THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
319 
Every nurseryman worthy of the name thinks his is the 
only mu'sery and every salesman should believe he is selling 
the very best stock in the country. If he does not believe 
it himself he is not likely to be able to convince others. 
This, however, does not require that he should disparage the 
goods of his competitor. It is a good rule that if you cannot 
commend the goods or methods of a competitor to say 
nothing at all about them. 
WHY UNI¬ 
FORM INSPEC¬ 
TION LAWS? 
Uniform Inspection Laws would insure 
the laws being obeyed, because carriers 
and transportation companies could be¬ 
come acquainted with them. 
They would be equitable and efficient. 
They would be a tremendous saving in labor and expense 
to the niirseryman, also in their own administration. 
They would enable the government to make an effective 
quarantine should occasion require. 
They would insure the co-operation of nurserymen 
because each and every one would be working under the 
same laws. 
They would enable the nursery business to develop along 
broad lines to the welfare of the whole country instead of 
catering to narrow local interests. 
They would be a great step towards defining the govern¬ 
ment’s work in horticulture apart from commercial interests. 
They would tend to give a broad competition in the 
products of the soil so that each locality would receive 
benefits from others. 
They would insure and make possible the training of 
effective inspectors. 
They would make it possible to better control nursery 
and garden produce carriers when handled by the interstate 
carriers. 
THE 
NURSERYMAN 
AND THE 
ENTOMOLO¬ 
GIST 
The National Nurseryman has per¬ 
sistently pointed out that the Entomolo¬ 
gists should' not have dictatorial power 
over nmsery interests as is the condition 
at present. 
Plant diseases and insect pests are 
more often the result of poor cultivation or ignorance of 
plant life than infection. 
To use the words in the report of the Joint Committee 
on Uniform Horticultural Laws, “and inasmuch as it is a 
well settled fact that depleted soils invite enemies, such as 
insects and diseases, fungus and bacterial elements (which 
is in accordance with the natural laws provided for the 
elimination of all unfit plant life) etc. 
The above expresses the reason in a nutshell. Quarantine 
laws will never be effective, legislation will never help to 
prevent disease or help to control insects unless such laws 
are in harmony with the laws of nature. The most success¬ 
ful grower is the one who understands nature and knows 
how to humor her and the most successful law for preven¬ 
tion of disease will be the one that is framed according 
to the best knowledge of the practical grower and biolo¬ 
gist combined. 
Just at present our laws originate from various causes, 
a desire for the welfare of the common people, a little knowl¬ 
edge of some biologist in power, political exaggeration of 
dangers to the common welfare to ensure the necessary 
appropriation, the ever-present human weakness of official 
jealousy, swelled head and excusable ignorance. 
If the first cause were the only one how different would 
things be? The second reason is excusable as the field of 
biology is so vast. The theory of spontaneous generation 
may have been discarded but it is only replaced by the 
cell theory and the doctrine of evolution. Both of these are 
yet but mere theories which in time will be replaced by exact 
science. 
It is unfortunate that our Agricultural Departments and 
State Colleges have very often to depend on political in¬ 
fluence to gain the necessary money to can'y on their good 
work, but political influence should not be purchased at 
too high a cost. 
Last and not least, we are all human and in the chaos 
of present conditions the dignified service for the public 
good is not always the dominant inspiration. 
The nurseryman needs the assistance and co-operation of 
the biologist and the entomologist. He especially needs it 
in educating in proper methods of horticulture and moulding 
public opinion. They are closer in touch with the govern¬ 
ment and can do much toward helping to frame practical, 
sensible laws, but they should not forget that production is 
the great object which keeps the world alive and that the 
study of disease, insects is destruction and only helps produc¬ 
tion indirectly and as such it should be subordinate to 
horticulture. 
A circular letter was received by the National Nursery¬ 
man asking the support of this journal in the work of organiz¬ 
ing rural interests, to encourage and help in the constructing 
work in the way of marketing, buying supplies, grading and 
standardizing products, etc. While the National Nursery- 
MAN is perhaps a journal that can do but little among the 
laity, we can at least work toward a standardization of 
grading our own products and every movement in this line 
is a forward one. A rural organization service, under the 
jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture, is beginning 
a card catalogue of all such organizations which they will 
put at the disposal of those that are interested in assisting 
in the great work. 
INFORMATION WANTED ON ROOT PRUNING 
I should be pleased to learn through your columns if there 
is a nursery tool, and where same can be had, for clipping 
back roots of trees where one does not wish to transplant 
them. Or, in what manner is this work generally done 
between rows three feet, four feet and six feet respectively? 
The trees run from one and one-half to four inches caliper. 
J. V. 
Will some of om readers give this information? 
Dear Sirs: 
Replying to your favor of June 20 th I am sending a P. O. order for 
$ 1.50 as subscription up to June 1914 for the N.4tion.4l Nurseryman. 
Your paper is of great value to me and I do not want to miss it. 
Yours truly, 
Darmstadt, July 2d, 1913. Pra. Conrad Appel. 
