THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
7 
There are two men who have made a special study of this 
pest for years who have lately discussed it upon lines which 
should command the attention of every nurseryman. They 
are C. L. Marlatt, the assistant entomologist of the U. S. 
Department of Agriculture, and president of the Association 
of Economic Entomologists, and Prof. John B. Smith, state 
entomologist of New Jersey. In our last issue we summarized 
the address delivered by Mr. Marlatt at the last meeting of 
his association, and the discussion which followed. And now 
Prof. Smith in a recent issue of the American Agriculturist, in 
an extended article advises rational methods in the following 
conclusions : 
I am by do means an advocate of favoring the spread of the insect ; 
check it by all means so far as possible, by controlling the nurseries 
s o as to prevent the artificial (note the word) spread through them. 
But where I find a farmer with an infested orchard that is bringing him 
an income, I certainly will not deprive him of this so long as there is a 
method by which he can keep down the insect and continue to get 
crops of fruit. 
In other words, the gist of Mr. Marlatt’s address is, that all attempts 
to control the natural course of events is futile; but that we can and 
may advantageously study the problems that arise constantly so as to 
render the movements as little harmful as possible. He says : 
"Does anyone think for a moment and at all seriously that the San 
Jose scale is to be exterminated, and that its dissemination is to be 
prevented whatever may be the legislation, whatever quarantine 
steps may be adopted or exterminative measures put in operation ? 
Undoubtedly this scale insect will overspread North America within 
the possible climatic range of the species, and ultimately, and at a not 
far distant date will become established in Europe, despite all possible 
preventive efforts.” 
I believe I may claim as great a personal experience with this 
miserable creature as anyone, and I firmly believe that Mr. Marlatt is 
right. He has for the first time considered the entire problem front 
another than a narrow local point of view and his conclusions seem to 
me to be irresistible ; though as already stated, I am not ready to sub¬ 
scribe to all his statements. I do believe that, under exceptional cir¬ 
cumstances, extermination of a large insect may be accomplished ; but 
the difficulties in the way of even this are well illustrated by the work 
of the gypsy moth commission in Massachusetts, where the species it 
one that from its life history is especially open to attack at all seasons 
and discoverable with great ease when compared with the pernicious 
scale. 
The gypsy moth may be exterminated in America I believe, pro¬ 
vided money in sufficient amount be always available when needed ; 
the pernicious scale never by human means. 
PROGRESS IN CATALOGUES. 
Under this heading the National Nurseryman recently 
called attention to marked improvement in the construction 
of nursery catalogues. Prof. John Craig, Ames, la., in a 
recent issue of the American Florist calls attention to an 
innovation in the form of a pamphlet-catalogue entitled 
‘‘Orchard Improvement,” issued by the Rogers Nurseries, 
managed by Isaac C. Rogers, Dansville, N. Y. This company 
claims to have “ bred ” a large part of their stock of each 
variety from selected and improved strains. The writer of 
the catalogue truly says : “ No systematic attempt has before 
been made in the improvement of varieties by bud selection.” 
“This, then,” says Prof. Craig, “is the means they have taken 
to improve the variety. Wherever a specially good tree of a 
Jonathan, Spy or Fameuse, for instance, was discovered, 
scions of this particular tree were secured and used for propa¬ 
gating purposes, grafting or budding. While this undoubtedly 
is an important type of plant breeding by selection, it seems 
like stretching the point somewhat to call the selected type a 
‘ pedigreed ’ plant. A pedigree purports to give the lineage 
or genealogy of the plant or animal ; it assumes, in other 
words, a known parentage through sexual intervention. In 
the case of selected buds, while there may be improvement 
there is obviously no pedigree, because the bud is just the 
same as the tree from which it came. These remaiks are not 
intended to decry the value of such work, but are thrown out 
with the object of pointing out an inaccuracy in the use of 
terms I sincerely hope that this work of the Rogers Nursery 
is but the beginning of systematic endeavor in this line. Let 
nurserymen search faithfully for the best types of each variety.” 
Nursery News of the World for $1 per year. 
The mailing list of the NATIONAL NURSERYMAN is 
bein£ revised. If you have not renewed your sub* 
scription you should do so at once and continue to 
receive the official journal regularly. 
Those who are not subscribers could not obtain 
more for a dollar bill than by sending it for a year’s 
subscription to the only trade journal exclusively for 
nurserymen. Subscribe for one year and try it. 
WILL OPPOSE FUMIGATION. 
The nurserymen of New York state are opposed to the pro¬ 
posed legislation making it obligatory on the part of nursery¬ 
men to fumigate all their nursery stock. They argue that the 
process of fumigation is dangerous, expensive and unneces¬ 
sary, and that it would cause annoying and injurious delay. 
The Western New York Horticultural Society last month 
passed a resolution, published in this issue, urging legislation 
requiring the fumigation of nursery stock. It was opposed by 
Mr. Powell of Smiths & Powell Co., Syracuse ; but S. D. 
Willard, of Geneva, had aroused the interest of fruit growers 
to such an extent that they would not consider the opposition. 
The nurserymen of the state will strongly oppose the pro¬ 
posed legislation. The Eastern Nurserymen’s Association has 
appointed as a committee to go to Albany, Charles J. Brown, 
Irving Rouse and William Pitkin. It will be shown to the 
legislators that the proposed law will be ineffective in that 
nursery stock not fumigated may be shipped into the state 
and the business of New York State nurserymen will be 
seriously affected while the results for which the bill is asked 
will not be secured. It may be that the nurserymen will de¬ 
mand that fruit be fumigated, as well as nursery stock, for 
San Jose scale has been found on fruit offered for sale in very 
many cases. The disinterestedness of the fruit growers would 
be tested by such an amendment to the proposed bill. 
This question of fumigation is one that the nurserymen can¬ 
not afford to ignore at this time when there is opportunity to 
. protest against a proposition that will seriously affect the 
nursery business. Concerted action is what is needed. 
Try the NATIONAL NURSERYMAN one year for $1- 
THE BEST OF ITS KIND. 
Niciiols & Lorton, Davenport, Ia. —" Enc losed find $1 currency 
for the National Nurseryman for 1900. Best paper of the kind 
published.” 
