The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-10
Topeka Furnishes Nearly All
Fruit Tree Seedlings.
Seventy Millions Are Now Being
Shipped Out.
FOUR FIRMS AREM 1T.
They Raise Practically the
World Supply.
Two or Three Car Loads Leave
for Northwest Daily.
SATURDAY.

Nearly 20 million fruit tree seed-
nngs are being shipped from Topeka
and adjacent territory this winter
Ihese shipments represent the bulk of
the Seeding fruit tree business of the
country and the shipments are made
70 every section of the United States
The big Seeding fruit tree business 10
N IA the territory between Lawrence and
IopeKa, with Topeka the central dis
trlputlng point. -Four firms locates
mere control practically the entire ont
The Seeding fruit tree business hiss
grown. TO tremendous proportions in
Sle last TWO or three years and the
business was developed laree1v
1 frrougn the energies of the Topeka
these firms have to meet is the i'm
ported stock from France. which ,
when viewed from the local business
Is comparatively light. This year the
irult tree seedlings are going mafnIv
INTO the new northwest country. where
large orchards are being cultivated
Three or four carload Shipments are
made from Topeka each day. This
G GreR ears Were sent to West Virginia,
Maryville, Mo-, Arkansas points and
large towns in Kansas. The orders
from the northwest have piled up this
week ana next week several large
shipments will be made to Oregon
Montana and Washington.
"A car lot of seedlings will average
about 100000 plants. The trees are
graded In five distinct lots and each
or the four firms keeps a crew of ex-
pert graders. The value of a car of
seedlings ranges in price from $1,000
to $4,000. 1t is estimated that the
value OF the fruit tree seedlings pro-
duced in the Topeka territory This
year will aggregate 100000. This
with an extensive nursery business
conducted by each of the four firms
VIII bring to Topeka each year sew
erai hundred thousand dollars reve-
nue. Tor seedlings. trees and shrubbery
and money will be spent here for i'm
provements, labor and incidental ex-
penses.
New Firm I'm the Field.
The four firms handling extensive
seeding business In Topeka are T.. r.
Iaylor q Son, j. H. Skinner & Co.
E. w. Watson & Co. and the Shenan-
doah Nursery company.
Recently the Shenandoah Nursey
company opened permanent dis
$1,000 for new building at 134 North
Jackson street. The Topeka branch
at present employs twenty-five people.
E. N. Lake of Shenandoah, Iowa, is
z. W. Oliver, who has charge of the
Topeka office, is Jointly Interested
with Mr. Lake in the Topeka invest
cApecl 10 udnuie nearly co.
100000 fruit tree seedlings from the
Topeka Office this year." said MIR.
Oliver. "and this business will of
course develop the longer we are in
the field. Mr.. Lake and myself have
been operating here through agents
for several years, but the growth of
the business made necessary our
establishing a permanent distributing
point in Topeka We will also en-
gage actively in the nursery trade and
believe our business from this point
will be quite heavy next season"
Speaking of the Seeding business.
F. w. Watson said: There has been
a wonderful growth in the demand
for fruit tree seedlings the last few
years and the bulk of the business
has practically doubled. Topeka and
this territory Is peculiarly situated
and adapted for this business and
nearly all of the Seeding business of
the country is handled from Topeka.
At present our firm is employing
about seventy men. Forty Of these
grading the seedlings and the others
are employed to prepare the ship
ments. We use unskilled labor almost
entirely, yet our pay rolls foot up
about $1,000 week"
The seeding business is now in full
six or eight weeks. Then comes the
big season in the nursery stocks.
Nurserymen anticipate the sale of
about rs cars of nursery stock from
will mean an additional revenue of
from 10000 to 100000 almost i'm
mediately following the big business in
the fruit tree seedlings.
ed the t goo y1r man on W6af sysfem7.
MY own have DYSPEPSIA half the time
Washington Star.