Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-07-29
A PROGRESSIVE NURSERY
The Oak Lawn Fruit Farm and Nursery
Well to the Front.

The Oak Lawn Fruit Farm and Nursery
Well to the Front.
1t was our pleasure and privilege
on Tuesday last to be shown about
the Oak Lawn Nursery, together
with its gardens, experimental
orchards and the old foundation
orchard of the senior proprietor, by
its two enterprising proprietors, A. E.
Bents and Jas. Upton. and we can
; safely say that this vicinity possesses
a nursery that in magnitude and CON-
pleteness will surprise its visitors,
and we advise all to look it over,
assuring them that they will be pleas
antly entertained and will accumulate
a large fund of valuable information,
especially if contemplating the plant
ing of trees, vines or shrubs.
l Messrs. Bents and Upton had a
distinct object ia view in establishing
this nursery. OF course, it was not
started as a charitable institution for
the benefit of the country contiguous,
but the result sought was to found a
nursery from which everything sent
forth could be recommended to the
purchaser from the personal
knowledge and experience of the pro-
prietors, very desirable requisite In
a climate where the various fruits to
do we'll must possess certain quail
ties, and when the people, owing to
long deception by ignorant or fraud.
ulent Cor both) foreign nurserymep,
had as rule made up their minds
that fruit could not be grown in this
northern climate.
Fifty-two acres of land is occupied
by their nursery and fruit farm, and
more is being added from year to
year, and all is kept in a neat, well
cultivated and orderly manner, pro-
ducing pleasant impression upon
the observer and suggesting the
thought that this care in the small
details spoke we'll for the quality of
stock that would be offered for sale.
In the nursery proper there are
standing 100000 young trees, about
10000 of which will be ready for
planting next season. These latter
are very fine trees, straight and with
out blemish, as all their trees
receive the best of care and pruning,
and average feet in height, and
some of them, of the Wealthy variety,
producing apples as they stand in
the nursery row, but the surprise was
to see yearling Wealthy scarce two
feet high carrying couple of fine,
large apples And in this connection,
let US say that on not one Of these
trees, nor on none in his experiment.
al orchard or the old home orchard,
could be detected sign of blight, a
fact explained as due to careful Sc
lection OF varities and care and
knowledge in propagating. Many of
these trees show new growth this
year of nearly three feet which
speaks well for the life and thrift of
their stock.
They have an immense number of
evergreens growing and all are grown
| in their nursery from the seed, their
seed beds being located in the groves
back of the nursery; and after two or
or three years they are transplanted
to the nursery, and then are trans
planted three or four times before
offered for sale. The object of this
transplanting is not generally known
and a wider knowledge of its benefits
would rebound to the benefit of the
purchaser and the honest nursery
man. BY transplanting number OF
times the roots become thicker and
more compact and good stalk is
started, so that when it is finally
planted it has good healthy root
and stalk and will, although small in
height. soon make up for its seeming
shortness and will stand an almost
certain show of life and rapid
growth. But they cost more than the
Seeding evergreens of perhaps great
er height, and right here is fact
taken advantage of by unscupulous
statesmen to deceive the purchaser
who most probably is ignorant of
the benefits of transplanting and
judges the evergreen only by its
height and price. If you think of
planting evergreeps, consult any
honest nurseryman as to the merits
of transplanting and you will soon
see why a 4-times-transplanted ever
green foot high at SIS a hundred is
cheaper than an 1s-inch Seeding at
5000.
| Their grape vines, comprising five
or six tested varieties, looked thrifty
and hung completely loaded with
fine heavy large clusters of what
promises to be as fine grape as any
shipped in to us. In another location
was large number of young vines
being propasated which were look
ing very fine.
The small fruits and nursery stock
are set in rows across the nursery of
about 1875 rods in length, so that they
will admit of thorough cultivation
(Which they get) by horse cultivators.
The various varieties of currants.
gooseberries, raspberries and black
berries are set in long rows so that