156 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



insect, also black-knot and yellows and crown-gall. Prof. Webster wrote 

 me that he could not inspect nursery trees for the crown-gall or black 

 aphis until they were dug, and that yellows never appears in ti^j 

 nursery. IJegarding the crown-gall and aphis, from what I have seen 

 of nursery trees I am convinced that a person who is going through 

 a nursery to inspect it would be likely to notice appearances that would 

 indicate the presence of this insect or this disease. He would merely 

 have to make a close examination; that is, the appearance of the trees 

 infested with black aphis would be indicative of its presence, and just 

 so with crown-gall. In nearly every ease, without taking every tree 

 and examining it, you would be able to detect the presence of that dis- 

 ease. It seems to me that the wording of our law is as it should be, 

 that the certificate should state that the inspector has found them 

 apparently free, or that they appear free, from the dangerous insects 

 and diseases, and then the authorities can define what shall be counted 

 as dangerous insects or diseases. It seems that our inspector has gone 

 no further than he should, and that the inspectors of other states, as 

 has been the case so far as I know everywhere, except in Ohio, can 

 give a certificate stating that they appear free. The certificates from 

 Florida, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York, state that 

 they appear free from all insects and diseases. 



Mr. Graham: I am certainly surprised at hearing this letter from 

 Prof. Webster, inasmuch as I have his certificate, over his own signature, 

 recommending the passage of this law, practically in its present form, 

 absoluteh' in its present form so far as this certificate is concerned, cer- 

 tifying that he has examined the proposed law and considers it all right. 



Mr. Morrill: An unqualified endorsement? 



Mr. Graham: An unqualified endorsement, which was presented to 

 the legislature as one of the reasons why the bill should be passed, as 

 having the endorsement not only of Prof. Webster, but the professors, 

 I think, of eight different states. There seems to be a vein of bitterness 

 through the letter. 



Prof. Hedrick: Prof. Taft has answered the letter written to IMr. 

 Reid so well that there is no need of my saying any more, except that 

 I spent nearly a week in Monroe this year and found no indications what- 

 ever of San Jos^ scale. I made a very careful inspection of all the nur- 

 series there. The owners of the nurseries did all they could to assist 

 me in making the inspection, and I feel sure that Mr. Webster is mis- 

 taken in the statement that there is San Jos^ scale in Monroe. 



Mr. Morrill: You are not clear in your mind but it has passed through 

 Monroe? 



Prof. Hedrick: It may have been through Monroe, yes; I know nothing 

 at all about that. 



Mr. Graham: I desire to ask Prof. Hedrick wherein he considers the 

 law weak — what are the weakest points in the law? Where would you 

 remedy it, what improvements would you make? 



Prof. Hedrick: I do not know that I could well answer off-hand, but 

 there are several improvements that might be made. The first that 

 comes to my mind is that power should be given the inspector to con- 

 demn trees that are shipped into the state that have gone through the 

 hnnds of some other inspector, and which have not been carefully in- 

 spected. For instance, shipments of trees having black aphis might 



