The Portland daily press., 1878-09-17
AGRICULTURAL.
The Nursery Busiues. i'm Maiue,

The Nursery business i'm Maine.
have no history of this important business
II wish had-as conducted in this State.
Neither do know that there is any work by
Which one could obtain knowledge of its
original progress up to the present time. 1t
would give me great pleasure to read such
book. During the session of the winter meet
ing OF the Pathological Society at Winthrop,
aud while the subject of nursery stock was
being discussed, it was brought out by Mr. 2.
A. Gilbert, President of the Society, that
large number of persons Ia much larger num-
Der than anybody dreamed of were engaged
in this business in this State. A full report
of all the persons engaged in it in any man
ner was given and the number of trees they
We're raising which ran all the way from 5000
TO 70 or 100000 L must say that was great
ly surprised and at times since then | have
wondered aud wondered how it is in the face
OF the fact that so many Maine farmers and
nurserymen are engaged in raising hundreds
OF thousands OF fruit trees, enough to supply
all our wants, that hundreds of thousands are
yearly introduced into this State and sold to
our farmers, by foreign or Western nursery
men. Now, from this condition of affairs,
one of two things is quite evident; either
that our farmers are setting out immense Or
chards and purchasing all the trees they can
buy more largely of the latter. Our people
have sort OF mania for anything that is
foreign. II it only comes from Paris, be it
bonnet or dress it is perfectly elegant, lust
splendid, and they must have it at whatever
cost, and the fact that the same article equal.
iy as good can be obtained right at home at
less cost, is not to be considered for mo-
ment. Foreign fashion books are displayed
and foreign smooth-tongued agents soon talk
nd CO fr,,,k @z
with their glib tongues and gaily illustrated
books and plates soon gain the day. 1 know
not how many Maine or Western trees are
sold yearly in this State, but / should Judge
from the tone of past discussions, from gener-
al complaints and from personal observation
OF few Maine nurseries, that for every
Maine tree sold, one hundred Western trees
are sold. One of the best nurserymen in this
State, said to nae but shor. time ago that
he was discouraged and that he intended to
abandon the business. He said the agents of
Western nurserymen were constantly runn-
ing through the country and that they had
way of talking so smoothly and gby and
displaying magnificent plates of beautiful and
attractive fruit, that, said he, SIT is no use,
cannot contend with them, and mean to
give up the business" Now am very sorry
for this and before get through with this ar
ticle will tell you why l am sorry. Now
Ai6ao hSiO iCo lllC Gay Uudo ILLS Is uOG GUc uG-
termination OF whimsical and childish man
and poor farmer, but of a substantial man
and good practical farmer; farmer whose
buildings are models of neatness. utility and
convenience; whose fields are clean and high
~ cultivated and whose farm operations are
all conducted on principles of economy and
profit. In fact he is one of the most econom-
lcal and prosperous farmers l am acquainted
with. Why then this Encouragement? And
M hau Of MI.
Jailed to meet the wants of the people and
signally tailed to fill their pockets 1 will
tell you why, but you must give me time and
listen patiently.
One reason and perhaps the most important
one, why our nurserymen have failed to raise
good trees, such trees as the public demands,
is want of knowledge; in other words they
are ignorant of the first principles of how
nursery ought to be conducted. This is es-
peclally true of all small nurserymen, of that
class who have merely dabbled in it without
knowing what they wanted or what anybody
else wanted. 1t is true, they prepared the
ground and sowed their seed, but that was
the end of the matter, almost. No trans
planting, no thinning out and very little prun-
ing. In fact, rode by nursery not long
ago some two or three years of age, where
not tree had been transplanted, no thinn-
ing out and not particle of pruning had been
done, and what was more unfortunate the
whole plat was on such low fiat ground, not
perhaps sufficiently drained, that a large
number OF the tops of the trees had been win
ter Killed. A year ago last spring wanted
q Few seeding apple trees. The first nursery
entered was small one of the hedge-roW
style mentioned above. Some were lousy,
some were too large but the greater part
were too crooked.
might possibly have selected one tree in
twenty sufficiently straight and sound. But
l concluded to pass on and try elsewhere.
The next nursery entered was a great deal
larger aud conducted on better principles.
The trees had all been transplanted and the
top-roots removed and they were well cult
waited and the grass kept down. The loca-
ton was tolerably good; the land a graveIy
loan with fair natural drainage, though
rather wet in the spring. To my mind, care
not what the proprietor thinks, or ANYBODY
else, to the contrary, there was little incl-
nation here to the hedge-row style and the
consequence was too many crooked and i'll
shaped trees, and quite a large number also
were getting too large for transplanting
The joke OF it was, after l got there, he
would not let me have such trees as wanted
at fair price, but was determined that
should take the largest trees at the biggest
price. Not wishing to return home empty
took ten, about one half of what wanted.
He gave me card last winter, representing
that he had Seeding trees at ten dollars per
hundred, and no other price was mentioned.
He also advertised once or twice last spring
in the Farmer, trees at ten dollars per hum
dred and no other price was mentioned. L
tried him again. When 1 got there and en-
tered the nursery found that his ten dollar
trees were hardly worth the hau ling home.
therefore selected such trees as l wanted
and paid him twenty cents apiece. 1 call
that sharp practice, as shrewd as any New
York agent can perform. do not find fault
with the price; think a man ought to have
from fifteen to twenty dollars per hundred
for good trees, but find fault with the man.
ner of making it known. 1t is too much like
catch-trap process. If man has a good
lot of trees let him say so and state the prices
distinctly in his circular or advertisement and
then there will be no misunderstanding or
disappointment.
shall have something to say about anoth-
er nursery belonging to this same man and I |
trust it will be more pleasing to him and to
the readers of your paper. shall also in an |
other article have occasion to speak of other |
nurseries, in fact don't believe l am half |
through, but have patience and hear me out. |
l rode to-day, August Goth, past one of the |
largest nurseries in the State, but forbear |
~