THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
25 
SCALE AND THE MARYLAND LAW. 
Blacksburg, Va., Feb. 6.—For some time it has been my 
desire to take notice of certain statements appearing in the 
December issue of The National Nurseryman and to add 
some remarks upon this question in general. 
It appears from the account of the meeting of Maryland 
nurserymen furnished the Baltimore American from which you 
copy, that Professor Johnson, state entomologist of Maryland, 
brought up a letter, written by myself, for the consideration of 
the meeting and in this letter I am virtually made to say that 
in my opinion the Maryland law was passed for the sole pur¬ 
pose of harrassing outside nurserymen, etc. This statement 
attributed to me is entirely incorrect and the inference drawn 
from it that I threatened retaliation against the law per se is 
wholly unwarranted. 
At about this time some slight difference occurred between 
myself and a large nursery firm of Maryland, they taking ex¬ 
ception to my statement as an officer concerning the freeness 
of their stock from San Jose scale. The statement at which 
offense was taken was made by me in response to a demand 
made upon me in writing and to which there was no alterna¬ 
tive but to state the facts. My motives were assailed quite 
bitterly by the offended party and following in a few days 
came a letter from Professor Johnson notifying me that the 
Maryland law would be strictly enforced against Virginia 
nurserymen. Also about this same time a letter from the same 
official to W. T. Hood & Co., notified them that this law would 
be strictly enforced. (See statement of W. T. Hood & Co., 
page 155, January issue of The National Nurseryman.) 
This peculiar attitude of a nurseryman taking exception to 
my performing my plain duties under our state law and the 
fact of receiving Professor Johnson’s letters at the same time 
led me to say that if this unreasonable law was enlorced in an 
unfair spirit against Virginia nurserymen, I would retaliate by 
publishing Maryland nurserymen known to me to have infested 
premises. 
I insisted that the proper course was first to establish the 
fact that Virginia nurserymen were sending out infested stock 
or ever had sent infested stock into Maryland. This to the 
present time has not been done. I give it as my official opinion 
that Virginia nurserymen have not disseminated San Jose 
scale outside the state and only to slight extent within the 
state and this through rehandling small lots of stock brought 
from several eastern states. 
In this same item copied from the American it is said that 
Professor Alwood stated that it might be that scale was pre¬ 
valent in Maryland, This is quite funny, to say the least. 
My statements were positive. 
I also wish to say in regard to the language of the certifi¬ 
cate (see p. 151, January issue.) I gave Messrs. Hood & Co., 
assurances that I used this positive language with great 
reluctance and only after three times inspecting their stock 
and placing an assistant upon their grounds to inspect and 
fumigate all their stock, both home grown and purchased, be¬ 
fore placing upon packing yard. In making all their extensive 
shipments not a single case of San Jose scale was found, but 
we accomplished one good point by fumigation, viz., not a 
single specimen of root louse was found on the stock when 
packed for shipment. 
We claim for our state that it is the first to fully inspect and 
carefully locate the infested areas over a large state and that 
our work of fumigating on a large scale has fully demonstrated 
the cheapness and practicability of this method. As to its 
efficacy I am compelled to take that on statements of others 
for I have never had a chance to fumigate a single scale. 
Two or three points in this state are suffering from out¬ 
breaks of this scale in the orchards, but here we shall rely 
upon soap suds for a year or so to learn its efficacy in slight 
attacks and shall use the axe for serious cases. 
Wm. B. Alwood, 
Entomologist Va. Ex. Sta. 
IRecent jPublications. 
The transactions of the Indiana Horticultural Society of which C. M. 
Hobbs is president and Professor James Throop is secretary, have been 
bound and issued to members. The book is entertaining and valuable 
for reference. 
In the reissue of Ellwanger & Barry’s general catalogue attention is 
called to a number of meritorious novelties which this firm strongly 
recommends. Such endorsement should leave no doubt of the worth 
of these varieties which include Barry apple, Dorset and Lady Clapp 
pears, Columbus gooseberry. Winchell grape, Columbian raspberry, 
Marshall strawberry, Lemoine’s latest lilac introductions. Crimson 
Rambler and other roses. 
A warm, southern breeze, laden with the odors of a peach orchard 
in fruiting time and a strawberry patch in June was wafted into 
our office on a blustering northern afternoon last month. The cause 
was the arrival of the highly colored, spicily written “Red Label’’ 
catalogue of J. H. Hale, South Glastonbury, Hartford county. Conn. 
The ex-president of the American Association of Nurserymen, the 
widely known Georgia fruit grower, the author of the push cart story 
is on hand with another entertaining account of how money is made in 
the culture of fruit. The catalogue is a novel one and it reflects the 
enthusiasm which characterizes all that “Marse”Hale does, “shoo 
miff.” 
With more than usual pleasure we call attention to the twentieth 
edition of “The American Fruit Culturist” by John J. Thomas, re¬ 
vised and enlarged by William H. S. Wood. This book has been the 
standard upon its specialty in this country ever since it was written, 
and it has been the text-book in most of the agricultural colleges and 
experiment stations in the United States. Probably no other book of its 
kind contains so much practical information or so complete and up-to- 
date lists of fruit as this. Within the 773 pages is contained a vast 
amount of matter indispensable to the nurseryman and fruit grower. 
It is possible that there are a few who do not know that John J. Thomas 
was flrst president of the Fruit Growers Society of Western New York; 
honorary member of the Massachmsetts Horticultural Society ; Pennsyl¬ 
vania Fruit Growers Society ; Worcester Horticultural Society ; asso¬ 
ciate editor of Country Gentleman from its foundation until 1894, and 
for thirty years a practical nurseryman. Mr. Thomas died on February 
32, 1895. He stood at the head of the pomologists of America. His 
“Fruit Culturist ” was first published in 1846. In later editions under 
the title of “The American Fruit Culturist” it became one of the chief 
American pomological works. Mr. Thomas was the life long friend of 
Mr. Wood, and when the infirmities of the later years of the author 
prevented him from making the needed revision himself he requested 
that Mr. Wood should personally undertake it. The changes made in 
the twentieth edition are such as seemed to confine its matter strictly to 
the propagation and cultivation of fruits in the open air, and to bring 
it in all respects fully up to present knowledge. That Mr. Wood has 
attained this result is proved by even the most cursory examination. 
About 200 pages and 300 new wood cuts have been added. The chap¬ 
ter on insects and diseases has been greatly extended. The second sec¬ 
tion of the book, treating of all kinds of fruits, has been thoroughly 
revised. It. embraces practically complete descriptions of all the 
acknowledged standard and approved newer sorts ; while the descrip¬ 
tive index, as heretofore, includes many kinds now nearly or quite 
