January 20, 1917 



HORTICULTUEE 



71 



The Danger of Foreign Plant 

 Pests 



Editor of Horticultuee ; 



Dear Sir : — I was sorry to see in your issue of Decem- 

 ber 30th, an article headed "Proposed Quarantine 

 Against Trees and Plants," in which the writer, a plant 

 importer, belittles and ridicules the danger of import- 

 ing foreign plant pests. I realize that you represent the 

 florist trade, of which the importing house i"s a part, and 

 that you feel bound to protect your clients against in- 

 jury. But in order to save the importer is it wise or 

 right to jeopardize the safety of our trees and shrubs 

 and flowers, our fruits and vegetables and farm crops, 

 and do you feel it your duty to advocate the rights of a 

 comparatively small group of importers, if such rights 

 are antagonistic to the general welfare? 



Your writer's scoffing remarks about the statement 

 of the American Forestry Association that imported 

 pests annually cause damage of hundreds of millions of 

 dollars, led me to look up some figures on the subject. 

 I find that the Department of Agriculture in its 1904: 

 year book placed the annual loss from insects at $700,- 

 000,000, or $7.00 for every man, woman and child in 

 this country. Your writer will say that these were not 

 all imported insects. That is true, not all — 

 probably not half. But just stop and consider how 

 many of onr most troublesome in.sects arc imported. I 

 name a few at random :— Gypsy Moth, Brown Tail 

 Moth, Codlin Moth, San Jose Scale, Apple Aphis, Pear 

 Psylla, x\sparagus Beetle. Cabbage Woi-m, Onion Mag- 

 got, etc., etc. Please note also that the above estimate 

 is for insects alone and does not include diseases (about 

 which I have been unable to get any definite figures.) 

 To show your writer, however, that imported diseases 

 can do terrible damage I need only mention the 

 Chestnut Blight (from China), which has killed prac- 

 tically eveiw chestnut in this section (as well as 

 in Long Island and other places). Pine Blister Rust 

 now threatens to do similar damage to New England 

 and the government now prohibits the importation of 

 all Pines (locking the stable after the horse is stolen). 



In his second paragraph your writer asks why we can- 

 not get along with these pests if Europe can. Europe can 

 and does survive in spite of these pests, but that does 

 not prove that they are desirable. Other countries have 

 survived with leprosy and bubonic plague, but this 

 country will not allow people suffering with these 

 disease's to land here. Concerning his specific instance 

 that Europe still has a plentiful supply of White Pine 

 let me inform him that Pinus strobus, which is here 

 threatened with Blister Eust is not native to Europe, 

 nor a supremely important tree there. If all of this 

 species in Europe is destroyed it will not affect the Eu- 

 ropean timber supply which comes, of course, mainly 

 from native trees. 



A proper plant rpuirantine law passed fifty years ago 

 would have kept out most of the foreign plant pests 

 and would have forced our nurseries to do more propa- 

 gating, thereby producing more made-in-America stock, 

 a thing you have so often urged in your columns. 

 Now thatthese pests are with us we have to endure them 



and fight them. But is it net high time to prevent the 

 introduction of more of these pests? Our scientific 

 men can tell us what dangers still threaten us and what 

 classes of plants we must exclude. Why can we not 

 listen to them and be guided by them, shaping our 

 course for the public welfare, and not for the selfish 

 benefit of any individual or group of individuals? 



■ Yours truly, 



Germantotun, Phila., Pa. 



The ^^Why'' of the Carnation 



Editor of Horticulture: 



Dear Sir : — In a western trade paper, issue of Jan. 11, 

 was an editorial query as follows : "Why is the carna- 

 tion falling behind in the selling in flower stores of the 

 better class?" I cannot let this query pass unnoticed 

 and would ask your indulgence while I try to answer. 



The sum and substance of the matter is that the ma- 

 jority of "stores of the better class" will not pay the 

 price that good cjuaUty carnations are worth. Conse- 

 quently a lot of cheaper grade stock is grown for quantity 

 rather than quality. In Boston good carnations are 

 holding their own with the rose (I cite the rose as we 

 all have to acknowledge the rose as queen) for the rea- 

 son that no city in this country has a higher grade of 

 carnations offered for sale than has Boston. We have, 

 also, some that are not worthy of the name of carna- 

 tion, at that. 



A rose at $3.00 or $1.00 per dozen is only a disap- 

 pointment to the purchaser. Lucky to have it keep 34 

 hours, while a carnation at $1.50 or $3.00 will be a 

 source of pleasure for nearly, if not fully, a week. I 

 am sure that had the editor referred to had headquarters 

 in an eastern city instead of the west he never would 

 liave had cause to ask such a question. I have visited 

 his markets on many occasions- and I can readily under- 

 stand why he asks. " We have some such quality in the 

 Boston markets that the directors hire teams to cart 

 away in the rubbish barrels, for the growers or their 

 salesmen can't induce buyers to part with their -good 

 money for such stock. No wonder carnations are falling 

 off in popularity in the West. Until there is better 

 stock grown and offered in the stores it will be impossi- 

 ble for them to increase the sales on carnations. 



I contend that a well grown carnation is worth $2.00 

 per dozen any time during the winter. By "well 

 grown" I mean a 3 to 3i inch flower on a good stiff stem 

 and not a puny little thing on the end of a piece of 

 string capable of being tied in a knot. The latter are 

 not carnations; they are rubbish. 



As carnations of the best grade sold in Boston at 

 Christmas at from $10 to $15 per 100, and not enough 

 to go around at that price, so they are selling now at 

 from $5 to $8 per 100 for best stock, and this is no 

 "pipe dream"— it is cold facts. At these prices I am 

 sure it is good argument that the carnation is holding 

 its own right here in New England and the East gen- 

 eralh'. 



Framiiujham, Mass. 



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