$ ©pep L,enep(?. ^ 



Shpuld the Irapoptation of Amepi- 

 c& Nupsepy Stock be Ppohibited ? 



Sir, — I reatl with much interest your arti- 

 cle on the San Jose scale insect in your March 

 number, and note that you recommend farm- 

 ers' institutes and other farmers' gatherings 

 throughout the laud to pass resolutions re- 

 questing the Department of Agriculture to 

 " either prohibit the importation of fruit trees 

 and plants from the United States, or else 

 that all trees for importation be subjected to 

 the most strict quarantine and not be per- 

 mitted to cross the lines unless a sworn certi- 

 ficate of an expert entomologist can be first 

 secured by the shippers at their own expsnse, 

 that the stock has been thoroughly examined, 

 and proved to be free from scale " Jj'rom 

 your statement of the case it would ajjpear 

 that it is perhaps desirable that the Govern- 

 ment should take some steps in the way of 

 examining American nursery stock before it 

 is admitted to the country, though I am not 

 sure that your recommendation is really the 

 best, and would feel inclined, for example, to 

 think that it would be more simple and more 

 efi'eetive to restrict importations to such 

 Stales or localities as are known to be free 

 from the insect. I desire, however, to poiut 

 out that any suggestion looking towards the 

 total prohibition of importations of American 

 fruit trees and plants is one which would 

 require the most serious consideration before 

 being allowed to pass into law. I beg to 

 draw your attention to two features of the 

 case 



1st. The authorities of the Dominion Gov- 

 ernment Experimental Farm at Ottawa state 

 thit the Americana varieties of plums [De 

 SotT, Hawkeye, Stoddard, Wyant, Miner, 

 etc ], are the only ones suitable for the greater 

 part of the Province of Quebec and Eastern 

 Ontario, wliere the European varieties fail. 

 The cultivation of these American plums has 

 developed enormously in Iowa, .Minnesota 

 and the Western States, one authoritv esti- 

 mating that from 100,000 to 150,000 of these 

 trees are planted each year in the State of 

 Iowa alone. ^Vith the exception possibly of 

 the first named, I am inclined to think that it 

 is impossible to obtain trees of any of these 

 varieties, in any corniderable (|uantlty, from 

 any nurseryman in the Dominion, or even 

 from all combined. The reason for this is, 

 that most of the Canadian nurseries are situ, 

 ated in Western Ontario, and their proprie- 

 tors are apparently not alive to the needs of 

 the Province of Quebec in regard to plums ; 

 and farmers in the East must either neglect 

 this branch of horticulture, or purchase from 

 nurserymen in the Western States. Would 

 it be just or right to pass a measure which, 

 though it might not seriously injure Western 

 Ontario fruit growers, would yet very greatly 

 handicap those who live in the East and 

 North ': 



I am further informed by the authorities of 

 the State Agricultural College of Iowa that 

 the San Jose scale is unknown in that State. 



2nd. The possibility must not be ignored 

 that, if American nursery stock were pro- 

 hibited, Canadian nurserymen might combine 

 and raise their prices throughout the whole 

 country, greatly to the detriment of all Can- 

 adian farmers. 



Montreal, March 15th. M. 



Discoupaged. 



SiK, — I have taken Canadian Horticcl- 

 TURIST for fourteen years but must now quit 

 on account of poverty. I rented a small farm 

 with every convenience, rent and taxes, etc., 

 $100 per annum. Drouth and rust, and not 

 forgetting grasshoppers, about cleaiicd me 

 out ; prices, you know. I picked for a grocer 

 1 bush, crabs, best I ever saw, put tliem in 

 clean new baskets, he gave me 20cts. in trade, 

 he liad them ordered. A gardener here was 

 asked for a basket of crabs, he picked them 

 and took them to the house, they said thanks, 

 that's what we are living on ; we did think 

 the hens were going to help, but McKinley 

 Bill will fix that. I came from England seven- 

 teen years ago, have wished 17,000 times I 

 had never seen the country. Some of the 

 best of workers here have lost their homes 

 and come to the hammer ; still they wish to 

 encourage emigration. What for, to help 

 us starve. 



S. P., Wingham. 



Spping's Active Work. 



SrB, — lu the cool pleasant <Uys of earlj' 

 spring, when one's enthusiasm and activity 

 is high for the planning of the flower garden, 

 we are apt to think that we are possessed of 

 abundance of natural wisdom, that will lead 

 to success in all we undertake, and we are of 

 the opinion that anyone can raise flowers and 

 plants without the general information re- 

 quired to make it a success. Of course at the 

 end of the season we note our disappointment 

 and failure. Now I think we may overcome 

 some of these ditticulties, by careful observa- 

 tion and reading our Canadian Horticul- 

 TLRIST, or any good floral publication that 

 will give us some knowledge in planting, 

 habit and growth of see<ls and plants that we 

 intend growing. Many flower growers 1 

 know do not look into a magazine to seek 

 information or advice from the experienced 

 men and women who have made a lifelong 

 study of flowers and plants. 



When tlie out-door work in the garden 

 connnenccs in April and .May, it is certain 

 that we will all feel better and made brighter 

 by the result of our laliors, while we must 

 not forget the steady and healthful oniploy- 



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