THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
93 
CALIFORNIANS URGED TO ACT. 
Upon the subject of the federal bill relating to S >n Jose 
Scale, the Riverside, California, Press says: 
C. L. Watrous, speaking before the convention of American Nurs¬ 
erymen at Chicago, said: “A bill agreed upon by nurserymen, horti¬ 
culturists and entomologists, can be passed in the near future. The 
opposition in Congress is very slight. An attempt should be made to 
introduce a new bill, in which the nursery interests should be fully 
represented. There seems to be little doubt that a bill of some sort will 
be passed in the near future.” 
Mr. Watrous has sounded a note of a campaign which, if successful, 
will mean the introduction of scale into California. A bill pressed by 
Mr. Watrous and amended by providing for the inspection of nursery 
stock at the place of destination has been presented to the House, and 
in the course of events should become a law. This bill, which is more 
fully treated in an article in another part of to-day’s issue, received the 
unanimous endorsement of the Committee on Agriculture. 
Captain Daniels informs us that, with all due respect to Mr. Watrous 
and his argument against tne amendment suggested by the California 
delegation, the only reason why the bill did not become a law after the 
earnest work in its behalf on the part of Mr. Needham, Mr. Waters and 
the rest of the California delegation, was because it carried an appro¬ 
priation of $ 100 , 000 , and Mr. Cannon, of Illinois would not on that ac¬ 
count allow it to go through. 
It seems, however, that the American Association of Nurserymen 
are not satisfied with this measure on account of the amendment and 
will endeavor at the next session of Congress to kill the bill and intro¬ 
duce a new one, “in which the nursery interests should be fully repre¬ 
sented.” 
The fight made last winter at Washington against the bill proposed 
by the association will probably have to be repeated, and it behooves 
the horticultural interests in California to “slumber not nor sleep” over 
the matter. 
THE McPIKE GRAPE. 
Ex-President Silas Wilson, of the American Association, 
Atlantic, la., called upon nurserymen of Rochester on his way 
to Albany last month. He brought sample bunches of the 
McPike grape, a truly valuable grape and one that is bound to 
succeed upon its merits. The grapes are an inch in diameter 
and over three inches in circumference. Many of the bunches 
weigh more than a pound and some of them are ten inches in 
length. The McPike grape ripens about the time of the Wor¬ 
den. It is juicy, firm, of high and excellent flavor and is 
hardy. The leaves are firm and large. It is declared to be 
an excellent shipper. A marked characteristic is the size of 
the seeds. These are much smaller than are those of grapes 
half the size of the McPike and there are but three or four 
seeds in a grape. 
Six years ago Mr. Wilson took hold of the McPike grape the 
product of the enthusiastic experiments of a prominent horti¬ 
culturist of that name at Alton, Ills. The following letter to 
Mr.Wilson from C. L.Watrous of Des Moines, president of the 
American Pomological Society, is a fine tribute to the fruit: 
Hon. Silas Wilson, Atlantic, Iowa. My Dear Wilson: I have seen 
the McPike on his native heath, that is on the grounds and under the 
hands of its originator. Rumors had raised expectation high, nor were 
they disappointed. 
We saw the vines and fruit under different conditions of cultivation: 
first, through clean culture, second ordinary care and third in blue 
grass sod. We saw the vines dotted in among quite a dozen favorities 
of this region, from Concord, Worden,Wilder, Morton Virginia, Diana, 
Moore’s Early, Agawam and Niagara, Cottage, Woodruff, etc. 
Everywhere the McPike asserted itself. Everywhere the stocky, 
short-jointed wood with large, thick, healthy dark green leaves and 
great clusters of smooth, clean berries, just about an inch in diameter. 
Bunch and berry resemble its parent, Worden, but each larger by fifty 
per cent. The pulp ripens to the core and parts readily from the few 
(usually two or three), small seeds with no tough, sour lump at the core 
like others of the Labrusca family. The variety seems entirely self 
fertile. The clusters on single vines standing in blue grass were as full, 
solid and uniform as those on vines closely mingled with any of the 
dozen or more other varieties in the vine-yard. 
What it may do in other climates must be tested, but for this great 
region of the Mississippi valley it seems that a distinct step in advance 
has been taken in the origination of this noble fruit. 
It will be a fitting memorial to its originator and you are to be con¬ 
gratulated upon your good fortune in having your name associated 
with its introduction. 
SOUTH DAKOTA NURSERIES. 
The Weekly Gazette, Yankton, S. D., in a recent issue pre¬ 
pared especially for booming South Dakota enterprise, has the 
following to say regarding the nursery industry there : 
The E. Y. E. nurseries are located a mile east of the city. They are 
owned and were established by Geo. H. Whiting, who has had 16 years 
experience in this line of business. Mr. Whiting has 70 acres of land. 
He sells stock as far west as Montana and north to Manitoba, and east 
to New Jersey and northeast to Toronto, Canada, and south to Mis¬ 
souri. He has a large number of different varieties grafted. 
Mr. Whiting gives employment to from ten to seventeen men, but 
does not employ traveling salesman, selling direct himself. He attends 
all the leading horticultural society meetings of South Dakota, and is 
thereby constantly posting himself upon his business. He is a member 
and vice-president for South Dakota for the American Association of 
Nurserymen at their meets. He is a natural fruit and tree man and 
makes that business his study. 
Mr. Whiting came to this section in 1879 and was the first president 
of the State Horticultural society and the last president of the Terri¬ 
torial Horticultural society. On his place are several acres of thrifty 
forest trees. 
C. W. Gurney is the proprietor of the Yankton nursery. He came 
here from Concord, Nebraska, where he had been in nursery business 
for nearly a score of years. Mr. Gurney has unquestionably planted 
out more trees and made more bearing orchards than has any other man 
in South Dakota or in any other state that joins it. He has given his 
life, thought and study to the culture of fruit and has written some 
very valuable works upon the subject, one of which is “Gurney’s 
Northwestern Pomology.” His nursery is on a forty acre tract one 
mile north of Yankton, which he is fitting up in a permanent style 
where he expects to spend the rest of his days. He has built a fine 
home, has a three inch artesian wellfrom which he has made anartificial 
lake, stocked it with fish and ducks, while he has already in fine grow¬ 
ing condition 45,000 yearling apple trees, and all kinds of other fruit 
and ornamental trees in proportion. 
GEORGIA HORTICULTURISTS. 
The Georgia State Horticultural Society met at Dublin, 
Ga., early last month. These officefs were elected : Presi¬ 
dent, P. J. Berckmans ; secretary, G. H. Miller ; treasurer, L. 
A. Berckmans ; vice-presidents, G. M. Ryals, Savannah ; B. 
W. Stone, Thomasville ; S. H. Rumph, Marshallville ; Henry 
Matthews, Fort Valley; W. M. Scott, Atlanta; R. E. Park, 
Macon ; G. H. Waring, Cement ; H. N. Steavens, Athens ; 
J. J. Justice, Marcus ; Neill Mclnnis, Augusta ; J. M. Stubbs, 
Dublin. Milledgeville is the place for the next meeting. 
Elm City Nursery Co., New Haven, Conn.—“The National 
Nurseryman we have learned to look forward to as a valuable source 
of current information for the nurseryman. Enclosed find $1 for 
renewal.” 
