THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
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By concurrent dispatches early in Janu- 
CLIMATIC ary the public was informed of great 
VAGARIES IN damage by flood in the vicinity of Los 
THE WEST Angeles where, according to the veracious 
newspaper writer, for thirty-six hours “the 
most disastrous storm of two decades swept 
Southern California, four and a quarter inches of rain falling 
during that time in many places. Hundreds of acres of farm 
and other land was under water.” “It is estimated that fifty 
per cent of the celery crop was ruined. Citrus fruits prob¬ 
ably were not damaged to any great extent.” ‘‘Following 
the storm there was a freeze in the citrus fruit belt and con¬ 
siderable damage was added to that caused by the flood 
itself.” 
Accompanying dispatches announce that ‘‘the tempera¬ 
ture over the entire orange belt for three nights ranged from 
18 to 24 degrees.” It would appear that the trees as well as 
the fruit were severely injured on low land and considerably 
injured on high ground. The New York Packer is authority 
for saying that the injury is the most serious which has come 
to the citrus interests of the Pacific Coast in a generation. 
upright growth, but the fact that their stem diameter is 
nearly twice as great as the trees on low, sandy loam, indi¬ 
cates that the soil was the principal governing factor. 
In the case of this species, which has been 
planted on quite a variety of soils shading 
SCOTCH PINE from light, sandy loam to clay loam, there 
is no such striking difference as with the 
Black Walnut. The trees which have 
made greatest growth are those planted on light, sandy loam 
ro by 5 feet apart. They have now attained an average 
height of 34 ft. 10 in., with a diameter of trunk of 8f in. 
Trees planted on gravelly loam 5 by 5 ft. have attained an 
average height of 30 ft. 4 in., but are very slender, inasmuch 
as the average diameter of stem is only 3$ in. 
LEGISLATION 
Albany, N. Y., January 6, 1910. 
To Whom it May Concern: 
The injury in Florida to the citrus 
IN THE SOUTH industry does not seem to be serious. 
The cold wave of the early days in 
January spread itself pretty well over 
the state and while the reports indicate the general injury to 
the tenderer of vegetables, no serious injury to orange groves 
is reported. The lettuce crop was practically knocked out 
in most regions, while celery was injured to some extent. 
• • • 
The effect of this freeze in California will probably result 
m advanced prices for oranges, while the injury to the vege- 
table crop in Florida will increase prices of fresh vegetables 
during mid-winter. 
[ I 
The question is often asked, how long will 
FOREST it take a deciduous or coniferous tree to 
TREES UNDER reach merchantable size under cultivated 
CULTIVATION conditions? Results which have been 
secured at the Central Experiment Farm, 
Ottawa, Canada, emphasize the fact that soil is an important 
factor in the growing of certain species. A considerable 
acreage of trees covering a variety of soil was set out in 1888 
and ’89 at this place. The most striking effects of soil on 
the character and rapidity of growth were noted. In the 
case of Black Walnut about which there are many inquiries, 
it is shown that on low, sandy soil, trees planted in 1889 have 
attained an average height of only 10 ft., with a 2 inch 
diameter of stem four feet from the ground The same 
species on a sandy loam in which a considerable percentage 
of small stones are found, and which presumably is a much 
richer soil, has attained an average height of 21 ft., with a 
diameter of stem of 3I inches. On clay loam the average 
height in these twenty years of growth is 15 ft., and the 
average diameter of stem the same. It should be noted, 
however, that in the case of the Black Walnuts making only 
an average height of 10 ft., they were planted 10 by 10 ft. 
apart, whereas those attaining an average height of 21 ft. 
were planted 5 by 5 ft. This would not encourage a more 
To prevent the introduction or establishment in the State 
of New York of certain destructive insect pests and fungous 
diseases that now seem likely to be shipped here from 
abroad or from other states, I invite the attention and 
hearty cooperation of Custom House Brokers, Importers, 
Nurserymen and Planters to the following portion of Sec¬ 
tion 305 of the Agricultural Law: 
All transportation companies, custom house brokers or other 
persons importing or bringing nursery stock into this state, shall 
immediately, upon receiving such consignment, notify the commis¬ 
sioner of agriculture of the fact that such consignment is in their 
possession or is en route to some point within the state and give the 
name of the consignor and consignee, and the points of shipment and 
of destination of such consignment, and the name of the transporta¬ 
tion company bringing such stock and the route or routes over 
which it is brought and shall make such further report relative to 
such shipments as the commissioner of agriculture may from time to 
time require. Any person bringing nursery stock into this state or 
receiving nursery stock from outside the state shall before unpacking 
the same within the state apply to and receive from the commissioner 
of agriculture a permit so to do; the commissioner of agriculture 
shall upon being satisfied that said stock so desired to be inspected is 
free from any dangerously injurious insect pest or disease issue a 
certificate permitting such person to unpack such nursery stock. 
No person shall knowingly or wilfully bring into this state or unpack 
within the state gipsy or brown-tail moth or other insect pests or 
caterpillar, larvas, pupae or eggs of the same except for scientific pur¬ 
poses and then only upon the written consent and approval of the 
commissioner of agriculture. 
All shipments will be inspected at points of destination. 
For this purpose information must be sent to this office 
promptly to avoid delay. 
Failure to comply with notice or order of the Commis¬ 
sioner of Agriculture constitutes a violation of the Agricul¬ 
tural Law, which must be enforced. 
George G. Atwood, 
Chief, Bureau of Horticulture. 
By order of R. A. Pearson, 
Commissioner of Agriculture. 
