34 



HORTICULTURE 



January 11, 1919 



Protest Against the Horticultural 

 Import Prohibition 



You are, of course, familiar with the recent ruling of the Federal Horticultural Board at Washington which 

 prohibits, after June 1, 1919, the importation of all plants and bulbs, in which the Nursery, Seed and Florist trade 

 is interested, excepting the following few items: Lily bulbs, Lily of the Valley, Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissus and 

 Crocus — absolutely nothing else in the line of bulbs can be imported from any foreign, country. 



In the line of plants you may bring in fruit-tree stocks, seedlings, cuttings and scions of fruit trees, and you 

 may import Manetti, Multiflora and Rugosa Rose stocks for budding or grafting but absolutely nothing else in the 

 way of plants. 



Do you realize bow radical and far-reaching this embargo is, and how seriously it will affect, not only every 

 importer, but every individual in the trade who handles bulbs, plants or cut flowers; from the largest importer down 

 to the smallest grower, florist or dealer? 



There will be no Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Spireas, Araucarias, Dracaenas or Boxwoods. Orchids will only 

 be a memory, and there will be missing in our stores and in our gardens, hundreds of other varieties of plants 

 and cut flowers on which heretofore we have depended upon European sources and which were profitable for the 

 American grower to develop and were a source of revenue to the retailer. 



Many of these subjects will never be produced in this country and such that, after years of preparation, may 

 become developed here, will necessarily have to be sold at a price which will make them prohibitive to the average 

 present purchaser of this class of stock. 



One of the peculiar points in this ruling of the Federal Horticultural Board, which we are unable to harmon- 

 ize with the Board's effort to prevent the risk of importing dangerous pests, is the fact that they consider it safe to 

 import Manetti, Multiflora and Rugosa Roses for budding and grafting purposes but do not consider it safe to let 

 these same roses come in with named varieties (such as Killarney, Ophelia, Radiance or other sorts) grafted or bud- 

 ded upon them. The root of the Manetti, the Multiflora or the Rugosa remains the same, but the top will be that 

 of the named variety, i. e. Killarney, Ophelia, Radiance or whatever the variety may be and it is absolutely 

 impossible for an insect to be imported on the one and not on the other, so, why should these Rose-stocks be per- 

 mitted to come in (in which only a very few growers who graft or bud roses are interested or benefited) and the 

 named varieties, in which practically everyone who grows and sells plants is interested, be excluded? 



Futhermore, if it is safe to import a Lily bulb, a Lily of the Valley, a Hyacinth. Tulip, Narcissus or Crocus, 

 what infestation affects the hundreds of other bulbs that are excluded that justifies the Board to say, "You are not 

 to bring in a Dahlia, Tuberous-rooted Begonia, Gloxinia, Gladiolus, Spanish Iris, Oxalis, Scilla, Snowdrop, Crown 

 Imperial or other equally harmless bulb?" 



There have been two meetings of the Federal Horticultural Board at Washington, D. C, during the past six 

 months — one of them on May 28, the other on October 18, to which all interested in this subject were invited to be 

 present and to offer protests if any. At both meetings the Nurserymen's Association, as well as the Legislative 

 Committee of the Society of American Florists and Ornamental Horticulturists, and a number of individual grow- 

 ers were present, all of whom gave valuable data for the proper enlightenment of said Federal Horticultural Board. 

 They were most cordially received, attentively and patiently listened to — even thanked — for the information given, 

 but that is all. 



Why all this information which was given in good faith has been turned down, the Federal Horticultural Board 

 does not tell us; they simply say: "After June 1, 1919, you cannot import anything but the few items in bulbs, 

 fruit-tree stocks and roses for grafting purposes noted above." 



Whether the action taken by the Federal Horticultural Board is in accordance with the law as enacted by 

 Congress, which created their power, we do not feel competent to pass upon, but we are satisfied, however, and 

 confident that it was not intended as the spirit of this Act, that the policies and destinies of the entire Horticultural 

 Trade, with its millions of dollars of investment, should be placed in the hand of five (5) members of. the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



Your Congressman has the means of finding this out, and if you will appeal to him for aid in the matter we 

 are certain that he will investigate and see to it that such power, if it exists, is changed so that the Horticultural 

 Trade will be placed in the high position to which it is entitled. 



Finally: For more than four years our country has cheerfully assisted and helped to keep a great portion of the 

 Belgian population from starving: this embraces the gr^at plant-growing districts around Ghent and Bruges, where, 

 before the war, upwards of one thousand nurseries were operated; a large part of whose products was exported to the 

 United States. We have sent our kin and friends to bleed on the battlefields of devastated Belgium to help to return 

 these people to freedom, and, now that this has been accomplished and they are preparing to take up their custom- 

 ary vocations in anticipation of supporting themselves as they have always bountifully done before, and they come to 

 us and offer us their horticultural specialties, as they did before the war (the majority of which we cannot procure 

 elsewhere or which we cannot produce ourselves) we will have to hold our hands up in horror and say: 



"While we have cheerfully helped to feed and clothe you and while our soldiers have died on the battlefield to. 

 give you your freedom, we cannot buy your Azaleas. Bay trees. Norfolk Island Pines, Rhododendrons, Palms, your 

 Begonias, Gloxinias and other specialties (as badly as we need them i because there is a Federal Horticultural Board 

 of five men in Washington who, while they have Do record that you have in the past sent us any insect pests that 

 have been dangerous to our country, they fear that there may be such pests hidden away in your country and that 

 these might, in leaf or soil, escape the rigid examination which your entomologists give them before you ship them, 

 and that they might even escape the careful examination which our State and Federal Departments give them on 

 their arrival here, and thus become a serious menace. While you continue to have our sympathy, we cannot think 

 of purchasing your horticultural products!" 



Think it over, and if you want to assist to place Horticulture in its proper position, write to your Congressman 

 at once. He will stand by what is right if you submit the facts properly to him. 



Henry A. Deber, 



714-716 Chestnut Street, 

 Philadelphia, Pa. 



McTIitchisox & Co. 



95 Chambers Street. 



New York, N. Y. 



