148 



HORTICULTURE 



February 21, 1920 



HORTICULTURE 



BstebUihed by WiUlam J. Stewart In 1904 



Vol. XXXI 



February 21, 1920 



No. 8 



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Bntered as Becond-class matter December 8, 1904, at the Post Office 

 at Boston, Mass., under the Act of Congresg of March 3, 1897. 



It seems to us that Frank R. Pierson, of 

 Bugs or Tarrytown, went straight to the nub of the 

 Tariff? matter at the hearing given the orchid grow- 

 ers by the Federal Horticultural Board at 

 Washington, when he said: 



"This is not a tariff discussion." 



Mr. Pierson went on to say that the real question and 

 the only question with which the board had a right to con- 

 cern itself, was whether it was safe to import orchids. He 

 further called attention of the board to the statement of 

 the Secretary of Agriculture in connection with such 

 quarantines that the burden of proof was on the govern- 

 ment. He advised the board to keep this fact in mind. 



Mr. Pierson's attitude was thoroughly justified, be- 

 cause the discussion at the hearing had been largely on 

 the question of the ability of American growers to raise 

 orchids. Now this is, or should be, entirely beside the 

 question at issue. It is a curious fact, however, that the 

 Horticultural Board seems to consider the insect situation 

 as only one feature of their deliberations. In his opening 

 remarks, Chairman Marlatt went so far as to say that as- 

 surances had been received by the board that the quar- 

 antine as it now stands had given the orchid producers 

 the protection that they long needed. He predicted that 

 in a few years there would be sufficient home grown or- 

 chids to satisfy all reasonable needs in this country. He 

 then made the bald statement that the question now is, 

 "Can the orchid business in this country take care of It- 

 self with such importations as are permitted?" 



It seems to us that in taking such a position Dr. 

 Marlatte has arrogated unto his board such powers as 

 were never before given to a similar department, and 

 which were never intended to be given his board under 

 the terms of the act creating it. If the Horticultural 

 Board should concern itself simply with the exclusion of 

 plants which in its belief threaten the horticultural inter- 

 ests of this country, there would be no particular grounds 

 for criticism. When, however, it sets itself up as a tariff 

 board and virtually undertakes to determine what plants 

 shall or shall not be grown in the United States, it is 

 taking authority which belongs to Congress alone. 



This curious and wholly unwarranted attitude of the 

 board is a perfectly just cause for complaint, whether one 



believes that certain quarantine regulations are required 

 or not. It is one thing to have a difference of opinion 

 upon this point, and quite another thing to find the ques- 

 tion resolving itself into a discussion of how best to pro- 

 tect American nurserymen and plant growers from for- 

 eign competition. It the whole matter should be put 

 before Congress on this basis, we feel sure that Congress- 

 men would soon put an end to any practice by which a 

 simple bureau takes to itself a purely legislative function. 



Mr. Wilson's View 



Dear Sir: 



My mail brings a copy of a "Notice of Public Hearing 

 to Consider the Advisability of Quarantining Asia, Japan, 

 Philippine Islands, and Oceania on Account of Dangerous 

 Plant Diseases and Insect Pests." 



Here is a cool announcement of a proposal to quaran- 

 tine half the world and the half of the world to which 

 our gardens and greenhouses are most indebted for their 

 most valuable plants, and, moreover, the half of the world 

 to which we may look for a continued increase to our 

 collections. In view of Quarantine No. 37, now in opera- 

 tion, one may ask: "Will raising the fence a little higher 

 make any difference?" 



The object supposed to be obtained by these quaran- 

 tine acts is the exclusion of pests dangerous to vegetable 

 growth of all kinds. This object is impossible of accom- 

 plishment in its entirety since such pests as are of a bac- 

 terial nature and others of fungoid origin may be dissemi- 

 nated by air currents even as was the germ of the recent 

 influenza epidemic. Those of insect character can travel on 

 material other than living plants. Witness the corn-borer 

 now alarming New England farmers and the wood-borer 

 found in American packing cases and about which Aus- 

 tralia is just now agitated. The logical end of all such leg- 

 islation is to cut off all international trade and intercourse. 

 These quarantine acts will not effectively keep out dis- 

 ease. They will accomplish no more in that direction 

 than proper inspection at ports of import would do and 

 have done in the past. 



Panics are everywhere contagious. The effect of the 

 actions of the Federal Horticultural Board is seen in re- 

 cent hysterical legislation in Illinois. It view of this 

 and what it threatened in New Jersey, it behooves all 

 those interested in horticulture, both trade and amateur 

 alike, to pause a moment and consider the logical out- 

 come. Following the lead of the F. H. B. state will quar- 

 antine against state, then country against country until 

 finally it will be impossible to move a plant from one's 

 garden to that of a neighbor. The trade has the choice 

 of two things, either to resist this pernicious legislation 

 with all its might or wind up business while the winding 

 up is possible. The cry of quarantine measures assisting 

 nurserymen and florists is mere camouflage. The bank- 

 ruptcy court is where it leads to and, worse than this, 

 it means not only the bankruptcy of the horticultural 

 trade but the bankruptcy of garden art in America. 



The same mail brought a notice that the House had 

 appropriated $239,000 for free seeds. Here's the secret 

 of much legislation. Politics, pure and simple. The far- 

 mers' vote is necessary to the politician. Maybe the only 

 way of injecting reasonable commonsense into the pow- 

 ers that be is by bringing them to an appreciation of the 

 value of the votes held by those who love flowers and 

 gardens and cater to their needs. 



E. H. WILSON. 



Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, 

 Jamaica Plain, Mass. 



