April, '10] INSPECTORS' DISCUSSION 247 



Harrisburg- which I personally inspected. Fully 15 per cent were 

 rejected outright, and fully 40 per cent of the balance showed marked 

 symptoms of Crown Gall, and were only accepted on condition that 

 the consignee would not sell them,, but use them experimentally for 

 his own planting. The balance were accepted and while some of our 

 scientists do not attach much importance to the disease others do, and 

 I would prefer not to plant them myself. I would be glad to know 

 the opinions of the members present as to what they would have 

 done in this case. There is considerable trouble and we must in a 

 measure depend upon the care and honesty of the nurserymen, as 

 there is usually no indication of the disease apparent before digging. 



President Washburn : I would not, I think, under the circum- 

 stances, refuse him a certificate ; yet, I would expect him not to send 

 me any more trees of that kind, as all trees I would expect to be free 

 from diseases of any kind, and I would also make him understand 

 that I was giving him the certificate with the understanding that he 

 would reject any trees found with Crown Gall. 



Mr. Worsham : There seems to be a good deal of division along 

 that line, and this Association ought to go on record as to whether we 

 should or should not give certificates in cases of this kind. 



Mr. Gillette: In Colorado the fruit growers despise Crown Gall 

 as much as anything that comes into their orchards. If you come 

 across a stunted tree, you will find if you investigate that it is in- 

 fested with Crown Gall. Last year one of the leading nurseries in 

 the state shipped more than one hundred thousand trees into another 

 state, and a large percentage of them contained Crown Gall, but we 

 have not received any with Crown Gall, to our knowledge, yet. 



A Member : Concerning the statement made by Mr. Engle : I be- 

 lieve I should have allowed him to keep the trees, after destroying the 

 15 per cent, but I would also have made him promise to plant them 

 himself, and not sell them to his customers. 



Mr. Summers : My own feeling for several years has been that the 

 Crown Gall was really one of the most serious nursery problems with 

 which the inspector has to deal. There are several distinct aspects of 

 this problem which should be considered. One is the propriety of 

 giving a certificate to a nurseryman on whose grounds Crown Gall is 

 found. I know that our certificates do not always say exactly what 

 they mean. I will say frankly that if I did not give certificates in 

 Iowa to any nurserymen excepting those whose stock is entirely free 

 from CrowTi Gall I would not issue any certificates. I am speaking 

 here, of course, of general nurserymen who grow apple trees, not of 

 those growing only ornamentals or berry plants. I cannot help 



