NURSERY (from nurse, OF. noriee, nouriee, Fr. nourriec, nurse, from Lat. nutrix, nurse, from nutrire, to nourish; connected with God). setups, OHO. ned, Ger. Not, AS. ruled, alai, Eng. need. i)Pruss. nauti, neeegsity). In horticultural parlance, a place where plants are propagated. In the New World the term is usually restricted to those establishments devoting themselves ex clusively to the rearing of woody plants, while the rearing of horhaeoms plants is classed as a department of floriculture. This division has been the natural result of the enormous demand for plants of both classes. and as one class requires a very different equipment from the other, the tendency toward specialization soon separated the two departments. A further differ entiation is being made. a division along the line of fruit-bearing trees and plants and the ornamental or decorative trees and plants.
During the last decade the nursery business has changed in its method most markedly. The nurseryman who grows his own stock, other than peach stock, is the exception rather than the rule. Nearly all the pear and cherry stocks used in America are grown in France; while a great bulk of the apple .stocks used in the United States are raised on the deep soils of the prairie by specialists in this lino. Since the work of the modern fruit•tee nurser• is to produce as large and straight a stock in as short a space of time as possible, and since the prevailing belief is that more than one prop of nursery stock cannot be successfully grown on any given piece of land. new soils are chosen for each crop of nursery stock. A nursery is., therefore, a tran sient affair. and the plants are usually grown on lands leased for short periods. Since the propagation of forest and ornamental trees seeins to be less subject to the object ion. viz. impover ishment of soil, urged against fruit trees, most of the nurseries engaged in this work are more permanent in their Illeat • . Comparatively few plants of this character are budded and grafted; most of the skill of the propagator is demanded in perpetuating species from seeds and euttings.
The history of the init.-wry business began with the colonization of America. As early as 1768
Themas }'siting of New York was awarded a prize of f10 for the largest number I if apple trees. the numlier tieing 27.123. Th, great nursery interests of the country have from the first been located in western New York. The growth of the enterprise has kept pace with the demands made by the rapidly increasing com menial orchard and vineyard development. Sta tistics of the census of 1900 show that there were in the United States 4500 nurseries, cover ing an acreage of over 172,800 acres, representing an investment of $52.500.000. in these nurseries 45.600 men. 2279 women, and 14,200 animals were employed, and 3.-100.000.000 plants were grown. Of these, were fruit trees, and 685,600.000 grape vines and small fruits. The greatest number of plants of a single species was represented by the apple, of which there were 240,500,000. or more than twice as many trees as were then standing in the orchards of the country.
The influence of the leading nurseries on the horticulture of the country has been very marked. Previous to the development of the experiment stations their office was quite as much to test the merits as to propagate and disseminate a variety. The aim of all leading nurserymen has been to stimulate trade and maintain a high reputation throng]] honest dealing and the dis semination of stock true to name. The sale of spurious stock has worked great injury by re tm•ding development in localities naturally well suited to orcharding. These evils do not exist in developed orchard areas. New fruits intro duced from abroad brought with them their nat ural enemies, the spread of which to other plants has led to the enactment of inspect• laws in all States in which either the orchard or nurser• business has attained an important place. These laws require the inspection of the orchards and nurseries for certain insect pests and fungous diseases, and prohibit the sale of in fested stock, which must h destroyed. If the stock is free from the specified pests the nursery man is granted a certificate to that effect, and it is taken as a passport in shipping from State to State.