
peach trees an¬ 
nually and that 
the bulk of these 
trees were 
planted in the South. It will be seen, therefore, that the fruit¬ 
growing industry is taking on enormous proportions, and that the 
responsibility of the nurserymen is accordingly increasing, for it is to 
them that the orehardists must look for their annual supply of trees. 
The influence of the nurserymen has been felt to no small degree in 
developing the fruit industry to its present state. It is through them 
that the new and desirabel varieties have been disseminated and 
through their influence that many farmers have been induced to 
become fruit growers, and they have freely given through their cata¬ 
logues and agents, valuable instructions for planting and caring for 
trees. The nursery business is, therefore, an indispensable feature of 
the fruit industry, and, although, the orehardists must have protection 
against fraudulent practices of unscrupulous nurserymen as well as the 
unwitting dissemination of dangerous orchard pests, the nurserymen 
must, at the same time, have due consideration before the legislative 
assemblies and be allowed to exist. 
INOPERATIVE LAWS. 
Of the forty-eight States and Territories there are less than a dozen 
that are without operative laws governing the inspection, sale and trans¬ 
portation of nursery stock, and I venture the assertion that if these laws 
were enforced to the letter, half of the nurserymen in the United States 
would have to quit the business. Fortunately, the inspectors as a rule 
realize this and exercise such discretion as to admit of the sale of mil- 
trees in a decade. 
THE HARRISONS’ NURSERY: 
View of a young peach and kieffer orchard three years growth with three rows of cow peas between trees. The center of 
cow pea rows are again sown to sorghum and crimson clover for winter covering. An experiment to see how cheap an orchard 
can be well grown. 
