THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN. 
97 
WASHINGTON'S LAW 
Criticised By Western Publication -License Fee Prevents Estab¬ 
lishment of Nurseries There —Nurserymen’s Bond In 
creased from $1,000 to $2,000 -Statement that 
Nurserymen Outside of Stare May Profit 
By Legislative Provisions. 
Leading fruit growers are criticising the horticultural law 
passed by the last legislature of Washington, says the North¬ 
west Horticulturalist. The compensation of county inspectors 
was raised from $ 2.50 to $4 per day and in that particular no 
fault is found, for the remuneration under the old law was too 
low. The present law caused the terms of all county inspect¬ 
ors and of nursery licenses issued to expire on March 16 of 
this year, while it legislated the present state commissioner, 
without reference as to his qualifications, into office for two 
years. County inspectors in order to have their selection by 
local societies confirmed were compelled to travel, some of 
them, across the state to Tacoma to pass 
an examination. 
Continuing, the Northwest Horticul¬ 
turist says : 
No particular department of horticulture in 
the state of Washington is in greater need of pro¬ 
motion than the nursery business. Thousands 
of dollars are sent out of the state annually 
for nursery stock. Yet any who now engage in 
this line must pay a tax of $5 for license and 
$2 50 for every authenticated agent. Small 
nurseries located in different parts of the state 
accessible to growers, where scions can be readily 
obtained from trees of known productiveness, 
are desired, but not many of these are now apt 
to be started. The former bond was $1,000, 
which at present is $ 2 , 000 , another obstacle to 
the nurserymen of small area who do not find it 
pleasant to bother their neighbors for security. 
The bond being merely formal for the purpose 
of keeping track of shipments, one of $500 would 
answer the purpose as well as one four times as 
great, for other secctions of the law give the 
inspectors ample power to seize and burn infected 
stock, their only complaint being that they could not cover the ground, 
which is now remedied by additional deputies when required. The 
large outside nurseries which in the past have been shipping the infected 
stock consider the required payments and bond a good advertisement, 
hence that part of the measure is not looked upon by them with dis¬ 
favor, while our leading horticult.uralists do not think it will serve the 
best interests of the state. 
A LESSON IN SMALL FRUITS. 
A writer in the Country Gentlemen thus describes the 
extent of the berry-growing industries of the South, under 
date of Norfolk, Va., May 9 th : 
The berry picker is abroad in the land, the season now in full swing; 
trucking section fairly alive with the 1,500 or more pickers. The city 
has sent out into the berry fields every spare man, woman and child ; 
and the adjacent counties have been drawn upon to raise an army to 
promptly handle the great crop now in sight. I recently visited the 
farm of one of our berry growers with a photographer, to secure 
views for the St. Louis Exposition. Reaching the farm at eight o’clock 
A. M., we found fully 400 sons and daughters of Ham awaiting the 
order to begin picking. The berry patch, or field, contained a hundred 
acres—a square field, with wagon 'road through it both ways, cutting 
it into four square fields of twenty-five acres each ; packing sheds in 
center, at crossing of the two roads. Here the 400 hands were gathered, 
buzzing and humming like a swarm of bees. As soon as the morning 
sun had drunk up the dew, the pickers, under four overseers, were 
marched in solid column to the west side of the field, and each given a 
row of berries to pick. Then, at the signal, picking began. There 
was a blending of shades and color agreeable to the eye—the golden 
sunshine, the blue sky, the red berries, the white baskets, the green 
foliage, and the black pickers. They gather 10 000 to 12,000 quarts 
per day, which are selling on the great eastern and northern markets 
at 12 to 15 cents per quart. The pickers get two cents per quart, and 
make from fifty cents to two dollars per day. The colored laborer fits 
nicely into his work. He likes to work in “ blocks of five,” or 50 or 
500. More than $1,000 per day is paid out to the pickers here. This 
money is promptly spent—passing at once into the hands of retailers ; 
thence to jobber and manufacturer; thence to bank in New York and 
other financial centers. In less than thirty days this money come 
back here in payment for the next crop—say potatoes. Therefore the 
“ trucking dollar,” as we may term it, makes at least ten round trips 
per year. It is not so with the western wheat or corn dollar, or the 
beef or pork dollar, which makes only one. The truck dollar of south¬ 
eastern Virginia, is a nimble nickle of commerce. A dollar spent ten 
times is as good as ten dollars spent once. Therefore the Southern 
dollar does more good than a western. Southern capital is turned 
oftener—especially that portion invested in the 
fruit and trucking industry. 
E. W. CHATTIN. 
E. W. Chattin was born Sept. 10 th, 1868 , 
in East Tennessee. His early life was spent 
on a farm, he receiving such education as 
country schools afforded. At the age of 
nineteen he engaged with the Southern 
Nursery Co. as traveling salesman, remain¬ 
ing in their employ three years, after which 
he entered into the mercantile business at 
Winchester, and is now the president of 
the Talley & Chattin Mercantile Co. On 
August 1 st, 1902 , he was elected secretary 
and treasurer of the Southern Nursery Co., 
which position he now holds. 
NOW IT’S A VEGETABLE PEACH. 
That the United States government is 
not to have a monopoly of the sending out of novelties 
to be tested is shown by the advertisement of a Hyde Park, 
N. Y., man in the Central Farmer. This man announces 
a “Vegetable Peach Novelty,” which, he says, is one of 
the good new things for your garden. He says : “Ripens 
in eighty days from the seed, similar to peaches, rich, 
delicious flavor. Tested in every state; receives unbounded 
praise. A wonderful new fruit. Grows on vines like mel¬ 
ons, size of oranges, golden color, very handsome. Great 
curiosity, easily grown. You will miss a good thing if you 
dp not grow this valuable new fruit.’’ The introducer will 
send a packet of selected seed with catalogue for one dime 
and will give a Grand Novelty for wife or daughter free with 
orders for peaches. 
The advertiser does not claim to be a nurseryman. He 
styles himself a seedsman. 
VALUE OF PUBLICITY. 
“The more horticultural information we can circulate the larger and 
better will be our business.”—J. H. Hale. 
E. W. Chatttn, 
Secretary-Treas. Southern Nursery Co. 
