The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyright, 1897, by the National Nurseryman Publishing Co. 
VoL. V. ROCHESTER, N. Y., OCTOBER, 1897. No. 9. 
TO FIGHT THE SCALE. 
Plain Talk by P. Ouwerkerk—Co-operation in 
A Common Interest May do More Than 
Compulsory Measures—His Plan. 
P. Ouwerkerk, of Jersey City, representing Boskoop, Hol¬ 
land, nurserymen, sends to the National Nurseryman a 
long communication in which he makes some very sensible 
suggestions regarding treatment of the San Jose scale question, 
which is one of the chief subjects under discussion by nur¬ 
serymen. We regret that we have not space to publish the 
communication, but we will give the substance of it. Mr. 
Ouwerkerk says : 
“ I have many times read something in your valuable paper 
or in others about this scale and remedies to prevent the 
spreading of this pest, but nearly always were those epistles 
spiced with the words Eastern and Western nurseries, and al¬ 
ways the same remedy, to inspect the nurseries and erect bar¬ 
riers between the different states, each state making its own 
laws about shipping nursery stock over the boundaries and 
using certain certificates that the stock has been inspected and 
found free of pests. Sometimes was there speaking of a 
license. Probably on this account, or some other, I got the 
impression that the whole San Jose scale question was only a 
pretext, and the real fact was that some of the nurserymen 
wanted some hostile legislation, with which people make life 
so pleasant to others, for no other reason than their own bene¬ 
fit, to keep competitors out of what they called their territory. 
This impression made me feel tired of the whole matter. 
GLAD TO HELP. 
“Only recently I met Professor Webster, from the Ohio Ex¬ 
periment Station, and had a conversation with this gentleman 
about the San Jose scale and its distribution in the United 
States. And now, of course, I am fully aware that it is not a 
matter of politics, not a question between East and West, 
but that there is real danger for the orchards and ornamental 
trees and that the men who know this danger look towards the 
government for some laws for protection. While formerly I 
was only a looker on at your effort to get rid of this pest, now 
I am with you in your strife and would be glad if I could do 
anything to help you ; but I greatly differ with you about the 
measure which must be taken to keep this pest in check.” 
Mr. Ouwerkerk details experience when he was a boy at¬ 
tending school in Holland. A large number of strange bugs 
were found at the Holland docks. It was believed to be the 
Colorado potato beetle, and it was feared that it had spread 
through the country. Glass or wax imitations of the bug 
were made ; also lithograph plates of it, together with a brief 
description. These were sent by the government to the mayor 
of each city with instructions to distribute the plates among 
the school children and let them search the fields for the bug 
and destroy it. The wax or glass imitations were placed on 
exhibition in town halls and school houses. The fields were 
searched but the Colorado beetle was not found. The plan, 
however, served to convince the government in a very short 
time that the pest had not spread and that it was only neces¬ 
sary to watch the imports. The plan prevented the adoption 
and enforcement of obnoxious laws in the interior when there 
was no necessity for them. 
“The San Jose scale had been spreading for several years 
before it was observed,” writes Mr. Ouwerkerk, “and since 
July, 1893, the American scientist has been at work with the 
insect and tried to destroy it wherever it is found. Being un¬ 
able to cope with it they ask their respective state govern¬ 
ments for some legislative act to proceed with the good work. 
Naturally the suggestions differ in nearly every state, but the 
general idea seems to be to draw a cordon around every state 
and have all nursery stock shipped from other states inspected 
or have it shipped under accompaniment of a certificate that 
the nursery from which the stock is shipped has been inspected 
by the State Agricultural Experiment Station and found free 
of scales. 
“A few words about the measure. Will it give any safety 
against the distribution ? I am afraid not, especially under 
the present circumstances, as Professer Webster told me that 
he, with his assistants alone, had to cope with this pest in the 
state of Ohio, to inspect nurseries and orchards, and do al 1 
that is needed to keep it out of that state and that the govern¬ 
ment did not give a cent to help him. To stamp it out in this 
way is impossible. It can be checked, but not stamped out. 
The process will be slower certainly, but it will spread just 
he same, because there are so many ways in which insects 
ttravel. And what will become of the nursery trade in the fu. 
ture if you make it depend on politicians who know very little 
and care less. In the first excitement, of course, they will* 
under leading of the scientists, appoint able inspectors ; but 
when the people have become accustomed to the scales and 
the fever has partly vanished, the office will be a political job 
where the inspector has to go out with every change in the 
administration, and, not counting the delay in shipping, it will 
become a menace to the trade and the tradesman will need to 
have a political pull to get along in his trade. 
A FEW COMPARISONS. 
“ Let me make a few comparisons between these two sys¬ 
tems of defense against disastrous insects. In Holland the 
people did the work and the government and scientists lent 
their aid. Here you ask the government to pay the scientists to 
do the work and the people to take the leading part. In Hol¬ 
land the scientist remained at home and with his usual daily 
work examined in short time all doubtful cases, and here your 
professors have to tramp through the nurseries and orchards 
looking for scales and spending weeks in which they find not 
even a doubtful case. Here they give publicity on every case 
and make the tradesman fear inspection, because he may be 
placed on the blacklist; and fearing this more than the scales 
