B.H. JUST,

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 142, 18 June 1919, Page 14

B.H. JUST,

Nurseryman, Seedsman, and Florist,

Palaierston North

Among the centres of interest in Palmerston North due attention must be devoted to the splendid nursery"of Mr. B. 11. Jnst, in College-street West, which haSj un,der Ms fostering care, been brought into a state of equipment that cannot fail to elicit commendation from the most critical horticulturists. The nurseries are 35 acres in extent, and two or three years ago several acres of it were a bleak wilderness of logs and stumps. To-day it is an aromatic elysium, the home of almost every flower, shrub, and tree with which this old world of oars is: blessed. The culture of the most tender1 plants, and the process of recruiting them, are hero represented on a scale of considerable magnitude and completeness, and the methods employed to illustrate the art of modern gardening in its most charming and artistic forms are not only appreciable by the eclectic few able to differentiate between mediocrity and perfection, but are readily recognised and admired by the great lay majority. Tlie nursery has an educative tendency of the highest order, and thoro may be seen in it features of gardening skill worthy of superlative eulogisms. At the entrance to tlie grounds is a section of 4 acres devoted exclusively to the growing of narcissus, and some idea of the magnitude of this portion of the nursery alone may bo gauged when it is stated that 70 tons of bulbs of this magnificent flower have been planted in this patch. It would be an almost procrustean task to describe in detail the specialities and resources of tin: entire grounds,, but special mention must be made of. Mr. Just's unsurpassed collection of chrysanthemums, comprising 117 different varieties. A large section of the nursery is also given over to the cultivation of anemone, daffodil, tulip, and frcesia bulbs, and the fact that each of these varieties and 'aviny other choice and new bulbs will be available to the extent of several millions of each kind, gives the public an ic>eci of the extensive trade done and anticipated by Mr. Just during the incoming season. Besides the. newest snd choicest flowers and bulbs, the proprietor carries on an extensive business in all kinds of vegetable and bedding plants. The transmission of these by rail and parcel post is carried on with due regard for the interests of an influential and widely-spread, connection, and the special methods in which the goods are packed ensure their arrival hundreds of miles away in the freshest possible condition.

Of flowering ihrubs the numbnr is legion, while the enormous variety, of native and shelter trees and hedging plants with which the nuiveiy is replete is specially noteworthy, embracing almost every specimen that the reader can name. Among arboriculturists no subject is of greater interest at the present time than the extension of the country's resources for tree culture, and one has only to inspect the impressive range of productions in Mr. Just's nuilsery to. find a substantial emphasis of the prolific character of the soil, tho wonderfully beneficial climate, and the possibilities that lie in the near future for this industry. The beautiful patches of scarlet oaks, privet, pepper trees, cypress, pines, and1 foliage trees is a sight well worth seeing. Mr. Just has done much to- popularise the cultivation of trees in the sandy country around the Foxton beach—• Palmerston summer resort. The results obtained there, and in other waste lands, has been most satisfactory, and there can be no question as to the great gain to the Dominion which would inevitably accrue were a scheme of national afforestation adopted. No matter how indefinite the project may at present appear, there is ev-sry reason for prognosticating as far aa to say that it must soon obtain the consideration it deserves, and that upon the occurrence of such! an event the resources of Mr. Just's nursery will undoubtedly be brought into requisition. It is worthy of mention that while numerous glassi houses are utilised in the growing of seedlings, these are placed out in the open at a very early stage, and thus become thoroughly acclimatised before being sold to the public. All vegetable seeds: are grown in the open.

For the present planting season Mr. Just has one hundred thousand bluegums, upwards of ten million pines, great quantities of macrocarpa, and hedge plants, in endless variety, including' African Boxthorn, Japanese privet, the Australian Ngaio—a splendid hedge for the farm (stock will not eat or destroy Ngaio in any way), and many other varieties.