The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-11-12
THE NURSERY FROM THE STAND
POINT OF THE ORCHARDIST

Address delivered by Hon. e. L. Smith,
president of the state board of horticulture,
at the annual meeting of the Northwest Nur-
serymens association, Portland, June g. 1903
Leading educators hold that the very
best teachers should be assigned to the
primary grade in order that the young
child with receptive and easily-molded
mind may receive primarily the wisest
direction. Is ii not also true that the
young tree, the child of the nursery, in
the earliest period of its existence, re-
uuires more skiIlful attention than at
any other stage of its growth? 1t is not
within the province of this paper to
discuss the technical methods of the
nurseryman. Indeed, it is a matter of
little concern to the average orchardlst
how his tree is grown provided proper
results have been attained.
Given for a tree, say one year old, a
stocky trunk, with large well-balanced
roots, and he will waive all questions
as to whether it was budded or grated
on root or Seeding. He abhors a tall
spindling tree with pipe stem body,
with bunch of small fibrous roots
that will not survive transplanting.
Now, while the orcharGist may be
somewhat indifferent to the manner of
growth of his tree, he is beginning to
I've quite concerned as to the quality of
the bud or cion hat has been used. He
has hen informed that il Is Il common
practice to cut grating wood from the
nursery rows, and an opinion has at
tanned that while this may promote a
woody growth, it delays fruitfulness,
and that at other times he takes cioEs
indiscrilninattly from long rows or or
chard trees with varying qualities OF
vigor, health and fruit-productiveness,
and thereby transmitting like condi-
tions to the next tree generation.
These methods seem to him faulty
and he would like to see the nursery
man cooperating with the orchaIdist in
securing his cuttings from trees that
are the pride of the orchard, trees OF
perfect health and growth and years oi
money-making records.
The orchardist is finding out from
sad experience that trees low in price
are very dear in the end; and | know
of one at least that sincerely wishes
that no seconds or culls, at from to
cents each, should ever be thrown or
the market, but should be converted
into potash aud lime for the benefit q
the next tree generation. If we breet
from the poorest, no matter whethe
from flock, herd or nursery, the resul
is ever deplorable.
Indeed, | would like to see this asso
citation establish standard of growtl
for No. ] trees, with points of excel
lence for root and branch and reason
able, uniform price for the same. Blu
| Iimpl0re you, gentlemen, to save u
from new varieties at dollar each, de
scribed in such glowing colors that w
cannot help buying them.
Just think of the Delaware Red Win
ter served up in great style as the Law
yer; and our horticultural papers AT
full of florid descriptions Of the Missin
Link apple, and hundreds of agents ar
selling them through the country at a
extravagant price. Professor Van ID,
man writes that If we miss this Missin
Link we won't miss much; and ColOnt
Bracket, our chief of pOmolOgy q
Washington, after giving it a critic;
examination, cannot detect any ditfe
ence between this much advertise
Link and the good old unassumin
Willow Twig.
More than 1000 varieties of the app
have been catalOgued, and | ventul
the assertion that at least One-half I
these varieties, once stars of the fir
magnitude, no longer shed their ligt
In the horticultural world. They hay
ceased to exist.
l invite you, gentlemen, to nan
any variety that has originated with
your recollection, yes, within the la
loo years, equal in value TO Others tn
anti-date that period. We should
course investigate new varieties; for
were new at one time, but please
not sell us too many of them, for wht
they come into bearing we usual
have to work them over to somethil
older and better, and this involves d
lay and expense.
now approach, with no little timi
ity, one of the mystical problems OF {
rharding, aud We earnestly solicit yo
co-opemtinn in solving this myster
and that is the tendency of nurse
frees to revert or change To other var
ties after trausplanting to the orcha'
For example; La the southeast corr
of my orcnard slaHds Jonathan Ia,
the solitary representative OF an orc
Tor 200 trees of THIS variety the otf
1879 having changed TO a Ben Da'
quality Of apple called Russian X