126 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
shipments into Florida during the past 
year or two. 
Discussion. 
Prof. Rolfs: I would like to ask 
whether Dr. Berger has with him that 
somewhat acrimonious telegram from 
Texas to read to us, to see what the peo¬ 
ple say about his Rule 43. 
Dr. Berger: As soon as I returned from 
Texas and the Gulf Coast States and 
made my report to the State Board of 
Control, they immediately passed Rule 
43 which, I presume, will go down in his¬ 
tory of Florida horticulture, perhaps as a 
land mark, absolutely prohibiting the im¬ 
portation of all citrus fruits from those 
states: not only from those states, but 
generally. Some provision, however, is 
made that small quantities of rare varie¬ 
ties may be imported, through special per¬ 
mit. That special permit is myself and 
the Board, and we may prescribe the re¬ 
strictions under which they may be 
brought in. We may require them to be 
grown for a year or two in quarantine be¬ 
fore the tree is given the freedom of the 
state. 
I, of course, took pains to let these peo¬ 
ple know just what I was there for. I 
did not want them to feel that I was 
spying on them. I wanted them to know 
that I was looking up this disease. I let 
the Chief Inspector of the State of Texas 
know, and on the morning the Board was 
about to go into session at Tallahassee to 
adopt Rule 43, I received this telegram 
from Mr. Dickson. I saw Mr. Dickson 
while in Texas and he said, “What dis¬ 
ease is it that you are looking for any¬ 
how?” I tried to explain to him what it 
was. They are still laboring under the de¬ 
ception over there that it is nothing but 
sour scab. But Mr. Dickson’s attitude is 
not exactly what it should be. Perhaps 
he has cooled down in the meantime; I 
will read his telegram to you: 
“Houston, Texas, April 12th, 1914. 
“E. W. Berger, 
“Horticultural Board of Control, 
“Tallahassee, Fla. 
“Barring Texas Citrus stock from Flo¬ 
rida account new disease regarded un¬ 
friendly believing new disease no more 
dangerous than your citrus scab and other 
Florida citrus diseases will force us to 
revise present regulations which in all 
probability will bar Florida citrus nur¬ 
sery stock from Texas. The conditions 
in Florida have always justified such ac¬ 
tion. If Florida should forget her obli¬ 
gations and bar Texas citrus stocks, Flo¬ 
rida nurseries will feel the effect of our 
new rules keenly, as Texas is their most 
profitable field of operations.” I believe 
in regulation but not in destruction. 
“Sam H. Dickson, Chief Inspector.” 
I do not think that it is necessary for 
me to make many more remarks after 
that. I do not think our Florida nursery¬ 
men are depending* for their livelihood on 
Texas, just now. Florida's first obliga¬ 
tions are towards herself ;towardsherbig¬ 
gest industry, the orange and grapefruit 
industry. We are within our rights, and 
Mr. Dickson shoots far from the mark 
when he speaks of retaliation. It is not 
a question of retaliation; it is a question 
whether we have a good reason why we 
