28 



The Florists' Review 



NOTEMBBR 18, 1920 



by all patriotic citizens, but that if such 

 regulations prove, in practice, to be 

 drastic, unreasonable and not actually 

 essential to the end in view, and defi- 

 nitely damaging to the progress of hor- 

 ticulture in America, they should be 

 modified." 



After a comparison of horticulture' in 

 America with its more advanced de- 

 velopment in Europe and Asia, the re- 

 port continues, "With the contemplated 

 total embargo in force, it would never 

 again be possible to secure for the 

 United States any newly discovered, 

 rare, interesting, valuable exotic fruit 

 or ornamental plants, whether species 

 or hybrids." 



Committee's Proposals. 



The proposals of the committee are 

 contained in the following extract from 

 the report: 



It should not be difBcult to show the necessity 

 for modifying a quarantine wliich prevents tlie 

 importiitlon in any (jnantity of plants with 

 sand or soil on thoir roots, no matter how care- 

 fully they have Ix-en lnsi)ected, fumlBated and 

 treated abroad, and yet which takes no account 

 of shiploads of soil brought in as ballast from 

 any port, tropical or otherwise, regardless ot 

 the fact that this soil is never inspected, fumi- 

 gated or treated, and may contain insects and 

 germs of diseases dangerous to human beings or 

 plants. 



If, as we believe is the fact, a sane and 

 efficient quarantine is deeirahle, the oflicials of 

 the government owe the people a whole duty 

 and not a half duty. A quarantine defined hy 

 carefully studied law and not by incidental 

 official regulations established under a broad 

 law, protecting not merely through the exclusion 

 of incidental plants but through the exclusion 

 or treatment of other disease and insect-bearing 

 media, would. If properly proposed, be supported 

 by the people. If the necessity is shown, we 

 believe that the Federal Horticultural Board, 

 or some other executive agency, will be provided 

 ■with funds to establish quarantine stations at 

 enough ports of entry adequately to protect the 

 nation and to serve at the same time the proper 

 desires and convenience of its citizens. It is 

 our confident t)elief that well equipped and 

 carefully administered quarantine stations should 

 be established at a certain number of ports of 

 entry, such, for example, as San Francisco, 

 Seattle, New York. New Orleans and Roston. 

 Unless some such action is taken, the extension 

 of the present system of exclusion by regulation 

 under a blanket law will undoubtedly result 

 In the total embargo against further horticultural 

 progress in the t'nited States which the report 

 of the biirenu of plant industry alK)ve referred 

 to seems to have had in mind. 



Time has been lost and animosities engendered. 

 and valuable imported plants and seeds have 

 been destroyed since the quarantine became ef- 

 fective, because no well prepared and ndecpiate 

 presentation of the facts has been made to the 

 officials of the Pepartment of Agriculture, and 

 it is no reflection on those offlclMls to jtropose 

 for them assistance in the gaining of inf<*ma- 

 tlon. which must be gathered slowly, carefully, 

 and at different times and places, to show 

 the facts and the effects concerning this plant- 

 quarantine which Is so dangerously near to plant- 

 exclusion. 



It is. therefore, the proposal of this commit 

 tee to send a capable Investigator, furnished 

 with all requisite entomological, pathological 

 and other expert assistance, wherever It may 

 be necessary to gain information. Interview iii- 

 •llvlduals. compare notes and obt.ain statements 

 and affidavits, upon which the facts can be 

 adequately presented to the federal authorities 

 at Washington. 



It Is the purpose of this committee, when 

 such Information has been gathered and wlien 

 the law under which quarantine regulations 

 have been promulgated has been carefully studied 

 In connection with the situation, to ari-angf for 

 such argument and presentation, in the twlirf 

 that there should result a modiflcntion in some 

 respects, and an extension in others, of the 

 quarantine regulations, tending to phice horticul- 

 ture once again on a firm footing with relntiim 

 to the rest of the known world, and to make 

 it possible for any citizen of the I'nited States, 

 willing to provide the necessary snfegu.irils, to 

 import such plants as he may reasonably re- 

 quire. 



To accomplish tlio objocts of the onm- 

 mittoe, thp Massachusptts Horticultural 

 Society, tho Horticultural Society of 

 New York and the Pennsylvania Hor- 

 ticultural Society have made substantial 

 subscriptions, believing that those in- 

 terested will provide the considerable 

 additional amount required. 



"It is confidently believed," says the 

 report, "that those who are opposed to 



a Chinese wall plant policy for America, 

 who think that we are entitled to other 

 plants which may be discovered any- 

 where as valuable to us as have been 

 the apple, the lilac, the potato and count- 

 less other familiar but exotic plants in 

 use today, will aid the work of this 

 committee in contributions and in ef- 

 fort." 



Subscriptions and Information Wanted. 



Subscriptions should be sent to the 

 treasurer of the committee, T. A. Have- 

 meyer, 50 Broad street, New York. Com- 

 munications and information may be 

 sent to any member of the committee 

 or to its secretary and attorney, Her- 

 bert W. Schlaffhorst, care of the Massa- 

 chusetts Horticultural Society, 300 Mas- 

 sachusetts avenue, Boston, Mass. 



The members of the executive com- 

 mittee are: J. Horace McFarland, 

 chairman; T. A. Havemeyer, treasurer; 

 James Boyd, Frederic Cranefleld, Mrs. 

 Francis King, Dr. George T. Moore, 

 Frederic B. Newbold, Mrs. Percy Tur- 

 nure, E. C. Vick and John C. Wister. 



Sioux City, la. — Rocklin & Lehman 

 have rented quarters in the Moter-Mart 

 building, where they will conduct a 

 wholesale and retail business. 



CoUingdale, Pa. — The houses of Wil- 

 liam J. Waters here are in good shape. 

 Besides some fine mums, he has some 

 excellent primulas in the three varie- 

 ties of obconica, Chinensis and mala- 

 coides. He also has some good begonias 

 and cinerarias. 



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FRENCH FLOWER FESTIVAL. 



Unlike American Shows. 



The Paris fall flower show, which 

 was held in the Jardin d'Acclimatation, 

 a large public greenhouse in the Bois 

 de Boulogne, was primarily a chrysan- 

 themum show, but was also advertised 

 as a horticultural show, including fruits, 

 vegetables and trees. The show, held 

 from October 27 to November 5, was an 

 event of the social season. 



I was somewhat disappointed in the 

 show, from a florists' point of view, 

 especially because I believed the ex- 

 hibitions would be equal to the retail 

 florists' show rooms. The retail florist 

 simply was not in it; it was a growers' 

 show from beginning to end. The rib- 

 bon man, the basket man, the supply 

 man, seemed not to exist. 



Exhibits in Ground. 



The flower show proper was laid out 

 as any garden might be, with a little 

 winding stream of water playing through 

 the center of the exhibition. Probably 

 the reason for my disappointment was 

 beeause most of the flowers were placed 

 ill the ground, and seeing specimen mums 

 in such a way made me overlook their 

 real beauty. Mums, roses, carnations 

 and plants all were practically planted 

 in the earth. 



For chrysanthemums, Mrs. Maurice 

 Martin, of Champigny sur Marne, won 

 the first grand prize of honor. Jules 

 Ragot won a gold medal for his mums, 

 and Albert Larquet, a private gardener, 

 also won a gold iiUMlal for uuims. Le- 

 veque & Rous, large disjiL-iyers of mums, 

 roses and carnations, won a gold medal. 

 Their sport carnations seemed fine. 



Mr. Debaux, of Lyons, displayed sev- 

 eral varieties of American carnations. 



Arthur Billard won a gold medal for 

 a superb collection of begonias, having 

 over thirty-six varieties. 



Aubcrt-Maille, of Tours, won the gold 

 medal for a fine collection of cyclamens. 



Millet & Sons won prizes for a fine 

 showing of single dahlias. These seemed 

 to be unusually fine and in great va- 

 riety. 



New French Mums. 



Vilmorin-Andricux & Co., of Paris, 

 had the largest display of mums, cover- 



ing more ground than any other exhibi- 

 tor. They, alone, shewed the new mums 

 of the season. The best one was Riquet 

 a la Houffe, a lavender. Others were 

 Peau d'Ane and Chat Botte, two light 

 pinks; Petit Poucet and Chaperon 

 Rouge, both bronzes, and Clendrillon, a 

 nice white. Their feature display was 

 a pyramid arrangement of 300 or 400 

 mums in one tub and the same in pom- 

 pons. 



Tomer Only American. 



The best looking mums in the show 

 were Rigby, a big yellow, and Mrs. 

 Gilbert Drabble, a big white. Both of 

 these resemble our William Turner, 

 which, by the way, was the only known 

 American mum displayed. The Afri- 

 caine, a big bronze, was also well dis- 

 played. Of the pompons. Orchard Tints, 

 a yellow flower, seemed to be the best. 



I must say a few words on the fruits 

 displayed, for they were a feature. Fruit 

 growing is one of the things a French- -« 

 man does well. Pears, some weighing 

 over two and one-half pounds, sell at 

 900 francs ($60) per hundred and 100 

 bunches of grapes sell at 750 francs. 

 This gives some conception of what 

 fruit is worth when well grown. There 

 were displays of home-canned or bottled 

 fruits and vegetables, which interested 

 the housewife. 



Probably the most interesting of the 

 side shows was an exhibition of several 

 hundred paintings in oil and water color 

 of fruit and flower scenes. These were 

 for sale, and attracted much attention 

 among the flower and the picture lovers. 



Salesmen Outside. 



Outside of the exhibition house was 

 a rendezvous for the side-line men. 

 Garden pottery, statuary, summer 

 houses, furniture and greenhouse mate- 

 rial were exhibited. 



As there was no night session, about 

 5 o'clock the visitors were ready to go 

 home, and as I, a foreigner, look back 

 at the scene when thousands of people 

 were making their exhibit, I wonder 

 whether I am now as disappointed as I 

 first was, because, after all, it is so new, 

 so diiTerent from what we have in 

 America. W. T. Usinger. 



