140 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
ALARM OF INSECTS. 
Calm Consideration of a Subject that is 
Agitating Horticulturists and Nur¬ 
serymen—High Authority upon 
Insect Legislation. 
In his latest work on horticulture “The Principles of Fruit 
Growing,” Professor L. H. Bailey devotes several pages early 
in the discussion of his subject to the geography of fruit grow¬ 
ing, determinants of which are temperature, moisture, soil and 
parasites. Of the latter he says : 
“As a matter of practice, the energetic and intelligent fruit¬ 
grower will think last and least of the parasite factor when 
locating his plantation, for this factor is variable and migra¬ 
tory, and, moreover, there are means of keeping most fruit 
pests under control. Insects and fungi are apt to be bugbears 
—sometimes literal bugbears—to the fruit-grower, but, after 
all, they are rarely to be counted upon as permanent factors, 
and they are the direct and perhaps the most efficient means 
of keeping the farmer in a state of mental alertness. 
“ There are a few cases, of course, to which these remarks will 
not well apply, but they are clearly exceptions. One of these 
is the dreaded nematode root-knot of the southern states, and 
one might seriously hesitate in planting peaches where the 
ground does not freeze deep enough to destroy the pest. 
The professional experimenters can determine the course of 
the life-histories of the various pests, and can point out their 
most vulnerable points, and may even devise general means 
for their eradication ; but the final application of this knowl¬ 
edge is a local problem, which each man must work out for 
himself. 
“ Laws are generally of little avail for the destruction of 
pests, except in those few cases in which disease is more or less 
permanent or perennial, and in which there is no practicable 
reco urse but to destroy the plant or the part affected. Such 
troubles are peach yellows, and black-knot of the plum and 
cherry. A law cannot be enforced unless public sentiment is 
behind it, and when public sentiment is aroused the law is not 
needed Yet a law is often useful for a time to awaken public 
sentiment and to call attention to the evil. The final recourse 
is always greater knowledge and enlightenment. 
“ There are also insurmountable difficulties in the enforce¬ 
ment of laws designed to control the spread of noxious insects 
and fungi, because it is practically impossible to detect the 
eggs of insects or spores of fungi upon a large number of 
plants, and because there are so many natural and uncontroll¬ 
able ways in which the parasites may spread. The recent 
Maryland law, designed to prevent the introduction of fruit 
tree diseases and pests, is a case in point. It requires that 
whenever any trees, plants or vines are shipped into this state 
from another state, every package thereof shall be plainly 
labeled on the outside with the name of the consignor, and a 
certificate showing that the contents had been inspected by a 
state or government officer, and that the trees, plants, or vines, 
therein contained are free from all San Jose scale, yellows, 
rosette, and other injurious insect or disease. 
“ It would be impossible for any botanist to certify that a 
dormant tree were free of all disease ; and even in the matter 
of San Jose scale, an entomologist could not give a clean bill 
of health without giving more time to the examination of a 
tree than it is worth. In the operating of this law. trees are 
allowed to pass if an officer certifies that he has examined 
them, and has found no evidence of disease thereon, which is 
a very different matter from asserting that they are free from 
disease, and which is a virtual acknowledgement that this 
clause of the law really cannot be enforced. 
“ It is probably advisable to provide for inspection of plants 
at ports of entry, but too much should not be expected of such 
examinations. The examination soon comes to be largely a 
perfunctory matter, and the most serious pests may easily slip 
through the hands of officers. It is probable that no law could 
be devised which could have kept the codling-moth, Hessian 
fly, gypsy-moths, and a score of other pests, out of the coun¬ 
try, to say nothing of the fungous diseases which are more 
difficult to detect. Then, again, one can never tell what in¬ 
sects are likely to become troublesome upon introduction into 
a new country. Many insects comparatively innocuous in 
their native country, and against which, therefore, no suspicion 
exists, may become scourges in another country. A compara¬ 
tively harmless insect in France becomes the dreaded horn-fly 
in America. 
“Again the demand for legislation usually arises because of 
the incursion of some new intruder, but a pest is commonly 
worst when newly introduced, for, like a prairie fire, it finds its 
course unimpeded. After a time it reaches an approximate 
limit to its furious spread, parasites overtake it, and other pests 
contest its feeding grounds. Nearly all insect pests lose much 
of their tenors after they have once run over the country. 
This is admirably illustrated in the potato-bug. 
“ In other words, the first appearance of a pest in formidable 
numbers is apt to result in a scare, to which, it is to be hoped 
the San Jose scale, which is now attracting so much attention 
in the East, is no exception. The fact is, that insect and 
fungous pests are inevitable, and the farmer can have no peace 
of mind until he accepts the fact, and then resolutely prepares 
to meet them, both by strategy and direct battle. Yet, if 
now and then a serious pest can be kept out of the country, 
even for a few years, by means of inspection upon' the fron¬ 
tiers, the effort may be eminently worth the while.” 
ENGLISH FRUIT CULTURE. 
The Royal Horticultural Society of England recently closed 
its fourth annual exhibition of fruit at the Crystal Palace, 
London. These apnual displays of British-grown fruit exer¬ 
cise a great influence upon English horticulturists. They 
tend to raise the average standard of excellence in fruit cul¬ 
ture. 
George Burnyard, the prominent English nurserymen and 
horticulturist, of Maidstone, delivered a lecture on this oc¬ 
casion upon “Progress in Fruit Cultivation During Queen 
Victoria’s Reign.” The comparison between the fruits grown 
in 1837 and in i 8 q 7 was most interesting and showed remark¬ 
able progress. 
Prizes were won by nurserymen as follows : For fruit trees 
bearing fruit in pots, T. Rivers & Sons, Sawbridgeworth; hardy 
fruits, George Bunyard & Co., Maidstone, and ^J. Colwill, 
Sidmouth ; H. Berwick, Sidmouth ; apples, John Basham, 
Bassaleg, Monmouth. 
