Blue Book of Hardy Trees, Shrubs & Plants

This is a nursery trade catalog from Luke Bros., Limited, of Montreal, a firm specializing in hardy trees, shrubs, and plants for Canadian distribution. The publication comprises customer advisories and horticultural instructions rather than narrative content. The text includes a company message detailing their twenty-five years of experience serving private customers, municipalities, and government bodies across Canada; operational details about their sales force, landscape design department, and service support; and extensive practical guidance for customers. Instructions cover soil preparation, pruning before planting, proper planting depth (notably one inch deeper than nursery growth for most fruit trees, deeper for dwarf pears), mulching techniques, staking methods, post-planting cultivation, pruning protocols for different tree types, and specialized care for peach trees. The document emphasizes that proper planting and ongoing maintenance are essential to stock survival, and warns against fraudulent agents misrepresenting the company.