148 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
WHAT TRIBUNAL SHALL DECIDE? 
Some of the California papers are criticising eastern 
nurserymen who cornplain against these restrictions upon 
trade, and some eastern nurserymen, on the other hand, 
hold that the laws operate not so much to exclude the 
enemies of plants as to give a monopoly of business to local 
nurserymen. It is well for the fruit-growers to be vigi¬ 
lant if by this they can keep away from their state the 
peach-yellows and the plum-curculio, but when they criti¬ 
cise eastern nurserymen as unscrupulous and selfish they 
ought to remember that the pernicious or San Jose scale 
has been sent from California into the orchards of the 
eastern United States. The protection of the fruit inter¬ 
ests of the whole country may, therefore, demand an 
inspection of the thousands of car-loads of fruit going out 
of California, as well as of the few plants and fruits carried 
into that state. 
The fact is that the establishment of ^n efficient quaran¬ 
tine on the borders of every state in the Union would be 
a task beset with endless embarrassment. A year ago we 
explained some of the difficulties which the Federal 
Government would encounter if, under its authority to 
regulate commerce among the several states, any attempt 
should be made to prevent the transportation of pestifer¬ 
ous insects and contagious plant diseases from one part of 
the country to another. We pointed out, too, some of 
the difificulties which a state government must face in its 
efforts to suppress destructive insects, plant diseases and 
noxious weeds within its borders. It would not be an 
easy matter to exclude these pests from foreign countries 
since the germs of disease, the seeds of evil-weeds, the 
eggs of insects and insects themselves can be imported in 
a hundred ways, even if all the fruit and seeds and bulbs 
and living plants brought into the country were rigidly 
inspected. These difficulties would be multiplied many 
fold if^the supervision of all the commerce between the 
various states is undertaken. 
A single state may prohibit the importation of fruit or 
nursery-stock, for example, if it comes from a disease- 
infected district, just as it has the power to exclude cattle 
sent from a place where the Texas fever or pleuro-pneu- 
monia prevails. In every case where such transportation 
is arrested, decision must be made as to whether the 
material is justly held or not, and what tribunal is to de¬ 
cide all these cases? If all the states set up a quarantine, 
such action might compel an examination not only of all 
the nursery-stock and fruits which cross state lines, but of 
every arlicle which is liable to harbor a dangerous insect 
or a fungus spore, so that the cost of all this examination 
would ultimately be more serious than the ravages of the 
pests themselves. Legislation in individual states for the 
suppression of some of these enemies may be locally bene¬ 
ficial, but even then such laws will only have value when 
there is a strong public sentiment behind them, not to 
speak of, such a public spirit in individuals as would enable 
them to take broad and patriotic views of the destruction 
of their own property when it threatens that of others. 
We by no means assert that quarantine laws which have 
been so far enacted are to be condemned, but it is pretty 
plain that not only the spirit of individual independence, 
but the sentiment of retaliation of one community-against 
another could be easily aroused if it should appear that 
the rights of one section were infringed by the restrictions 
on commerce made by another. Altogether, the subject 
is one worthy of careful study by every thoughtful citizen. 
—Garden and Forest. 
A WARNING TO NURSERYMEN. 
In a communication to Garden and Forest, F. A. Sirrine 
who with V. H. Lowe is studying insect pests on Long 
Island, under the direction of the New York Experiment 
Station, says : “ The San Jose scale was observed first in 
the market at Jamaica, on some Bartlett pears said to have 
been grown on the island. The scale was also conspicuous 
on some fancy varieties of pears exhibited at the Queens 
County Fair, and by tracing this fruit to its source some 
of the infected nurseries were located. We have found 
the scale on pear, apple, peach and quince stock in 
several nurseries. Some of the nurserymen think they 
have had this same scale on their young trees for the past 
twenty years, but the indications are that it has been 
introduced within the past two or three years. Some of 
the large nurseries of the state are undoubtedly centres of 
infection. 
“Nurserymen here evidently do not realize that this is 
a serious pest. They are used to seeing on their stock 
the native scale insects, which cause no marked injury. 
They apparently do not realize that large sums of money 
have been ^expended in efforts to exterminate this pest in 
California, and that it will be a more dangerous enemy 
here than the Colorado potato-beetle unless prompt efforts 
are made to suppress it. True, we probably have a better 
chance to fight the pest here during the winter than nur¬ 
serymen have in California, but it will require an organized 
and very strenuous effort to overcome it. 
“This scale is now found in Virginia, Maryland, New 
Jersey and New York ; in fact, in the very center of the 
nurseries of the Atlantic coast. Nurserymen should 
make it a rule among themselves to put all stock through 
a vat of kerosene emulsion. 
“ Every fruit-grower or nurseryman who discovers scale 
insects of any kind on his trees should send samples with¬ 
out delay to the nearest trustworth}/ entomologist. ’ 
NURSERYMEN HAVE PROVED IT. 
The New Y^ork &un says : “ The most successful advertisers are those 
who keep their business constantly before the public, without regard to 
the stale of trade. They will not allow themselves and their business to 
be forgotten.” 
The National Nurserymax can vouch for the truth of that state¬ 
ment, for a perusal of letters from advertisers in this journal who keep 
their advertisements standing, is but an echo of what the Sun has said. 
“ Keep our advertisement standing” is the order, w’hich proves plainly 
enough the value received. 
