32 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
OPEN LETTER TO NURSERYMEN FROM THE 
PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION 
To all the hazards of the elements that the nursery bus¬ 
iness is heir to, now comes to all of us the imminent 
hazard of the Quarantine. These quarantines have in¬ 
deed become so frequent that nurserymen cannot longer 
view with complacency the possibility that at any time 
their nurseries may be further restricted or even entirely 
prevented from shipping by the power that the Federal 
Government and many individual states possess over our 
industry. 
It has been the policy of most nurserymen, until now, 
that if a quarantine did not affect them personally, “why 
worry.” 
As president of the American Association of Nursery¬ 
men, I feel that the time has come to awaken nursery¬ 
men everywhere, from a condition of passive compla¬ 
cency to the imminent possibilities of great financial loss, 
if the practice of quarantining and restricting shipping 
of nursery stock continues. 
I recall at once, from my limited knowledge, that only 
within a few years, and for the most part within eighteen 
months, that the majesty of the law has said to nursery¬ 
men: 
Thou shalt destroy thv common barberry. 
Thou shalt be restricted in shipping five-leaved pines. 
Thou shalt be restricted in shipping currants and 
gooseberries. 
Thy shipping is restrained on account of corn borer. 
Thy shipping is restrained on account of brown tail 
moth. 
Thy shipping is restrained on account of gypsy moth. 
Thy shipping is restrained on account of citrus canker. 
Thou shalt not import as formerly. 
This great country of ours will spend upwards of two 
million dollars in 1920 for pest control. Of course, this 
is as nothing compared to the value of our forest and ag¬ 
ricultural resources. If such a sum of money will insure 
the horticultural industry, including nurseries protection 
and freedom to expand and prosper, no one can complain. 
The entomologist and the nurserymen ought not be at 
variance. Entomologists should provide us with practical 
formulae for attacking and controlling pests, and if ne¬ 
cessary see that the remedies are applied. Only very 
seldom and for a short duration, should the quarantine 
be necessary. 
Haven’t,’ we a right, to expect from the money available 
and the growing experience and skill of the entomologist, 
to find the quarantine a measure to be resorted to with 
decreasing frequency? If it doesn’t decrease, after ex- 
nenditure of such sums of money, won’t the tax payers 
be interested in knowing why their efforts to provide 
such encouragement and protection to horticulture have 
been unavailing? 
T suggest 
A. That nurserymen, right now. look into the apnro- 
priations their states spend upon entomological work. If 
your legislature is in session, examine the pending ap¬ 
propriation bill; there may be some things in it nursery¬ 
men of your state will take exception to. Consider if the 
amount of money expended brings the result. 
.R Ascertain if your state has authority to quarantine 
your nursery. If the entomologist can place such quar¬ 
antine, I recommend that you seek to have the bill 
amended, making your Secretary of Agriculture or your 
Governor the person who can issue such an order and 
then see that such a quarantine may only be ordered after 
a hearing has been held at which all interested parties 
may be heard. Remember that when your entomologist 
has power to issue such a quarantine order, he is detec¬ 
tive, prosecutor, jury and judge. Our entomologists I 
believe are high class, well intentioned men; but nursery¬ 
men can only view with concern the well-night arbitrary 
power that some laws give them over our industry. 
C. Make sure that, the necessity for any quarantine 
issued under the laws of your state may be reviewed an¬ 
nually upon the request of a small number of the firms 
affected. Otherwise when are these quarantines to be 
lifted, once they are placed? 
D. . Seek to secure in your state laws that will compen¬ 
sate anyone who may have trees or nursery stock de¬ 
stroyed by official order, when it can be shown that the 
presence of the pest is something that the owner has not 
through negligence of his allowed to exist. Most states 
compensate farmers for cattle that are killed because of 
tuberculosis or “foot and mouth disease,” why pay for 
one and not the other? 
Nurserymen should get busy and seek these things for 
their respective states now. Remember in doing it we 
have no inherent quarrel with entomologists, they are 
doing much good work, and we must keep our nurseries 
in the best possible order ourselves, then insist on justice 
from them, and strive logically and calmly to work out 
together the problems which grow out of these relation¬ 
ships. 
J. Edward Moon, 
President American Association of Nurserymen. 
PENNSYLVANIA NURSERYMEN’S ASSOCIATION 
February 4th, at the Adelphia Hotel, Philadelphia, 
will be the time and place of the next meeting of the 
Pennsylvania Nurserymen’s Association. 
M'’. A. E. Wohlert, Narberth, Pa., will bring up the 
matter of uniform trade terms for discussion. 
All members are urged to attend to help to find a so¬ 
lution of the many difficult and trying problems that 
confront the nursery business at this time. 
Henry Moon, Secretary , 
Morrisville, Pa. 
* 
With regret we report the death of Andrew F. O’Con¬ 
nell, proprietor of Overbrook Nurseries, Overbrook, Pa. 
Mr. O’Connell has been ailing since the death of his 
only son last March. 
He was born at West Chester, Pa., and has a brother 
who is foreman at the well-known nurseries of Hoopes 
Rros. & Thomas, of that place. 
bituary. 
ANDREW F. O’CONNELL 
