THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
31 
ORIGIN OF THE BILL. 
Convention of Horticulturists at Washing¬ 
ton-Seventeen States Represented— 
Fruit Growers and Entomologists 
Adopt Restrictive Resolutions. 
Pursuant to the call of the Ohio Horticultural Society, dele¬ 
gates from state horticultural societies generally assembled 
at the Ebbitt House, Washington, D. C., on March 5th to con¬ 
sider and recommend federal and state legislation for prevent¬ 
ing the introduction or diffusion of noxious insects and fungi 
in the United States. 
E. H. Cushman, Euclid, O., President of the Ohio Horticul¬ 
tural Society, called the convention to order. He stated the 
object of the meeting and named the following committees: 
Credentials, F. M. Webster, Ohio ; C. M. Hooker, New York ; 
E. S. Goff, Wisconsin. Organization, William B. Alwood, 
Virginia ; E. M. Wardall, California ; R. S Emery, Maryland. 
The following officers were elected : President, E. H. Cush¬ 
man, Ohio ; vice-president, J. H. Hale, Connecticut; secre¬ 
taries, Wesley Webb, Delaware ; M. J. Daniels, California. 
Among the delegates were the following : William R. Ses- 
sons, Boston, Mass.; D. D. Denise, New Jersey ; B. T. Gallo¬ 
way, L. O. Howard and M. B. Waite, of the Department of 
Agriculture; W. H. Farnsworth, Waterville, O.; S. A. Beach, 
New York ; H. E. Van Deman, Parksley, Va.; W. B. Alwood, 
Blacksburg, Va.; H. Gorman, Lexington, Ky.; M. V. Slinger- 
land, Ithaca, N. Y.; Wesley Webb, Dover, Del.; Otto Lugger, 
St. Anthony Park, Minn.; J. Van Lindley, Pomona, N. C.; 
Gerald McCarthy, Raleigh, N. C.; M. J. Daniels, Riverside, 
Cal.; S. B. Heiges, Washington, president of the Pennsylvania 
Horticultural Society ; W. W. Miller, Columbus, O.; V. H. 
Lowe, Geneva, N. Y.; C. M. Hooker, Rochester, N. Y.; H. K. 
Snow, Tustin, Cal.; E. S. Henry, M. C., of Connecticut ; H. J. 
Webber of the Department of Agriculture ; S. H. Derby, Wood- 
side, Del.; C. M. Hobbs, Bridgeport, Ind.; Robert Gulick, 
Linkwood, Md.; E. S. Goff, Madison, Wis.; W. G. Johnson, 
College Park, Md.; J. W. Baker, Nashville, Tenn.; Walter H. 
Evans of the experiment station, Washington; E. H. Bissell, 
Richmond, Va.; E. M. Wardall, Los Angeles, Cal.; F. M. 
Webster, Wooster, O.; N. J. Bachelder, Concord, N. H.; Colo¬ 
nel E. S. Chamberlin, Loudon, Va.; E. H. Cushman, Euclid, 
O.; Captain R. S. Emery, Chestertown, Md.; Colonel J. H. 
Brigham, Delta, O.; W. C. Barry, Rochester, N. Y. 
Professor L. O. Howard, entomologist of the Department of 
Agriculture, read a paper on the introduction of foreign insect 
pests and methods of prevention to be taken. He said that in 
a collection of 600 species of noxious insects exhibited at the 
World’s Fair, in species were introduced from other coun¬ 
tries. Among scale insects alone 23 species were of foreign 
origin. 
Professor B. T. Galloway read a paper entitled “ Plant dis¬ 
eases and the possibilities of decrease by legislation” 
A paper from B. M. Lelong, California, on the inspection of 
trees, fruits and plants in that state, was read by the secretary. 
After a recital of the various legislative acts passed by the 
state showing that very satisfactory work had been accomp¬ 
lished, he cited several cases where large importations of badly 
infested trees had been destroyed, among them a lot of 325,000 
citrus trees, comprising one shipment which’ had been con¬ 
demned and destroyed at San Francisco after fumigation had 
been found to be ineffective. He stated that California was 
no longer the dumping ground for pest ridden trees, and as all 
the states had been benefited by the legislation of California, 
other states ought to adopt similar legislation. 
Gerald McCarthy of North Carolina read a paper on insect 
foes, their prevention and eradication. 
James McLaughlin, member of congress from California, 
spoke on the quarantine of trees at Los Angeles, and showed 
how the whole country had been benefited by the state laws 
prohibiting the introduction of pests. He thought that should 
a bill be drawn up governing the inspection of importations, 
congress would be found in the humor to give the subject 
its earnest consideration. 
James Wilson, the new secretary of agriculture, addressed 
the convention, expressing his willingness to do all in his power 
to further the objects the convention had in view. 
The following committee on legislation which was afterward 
made permanent, was appointed: William B. Alwood, Vir¬ 
ginia ; John Van Lindley, North Carolina ; C. M. Hooker, New 
York ; E. M. Wardall, California ; E. S. Goff, Wisconsin ; D. 
D. Denise, New Jersey, F. M. Webster, O., C. M Hobbs, Ind. 
This committee reported resolutions upon which was based 
the bill published in another column. 
STATUS OF PEAR CULTURE. 
At the meeting of the Western New York Horticultural So¬ 
ciety the often-abused Kieffer pear received an excellent rec¬ 
ommendation from Professor Waite, of Washington, D. C., for 
its vigor and constitution or stamina. In his address on “ The 
Present Status of our Knowledge of Pear Culture and its Dis¬ 
eases,” he said that the introduction of the oriental species 
marked the greatest epoch in pear culture in many years, and 
predicted that the continued crossing of Kieffer and varieties 
of high quality like Seckel, would, in a few years, give varieties 
better than ever yet known. He discussed scab, leaf blight 
and fire blight. Scab and leaf blight can be easily controlled 
by spraying, but fire blight is contagious, being carried by bees 
from blossom to blossom, and induced by too rapid growth, 
which may be checked by ceasing to cultivate and to prune 
the top, and instead, if necessary, pruning the root. No var¬ 
iety is blight proof. 
SPECULATION. 
A suggestion touching the now popular village improvement 
might well be studied by nurserymen and florists pressed by 
hard times. It may be considered very practical, since it 
comes from a florist who has put it into practice, at least in 
part. It looks to the buying up of the waste lands, so often an 
eye-sore about railway stations, and improving them. A pub¬ 
lic square or street and some fine building lots may often be 
cut from such a block of land. These might be put in proper 
shape, and a block of hardy, herbaceous perennials and hardy 
shrubs planted on the remainder. When improved, a portion 
of this land will nearly always sell for more than the cost of the 
whole .—American Agriculturist. 
