THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
33 
QUEBEC FRUIT GROWERS. 
Urged By Entomologist Fletcher to Take Precautions Against 
the Scale — Eighty Per Cent, of Canadian Trees are 
Purchased of United States Nurserymen. 
In connection with the restrictions imposed by the Canadian 
Government, it is of interest to note that at the fifth annual 
meeting of the Pomological and Fruit Growing Society of the 
Province of Quebec, Dr. Fletcher, botanist and entomologist 
of the experimental farms, said that he regretted to announce 
that the San Jose scale had appeared in a few places in the 
peach belt of Ontario and in British Columbia. The Ontario 
government had legislated that all trees affected with it should 
be destroyed, and one-third their value paid by the government. 
“ There is at the present time,” said Dr. Fletcher, “ urgent 
demand being made on the Dominion minister of agriculture 
to legislate for the total prohibition of all nursery stock being 
imported from the states into Canada. I have not seen my 
way to recommend this, so serious is it to interfere with the 
established channels of trade. The minister of agriculture 
wishes an expression of opinion from this society with regard 
to the advisability of passing the law demanded. I shall not 
say that the San Jose scale will not enter the Province of 
Quebec. I did not think it would^o into Ontario, but it has. 
I warn you to take all precautions against it. I advise you to 
get your nursery stock in Canada, for the northern states are 
infested with the most dangerous pest ever known. It is not 
worth your while to take the risk of buying stock in the United 
States, when you can get it equally good or belter in Canada. 
I cannot tell you whether the Canadian government will pass 
legislation on the matter, but you can commence by protecting 
yourselves. We tried not to create unnecessary alarm, but 
matters have become so serious that Canadians must be warned 
against it.” 
Dr. Fletcher said it would be deplorable if the scale 
attacked and spread among Canadian forest trees. Rev. Mr. 
Hamilton advocated stringent laws keeping out all United 
States plants and trees. Canadians did not need one of them. 
The United States were fond of putting up Chinese walls 
against Canada, and Canadians should retaliate for their own 
protection. Dr. Fletcher said that eighty per cent, of Canadian 
trees were imported from the United States Mr. Fisk said 
that the birds carried the scale from the United States to Can¬ 
ada, and that Canadians could not legislate to keep them out. 
Dr. Fletcher said every American plant imported was now 
reported from the custom house to the minister of agriculture 
and traced to its destination and the consignee warned to be 
on his guard. 
DR. SMITH ON LEGISLATION. 
At a meeting of the New York Florists’ club on March 14th, 
Dr. John B. Smith of the New Jersey Experiment Station, 
speaking of the amendment that had been made to the New 
Jersey scale law, said that he was of opinion that a specific 
exemption of florists’ stocks in the bill would do no harm, 
although he did not see the use of putting florists’ plants or 
plants of that general character under the ban of the act. The 
question of inserting the exemption provision in the national 
law pending in congress was quite a different one; because 
although florists’ stocks could only be grown in the latitude of 
New York under glass, the same plants could be grown out¬ 
doors in the southern and southwestern states, and there was a 
possibility of insects, from indoor grown stock shipped into 
these localities, spreading on the outdoor plants. If the danger 
is to be guarded against, that stock ought to be included in 
the federal law as well as nursery stock, said he. 
“That this insect is a destructive one if left to itself, is be¬ 
yond question, and that we have not yet found the best 
method of dealing with it may also be admitted,” said Dr. 
Smith. “ I am firmly convinced, however, that legislation is 
not that best method, for laws do not enforce themselves, and 
if the energy displayed in securing legislation were devoted to 
experiments in the orchard, the result might be different. We 
know the life history of the insect now, thoroughly ; we know 
that we can kill it if we are persistent, and as compared with 
some plant diseases it is almost harmless. In the very worst 
infested district in New Jersey the fire blight killed more trees 
last year than the scale has done in the ten years that it has 
been with us. In one of the best peach orchards in New 
Jersey the scale has been present ever since it was put out. 
None but careful horticultural treatment was given until the 
present winter and of more than 1,000 trees, not one has been 
in the least harmed by the scale. Plant disease cut off 10 per 
cent, of the orchard last year, and 20 per cent, of some varie¬ 
ties. Why not legislate against that? 
“Legislation has a place undoubtedly in our battle with in¬ 
sect foes, but it is rather to give us a weapon than to act itself. 
There are always some men who are behind the times or who 
are congenitally unable to comprehend that anyone has rights 
that they are bound to respect. Such men occur among the 
farmers as well as elsewhere, and in some cases they maintain 
a veritable nuisance on their grounds in the form of insect in¬ 
fested plants from which adjoining lands become infested ; 
such men should be compelled to look after their property to 
the extent of saving their neighbors, and legislation can help 
us to that point and no further. Of course, inspection of 
nurseries is a good thing in so far as it informs the nursery¬ 
man of the condition of his own affairs and he can make it, if 
he chooses, the basis of a guarantee to purchasers that his stock 
is clean. This will be of some tangible benefit to the pur¬ 
chaser if he is careful to deal with responsible firms, but as it 
is now, a certificate is a protection to a dishonest dealer since 
it gives him something to hide behind should his stock prove, 
later, to be either diseased or infested by insects.” 
CONDITIONS IN SOUTHWEST. 
Editor National Nurseryman : 
The winter has been very mild indeed. Spring has appar¬ 
ently been open for some time. Oriental pear tree leaves 
nearly grown. Everything is growing. Our trade has been 
some better this spring than usual. We had to ship some 
stock quite late, and sap was up to some extent. Our agents 
are sending in pretty good weekly reports for fall delivery, 
indicating that planting here in the Southwest is going to be 
better than for the last two very dry years. McKinley pros¬ 
perity is a long time reaching these parts. Will it come? 
Ho for Omaha! L. T. Sanders & Son. 
Plain Dealing, La. 
