THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
47 
FOR HARMONY. ©bituar^. 
No Profit In Growing Insect-Infested Trees 
—A s A Matter of Courtesy Nurserymen 
Should Be Consulted—A Just Law. 
James F. Le Clare, the well-known nurseryman, of Brighton, 
N. Y,, voices the sentiment of hundreds of nurserymen in the 
following opinion of the proposed federal law : 
Editor National Nurseryman : 
I have until now, barely had time to glance over the pro¬ 
posed bill and comments on same as given in April National 
Nurseryman. (Why is it such things are generally “sprung” 
on nurserymen just at shipping time ?) I have sometimes 
thought that rturserymen work harder to serve their customers 
than any other class of business men, and get the least thanks 
for it. 
The most lamentable phase of the proposed federal bill 
against insect pests is the evident lack of harmony between 
the parties most interested, who should stand shoulder to 
shoulder against the common enemy. While every effort in 
the direction of exterminating such pests is commendable, any 
public measure to that end should be undertaken in a spirit of 
perfect fairness, with due regard for the rights of all con¬ 
cerned. The injustice of any law that would benefit the fruit 
grower to the loss or annoyance of the nurseryman, or vice 
versa, is apparent to all. The entomologist, perhaps, may be 
excused from any “fellow feeling” in the matter, as he natur¬ 
ally looks at it from a professional point of view ; he is in the 
position of the Irishman who held a wisp of burning straw 
under a hornet’s nest over his neighbor’s haymow, and en¬ 
deavored to console his neighbor for the loss of his barn by 
the fact that the “bastes were destroyed.” 
The very fact that such a law is proposed shows the general 
awakening to the importance of more thorough and systematic 
care of our trees and orchards, which is encouraging, and 
without which fruit growing cannot be a success. 
Yet I am strongly inclined to think legislation in this direc¬ 
tion is entirely unnecessary ; the instinct of self-preservation 
compels both nurseryman and fruit grower to rid themselves 
of such pests, if they have them, or keep them off if they 
haven’t. There is no profit in growing insect-infested and 
diseased trees or plants in the nursery rows, any more than 
there is in fruiting them in the orchard or vineyard. 
But, if we must have a law, let us have, (as Mr. Rouse says), a 
just law ; one that will, at least, regard the rights of all parties 
interested, and one that shall be as free as possible from un¬ 
necessary annoyances and hindrances to trade. 
The nurserymen of this country are largely interested in this 
matter, and should have some voice in it. I should like to 
see such a spirit of fairness and justice on the part of the fruit 
growers and horticulturists, (yes, even the entomologist,) and 
such a recognition of the fact that we are equally interested 
with them in this matter, that they will, as a matter of courtesy, 
consult us. If they do not, we should rise and demand that 
our interests be protected. 
I did not receive an invitation to the Washington convention. 
Brighton, N. Y. J. F. Le Clare. 
Philip Wickens, whose death occurred on Monday, March 
29th, was born August 25th, 1828, at Rotherfield, Sussex, Eng¬ 
land, coming to this country in 1851 and had since identified 
himself with the nursery business of Ellwanger & Barry, of 
Rochester, N. Y. 
A close friend of Mr. Wickens writes of him as follows : 
A distinguished horticulturist and pomologist, it was above all 
in the field of pomology that he excelled. In this sphere he 
was the peer of the late Charles Downing, Patrick Barry and 
Marshall P. Wilder. *For all species of hardy fruits—the pear, 
the apple, the plum, the peach, the cherry, together with the 
smaller species, his knowledge was extraordinary. If a speci¬ 
men of an unknown pear, for instance, were sent for identifi¬ 
cation and no one could determine the variety, it was placed 
before Mr. Wickens, for its true name, which never failed him. 
For the smaller fruits he had an especial fondness ; and though 
Dr. Boteler’s protege, the strawberry, proved poisonous to him, 
no one was more conversant with its numerous varieties 
than he. 
His memory, which was remarkable in many ways, was 
phenomenal in everything that related to the flavors and char¬ 
acteristics of fruits. Had he been born a viticulturist, and 
therefore, have possessed a similar nicety of taste in regard to 
wines, he might have surpassed Monsieur Merrmann, the cele¬ 
brated oenologist of Bordeaux. He was early and late in 
visiting the charges he loved ; and was the first to note the 
mantling rose on the cheek of the ripening crab, the flush of 
maturity on the Crawford or Red-Cheek Melocoton ; the gilded 
side of the Bartlett, the bloom of plum and prune, and the first 
ruddy tints of Gravenstein, Jonathan, and Northern Spy. 
With the cedar-bird, or “orchard-beauty,” he was present to 
taste the first cherry ; and no wasp, butterfly, or bee cherished 
more fondly the vinous savour and perfume of all kinds of 
ripening fruit. An orchard, and fruit tree were his delight ; 
and fruit his specialty, of which he was a supreme judge. A 
taste was sufficient, so long as ^e had fruits about him and he 
might watch and carefully note their development. But his 
knowledge sat lightly upon him, and only those who knew him 
well were aware of the extent of his pomological accomplish¬ 
ments. 
Of a quiet, retiring disposition, his temperament was never¬ 
theless always genial. It was a pleasure to meet him with his 
pleasant smile and cordial greeting. He diffused graciousness 
and good nature. The office of Ellwanger & Barry where he 
labored assiduously for nearly four decades will lack his sun¬ 
shine ; and it seems as if the nurseries-orchards and planta¬ 
tions of fruits must miss his cheery presence and his wonder¬ 
fully observant eye. 
DR. ROBERT HOGG. 
Dr. Robert Hogg, the renowned English pomologist, died 
at his home in London, March 14th, aged 79 years. He was 
the author of the “Fruit Manual,” an encyclopedic dictionary 
of fruits grown in Great Britain, and was also the editor-in- 
chief of the Journal of Horticulture. He was at one time 
associated with the management of an immense fruit tree nur¬ 
sery at Brompton, the site of the former garden of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, at what is now South Kensington. 
