THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
53 
THE JUNE CONVENTION. 
The 22d annual convention of the American Association of 
Nurserymen will be held at St. Louis, June 9th and loth. 
The secretary makes the following announcement : 
There is every reason to expect that the coming convention 
will prove one of the most enjoyable ever held by the Associa¬ 
tion. The world-famous Missouri Botanical Garden, often 
spoken of as the Shaw Garden, is located at St. Louis, and an 
invitation to the American Association of Nurserymen to visit 
the same has been cordially extended by the Director, Dr. 
William Trelease, who further promises the services of the 
garden staff as guides. The Missouri Botanical Garden is 
endowed under the will of the late Henry Shaw, an ardent 
horticulturist, and provision is made for an annual banquet. 
The members of our Association are also indebted to Dr. Tre¬ 
lease for an invitation to attend the “Shaw Banquet” as 
honored guests. This invitation, for the evening of June loth, 
has been accepted for the Association by the executive com¬ 
mittee. 
It is expected that welcome will be extended to the visiting 
nurserymen by Mayor Ziegenhein and the Hon. Norman J. 
•Colman. 
The tariff discussion will undoubtedly be one of the most 
interesting features of the convention. The committee ap¬ 
pointed at Chicago, last year, will report its work at Washing¬ 
ton. The result of the efforts of this committee will probably 
be as important as anything which has ever been accomplished 
by this Association, and all will be glad to hear the details. 
There will also be the report of the committee on freight 
charges, a matter of vital importance to the trade. Other 
members intend to propose profitable discussion, and for that 
reason it has not been thought wise to arrange a long program 
in advance. 
Among those who will take part are : President Silas Wil¬ 
son, Hon. N. H. Albaugh, Prof. F. W. Card, of the University 
of Nebraska, Hon. C. L. Watrous, E. J. Holman. 
The convention will open at the Lindell Hotel on the morn¬ 
ing of June 9th. Special railroad rates are expected. 
FOR FAIR TREATMENT. 
In a leading editorial on the Washington convention and 
the proposed federal law Vick's Magazine says : 
“California fruit growers have suffered from a greater 
variety of insect pests than those of other parts of the country ; 
they also are the agents which have introduced into our east¬ 
ern cities the pernicious San Jose scale. It has been brought 
in on California fruit, and especially pears. From the fruits 
the insects found their way to the fruit trees in several localities 
in the vicinity of New York city and spread from those 
centers. 
“ A very noticeable feature of the proposed law is that in 
the matter of the examination of fruit, which is carefully 
guarded in case of importations into the country, no notice is 
taken of it in interstate commerce ; the transit of fruit from 
one state or locality to another is left as it is at present, and 
without any regulations whatever. And yet, as already stated, 
it is by sending California fruits into eastern markets that the 
San Jose scale is now troubling eastern nurserymen and fruit 
growers. 
“It is evident, therefore that the proposed law can only be 
partially effective. There are also some points in relation to 
the execution of the law that appear defective and which 
may be positively injurious to the interests of nurserymen. It 
is better that legislation of this kind should be delayed until 
the interests of all parties are considered and fairly treated, 
than to enact it and then find it ineffec'ual, or to have it dis¬ 
regarded as impracticable.” 
A WORD TO THE ENTOMOLOGISTS. 
If ever a jouinal persisted in calling attention to the valuable 
work of the entomologists, state and national, in relation to a 
special line, that journal is the National Nurseryman. 
When there was little or no discussion of such subjects among 
the nurserymen of the country, this journal was alive to the 
importance to the trade of a knowledge of methods of keeping 
nursery stock free from insects and disease. 
The files of the the National Nurseryman disclose con¬ 
stant reference to this subject—papers read by entomologists 
at horticultural conventions, communications from entomol¬ 
ogists at considerable length, reports of conferences of ento¬ 
mologists, reviews of books by noted entomologists and their 
value to the trade, etc. Full appreciation of the work of the 
experiment stations has been accorded. 
It has been the special endeavor of the National Nur¬ 
seryman to keep its readers informed of the tendency toward 
more general legislation against insects and disease and to 
suggest that plans for adjustment to new conditions be made. 
And now, though no fault of the entomologists, a conven¬ 
tion was called with only such notice to nurserymen of its in¬ 
tention as was given in an announcement in the National 
Nurseryman and our protest is construed to mean objection 
to all federal legislation upon insects. Two years ago, in June 
1895, this journal said : “It is probable that the question of 
guaranteeing nursery stock to be free from injurious insects 
will confront the nurserymen very soon. In cases where the 
San Jose scale has been discovered, this has already been 
necessary, and there is opportunity to increase confidence 
upon the part of the planter by guaranteeing stock free from 
injurious insects.” 
Since then there have been passed state laws under some of 
which nurserymen have been able to transact business without 
delay and great expense and with guaranty of stock free from 
insect or disease ; while in others they have been obliged to 
do business at a great disadvantage owing to special provisions. 
The text of these state laws has been published in the 
National Nurseryman. 
It is on the subject of a federal law which shall provide for 
proper inspection and fumigation of nursery stock without un¬ 
necessary restrictions, that the nurserymen ask to be heard. 
Californians are trying to discover who started the great 
business of fruit raising which now distinguishes that state 
from all in the Union. So far the record seems to belong to 
Mr. Wolfskin, who planted 80 acres of apricots and peaches 
and 6,000 grapes, in the town of Winters, in Selena Co., in 
1851. In 1855 the first apricots from these trees were sold. 
Gardner & Sons, Osage, Ta.—“ We are much pleased witli the re¬ 
turns we have received from our advertisement in the National 
Nurseryman.” 
