102 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
DISCOVERING PLANTS 
“Of all the passions that possess mankind. 
The love of novelty rules most the mind.’’ 
“Something New” Is the one great desire of the nur¬ 
seryman or florist and real good novelties are scarce, 
usually they are only produced by long, patient work of 
the hybridist who merely carries on the work of others. 
We occasionally get an introduction quite unknown to the 
horticultural world such as the Gerbera Jamesoni, Trans¬ 
vaal Daisy, which leaps into the good opinion of all 
plantsmen as soon as seen but more often like Wilson’s 
discoveries in China they are recorded in botanical works 
and remain in private collections until some enterprising 
practical grower takes hold of them and studies their 
wants until he can propagate and grow them so as to 
bring out their good qualities and then exploits then in 
the novelty pages of his catalogue and introduce them to 
the public. 
There are some who would condemn the resurrecting 
of a forgotten plant and exploiting it as a novelty. To my 
way of thinking providing there is no deception, it is as 
meritorious as the actual production of a new plant. For 
instance the Gordonia pubescens has been known since 
1774, it is a shrub or small tree, hardy at least as far 
north of Philadelphia yet still unknown except to com¬ 
paratively few. 
The nurseryman who could succeed in working up a 
big stock would be a candidate for the honor roll of his 
profession and no one would grudge him all he made out 
of it. 
That it would be a ready seller there is no doubt, be¬ 
cause the beauty and fragrance of the flower wins all 
who see it. But such aristocrats of the garden require 
the same study and attention as do blooded stock of any 
kind to insure success. 
Baker Bros., Fort Worth, Texas, are now exploiting the 
good qualities of Salvia Greggi, a plant discovered nearly 
(thirty years ago. 
The well known Cosmos so common in the gardens in 
the fall although known to botanists for over a hundred 
years was not really discovered until J. Louis Loose, 
Washington, D. C., started to grow it for the cut llower 
trade when it speedily won its way into popular favor. 
Rose Gardens owe a debt of gratitude to W. A. Manda, 
for his discovery of the possibilities of Rosa Wichuraiana 
as a progenitor of new roses, and so on with many others. 
How many of us have undeveloped gold mines in our 
woods, back yards and nurseries waiting to be pros¬ 
pected? How many of us have been acquainted with a 
plant all our lives, but never known its possibilities until 
some one else grew it to perfection and revealed it to us? 
How many plants are there that are still untried in 
your locality? Some of us whom Anno Domini has been 
chasing for a long time and who have more use for the 
wash rag than the comb can recall many plants that were 
only grown under glass, now flourishing out of doors 
simply because we know more about them, and we have 
seen others more enterprising make money from things 
we had on our own grounds. 
It cannot be expected that all plants will prove as 
adaptable as Spiraea Van Ilouttei, Norway Maple or the 
Paeony, but there arc doubtless many waiting for some 
discerning nurseryman to bring them out of obscurity. It 
may he they are not of themselves worthy of cultivation 
in their present state but the potential possibilities for hy¬ 
bridizing and improvement by selection and cultivation is 
enormous. The existence of the Meehan’s Mallow Mar¬ 
vels is due to the attempt to improve the wild Hibiscus 
moscheutos, a wild plant that grows by the acre in the 
swamps of New York, New Jersey, Virginia and other 
localities. 
THE PACKING OF NURSERY STOCK SHIPPED INTO 
CANADA. 
Ottawa, February 9th, 1915. 
Editor, "The National Nurseryman,” 
Sir:— 
I should he pleased if you would permit me through 
your columns to call the attention of nurserymen in the 
United States who are accustomed to ship nursery stock 
to Canadian customers to an important point that it is 
necessary to observe in the matter of the materials used 
for packing shipments of nursery stock, whether they be 
small baled shipments or large consignments packed in 
cases. 
Hay and straw are largely used as packing materials. 
In October last, on account of the outbreak of Foot and 
Mouth Disease in the United States, the Canadian Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture promulgated regulations under "The 
Animal Contagious Diseases Act” to prevent the introduc¬ 
tion of this disease into Canada. The importation of hay 
and straw from the United States was prohibited; this 
prohibition covered hay and straw when used in packing 
merchandise. On November 9th, 1914, an Order was 
passed containing the following clause: 
“Straw or hay used in packing merchandise from the 
United States will he admitted provided the shipment is 
accompanied by an affidavit, that the said straw or hay 
was harvested prior to the 1st day of August, 1914, and 
had not been in contact with any infected animal or mat¬ 
erial.” 
It has been necessary in accordance with the Depart¬ 
ment’s regulations for the Animal Quarantine Officers in 
a number of instances to remove at the border hay or 
straw used as packing in shipments of nursery stock im¬ 
ported into Canada in the absence of the affidavit required 
under the aforementioned regulation, before permitting 
the entry of such shipments. 
We would, therefore, call the attention of nurserymen 
to the necessity of either sending affidavits with ship¬ 
ments packed in straw or hay that was harvested prior to 
August 1st, 1914, or of using some alternative material 
such as moss or excelsior for packing Canadian ship¬ 
ments. This would prevent any delay at the border or 
loss of stock in transit due to the hay or straw packing 
having been removed in accordance with the Foot and 
Mouth Disease quarantine regulations. 
I have the honour to be, 
Sir, 
Your obedient servant, 
C. Gordon Heevitt, Dominion Entomologist. 
The nurserymen of New Jersey are desirous of start¬ 
ing an organization. We certainly hope they will suc¬ 
ceed because in “unity there is strength.” 
