144 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
business. If the business itself grows we are sure to in¬ 
dividually profit even though we have to entirely recon¬ 
struct our methods. One plan that suggests itself to me, 
is a law prohibiting the rehandling of fruit trees. There 
might be as many selling agencies as necessary for selling 
the trees to the ultimate consumer, but when the sale is 
made, the three itself goes direct from the grower to the 
consumer. The consumer then knows whom to make re¬ 
sponsible. This plan would involve advertising the name 
of the producer rather than the selling organization. 
There are many precedents for this and from an adver¬ 
tising point of view, it has advantages. Practically all 
clothing is sold in this way. The name of Schaffner and 
Max and other brands of clothing are advertised from 
one end of the country to the other, and the stores selling 
those brands, although entirely independent of the man¬ 
ufacturer still have the advantage of the advertising. The 
point I wish to make is that if we have a condition, let 
us study and solve it one way or another and not wait to 
have a solution made by others. Nursery Associations 
have for years had legislative committees. These com¬ 
mittees it seems to me have merely been watch dogs for 
the purpose of opposing and modifying legislation, but it 
is now time for us to have a legislative committee which 
will propose constructive measures for the benefit, not 
only of the public, but for the nurserymen as well. 
NO CAUSE FOR ALARM 
The issuance May 1st of the notice of public hearing 
called for May 7 for the purpose of revising the existing 
quarantine in New England on account of the gipsy and 
brown-tail moths has, through a misunderstanding of the 
purport of this notice, occasioned some alarm on the part 
of nurserymen, florists, and others who jumped to the 
conclusion that some new and drastic quarantine was 
about to be placed which would seriously affect the sale 
for interstate movement of ornamental and other plants 
from the States covered in the proposed quarantine. In 
explanation, it may be stated that this quarantine is a 
mere revision of the quarantine which has been in force 
since 1912. It is, therefore, not a new quarantine and 
will impose no new restrictions on the territory which 
has hitherto been covered by the quarantine. This terri¬ 
tory involves approximately the coastal half of New Eng¬ 
land and practically all of the large nursery and floral es¬ 
tablishments of that district. The purpose of this quar¬ 
antine is merely to make such changes of the exterior bor¬ 
der line as the spread of the moths during the year have 
necessitated. Such changes, either in the form of exten¬ 
sions or reductions, have been made annually. It may be 
pointed out, furthermore, that this quarantine does not 
prohibit the movement of nursery stock, florists’ stock 
and other products covered, but that movement of all such 
products is provided for under inspection and certifica¬ 
tion. Nurserymen, florists and others interested have 
been working under this quarantine for some eight years 
and the efficiency of the inspection and certification under 
this quarantine has permitted the interstate trade in orna¬ 
mental and florists’ stock to proceed without restriction— 
trade which, without the endorsement of such inspection 
and certification, would probably have been brought to 
an abrupt termination by drastic quarantine action on the 
part of surrounding States. 
The only serious effect of any extension of this quaran¬ 
tine is to cause a greater expense of supervision and cer¬ 
tification to the Department of Agriculture and the States 
concerned. 
To avoid the necessity of these annual revisions and 
the notices of public hearings which these revisions re¬ 
quire, together with the misinterpretation of these notices 
which is likely to follow, it is now proposed, in connec¬ 
tion with the revision of this year, to so word the quaran¬ 
tine as to make it possible to effect the additions or reduc¬ 
tions in the quarantined territory from time to time with¬ 
out the necessity of annual public hearings. In conclu¬ 
sion, it may be repeated that the existence of this quaran¬ 
tine and the guarantee which is given by the inspection 
and certification of nursery and other ornamental stock 
as well as other products leaving the territory is the very 
condition which makes interstate movement of these pro¬ 
ducts and the continuance of the enterprise concerned 
possible. 
TIIE U. S. D. OF A. CONDUCTING EXPERIMENTS 
AT HARRISON’S NURSERIES 
Co-operative experiments are being carried on at Har¬ 
rison’s Nurseries, Berlin, Md., by the U. S. D. of A. with 
Professor M. B. Waite, Pathologist, in charge and Dr. 
E. A. Siegler, Scientific Assistant. 
The idea is to continue a series of experiments with 
budded and grafted apple trees for several years. 
Harrison’s Nurseries furnishing the trees, the land, 
labor and paying for all spraying material, etc., involved 
in the work. 
The experiments will be under the direct supervision 
of the Department of Agriculture. 
It is hoped that information of much value to Amer¬ 
ican Nurserymen will result from applying scientific 
knowledge under practical conditions such as exist on 
a nursery. 
COMMERCIAL FRUIT CROP REPORTS 
DISCONTINUED 
A notice just received from the Bureau of Crop Es¬ 
timates, Washington, D. C., advises it has been neces¬ 
sary to discontinue, until further notice, the special re¬ 
ports on the commercial crops of apples, peaches, and 
pears. 
There will not be sufficient funds to carry on 
this work for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1920, and 
that both the Fruit Crop Specialists of the Bureau have 
just resigned. 
It does seem as if the government offices were work¬ 
ing under exactly the same conditions, and having the 
same kind of troubles as a private business. 
Statistics that are essential to the proper distribution 
of perishable food products of the country should not be 
allowed to stop for lack of funds. 
BEAUTIFYING THE FARMSTEAD 
The U. S. D. of A. has issued Bulletin 1087, treating 
on the subject of Beautifying the Farmstead, by F. S. 
Mulford. 
It is an excellent work and should be an efficient help 
to the nurserymen’s campaign to encourage planting. 
