THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
6i 
ILLINOIS SCALE BILL. 
In a long editorial criticism of the Illinois scale bill intro¬ 
duced in the senate by Mr. Dunlap the Fruit Growers Jour¬ 
nal, Cobden, Ill., says : 
“ The true animus of the bill, however, is disclosed by sec¬ 
tions 9 and lo of the bill, when the large wooley headed Afro- 
American projects himself into the arena : 
Section 9. No person or persons, firm or corporation resident of 
another state, province or country shall engage or continue in the busi¬ 
ness of importing any trees, plants, shrubs or vines, commonly known 
as nursery stock, into this state, or of selling such importations within 
the state, or of selling such articles within the state for subsequent 
importation into it, without first having obtained from the State Board 
of Horticulture a license for the sale of said property and depositing 
with said board a fee of $5 as a license fee for himself as principal, and 
$1 as a license fee for each and every one of the agents or employees 
who shall engage in selling such stock or soliciting orders for the same, 
and each of such persons, principals, shall be required to execute to the 
State Board of Horticulture a bond in the sum of $1,000 with two good 
and suflTcient sureties, residents of this state, conditioned that he will 
comply with section 8 of this act. 
Section 10. Every person violating the provisions of this act shall be 
liable upon conviction before a justice of the peace or a court of record 
to a penalty not less than ten nor more than two hundred dollars for 
each offense. 
“ The McKinley bill and the Dingley bill rolled into one 
would be discounted in its protective features by the bill as 
expressed in the above sections. But who is to be protected ? 
The bill claims to be in the interests of horticulture ; but on 
investigation it appears to be protective of the nurserymen of 
he state against competition from the nurserymen living out, 
' side of the state. It is not the fruit growers that are to be- 
protected. They are to be made to pay higher prices for nur¬ 
sery stock. The fact is, this bill has but two purposes in view 
—and they are to confer benefits upon the nurserymen and 
the members of the State Horticultural Society.” 
THE APPLE EXPORT TRADE. 
It was long ago seen that the apple export business of the 
season now drawing to a close says the American Agriculturist 
would prove by far the largest on record. Approximately 
3,000,000 bbls. of apples have been shipped abroad from the 
United States and Canada during the season of 1896-7, or 
fourfold the trade of the previous year and fully double any 
season's exports in the history of apple shipping. Summing 
up the season’s business it was satisfactory, in that never be¬ 
fore has American fruit been so well advertised, not alone in 
England but particularly on the continent of Europe. There 
is every reason to hope that in seasons to come there may be 
a permanent and steadily increasing demand for choice 
American fruit. A lesson to be learned is the fact that it is 
unwise in the extreme to export any but strictly choice apples, 
well packed, attractive in appearance and possessing good 
keeping qualities. 
Among the best sellers were Kings and choice Russets, while 
the relatively small quantities of fancy Newtons commanded 
high prices and there was also a fairly good demand for choice 
Baldwins and Spys. Considerable complaint was heard of 
poor keeping quality of Spys, while many of the Greenings 
exported showed discoloration. Enormous quantities of fair 
to really good apples sold in the English markets from $1.50 
to $2.50 per bbl., and it required something prime to command 
$3 or better ; no inconsiderable part of the average exports 
were received in such poor or indifferent condition as to sell 
at $r.2s and even lower. In March Australian apples appear¬ 
ed on the London market, affording some competition for 
American fruit, but our export trade has been liberal into 
April and May. 
The subjoined table, showing the movement from United 
States and Canada ports, is made up from figures compiled by 
Mahlon Terhune, the New York freight broker, and points to 
the overwhelming increase in our export business over any¬ 
thing previously reported The total for this season includes 
3000 bbls. from Philadelphia in addition to the points named. 
APPLE EXPORTS IN BARRELS FROM PORTS NAMED. 
Season. 
New York. 
Boston. 
Montreal. 
Portland. 
Halifax. 
Total. 
1896-97.. 
1895-96.. 
1894-95.. 
1893-94.. 
1892-93.. 
1891-92.. 
1890-91.. 
565.191 
230,705 
221,398 
29.398 
218,037 
537,247 
76,503 
1,052,730 
84,771 
523,123 
4,796 
254,138 
339,964 
23,123 
700.274 
128.027 
273,353 
56,255 
429,243 
320,427 
182,095 
221,350 
141,955 
155 878 
49,344 
235,395 
163,145 
80,365 
393,674 
165,797 
264,410 
35,058 
116,725 
87,379 
89,199 
2.936,302 
751,255 
1,438,155 
174,841 
1,203,538 
1,450,336 
451,285 
FOR AN EXHIBITION IN 1899. 
The Gardeners' Magazine has been stirred by the Hamburg 
exhibition to remark : “ It is time that something be attempted 
to vindicate British horticulture in the eyes of our continental 
friends, and to quicken anew an interest in horticultural 
exhibitions, and thereby materially raise the general standard 
of these gatherings. The time is most opportune for taking 
the preliminary steps for holding a gathering of an inter¬ 
national character. This year we have the Hamburg exhibi¬ 
tion, next year our Ghent friends will have their quinquennial, 
and an international exhibition in London would fittingly 
follow in 1899. Two years would be none too long for mak¬ 
ing the necessary arrangements, for to bring a gathering such 
as the one we have in view to a successful issue, something 
beyond drawing up a schedule of prizes is necessary.” 
MINNESOTA SCALE BILL. 
In the rush of the closing days of the Minnesota legislature 
the San Jose scale bill, to which reference has been made in 
these columns, failed of passage. The Minnesota Horticul¬ 
turist says : 
“ We can scarcely hope that the failure of the bill to become 
a law will not prove a misfortune to the fruit growing interests 
of the state with the insect already in so many places in 
Illinois, a state with which we have so intimate business rela¬ 
tions in the matter of nursery stock. It is likely that nursery¬ 
men outside our state are not sorry that this bill has failed to 
pass, as it would put them to a little inconvenience and the 
risk is not theirs, but with us facing the probability that in the 
next two years the insect may find a foothold in the state, it is 
a serious matter. That the nurserymen of the state will do 
everything they can to keep it out, we are assured, but with so 
many irresponsible dealers in nursery stock who are exploiting 
Minnesota, and without permanent interest in our welfare, the 
risk is certainly very real.” 
