186 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
SECRETARY AND TRAFFIC MANAGER’S REPORT 
Express Complaint 
Since last convention we endeavored to have the express people 
restore second-class rating on nursery stock shipments, but with¬ 
out success. For the past eight months we have been securing 
data and other evidence for the purpose of filing a formal com¬ 
plaint with the Interstate Commerce Commission. About four 
thousand letters were mailed to the membership and outside 
nurserymen for the information needed which has been com¬ 
piled and a formal complaint laid before the commission on 
June 1st, and we are now awaiting their docket number and 
advice as to what date will be given for this hearing. 
Embargoes 
The secretary’s office was successful in having all embargoes 
against nursery stock lifted or modified in such manner that no 
particular hardship was felt by any of the membership. The 
department, Bureau of Service, Washington, D. C., in charge of 
embargoes, appeared to realize the necessity for quick movement 
on nursery stock and gave all our requests courteous and prompt 
attention. 
The secretary’s office was also successful in locating and having 
rushed forward about seventy-five cars of delayed nursery stock 
which had been referred to the office for tracing and expedited 
movement. 
Membership 
Last year 332 members. Out of this number 320 paid their 
dues and 12 dropped out, which shows a loss of 4%. 
This year 396 members. Up to this time 375 have paid their 
dues and 21 have not. Should none of the 21 pay up it will show 
a loss of 5%. 
The above shows an increase in the membership of 76 since 
last convention. 
Total Receipts This Year . $43,748.83 
Disbursements . $23,395.58 
Balance in Treasury . 20,353.25 
- $43,748.83 
Railroad Claims and Collection Bureau Collections 
This year we have collected for the nurserymen railroad claims 
and collection bureau accounts of $35,905.13. We have accounts 
and claims still pending amounting to $66,459.20, and continue 
to receive new accounts almost daily. 
Out of the 396 members of the association, only 103 members 
placed their claims and collections with us. 
CHARLES SIZEMORE, 
Secretary and Traffic Manager. 
REPORT FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE LEGISLATIVE 
COMMITTEE 
I was in Washington on association business January 12th 
and 13th. Calls were made on members of the Agricultural Com¬ 
mittee of the House of Representatives and at several offices 
in the Department of Agriculture. 
The appropriation for $20,000.00 for the study of fruit stock 
supply is repeated again this year, that the experimental 
work made in the interest of nurserymen may be continued and 
advanced. The entire agricultural department appropriation is 
a few million less than the past year, but I do not see that any 
of the work that the nurserymen are interested in, including the 
Federal Horticultural Board, shall be curtailed in their efforts 
because of a lack of funds. 
Members are interested in the quarantine regulations for the 
pine leaf blister rust, which affects the movement of the five- 
needled pine, currants and gooseberries. The life cycle of this 
pest is now well understood and if currants and gooseberries 
can be kept 900 feet or more distant from any five needled pine, 
it seems possible to control the spread of a disease capable of 
doing great damage to our pine timber resources, and also to the 
scenic and landscape values such trees afford. 
The department has contemplated some modified restrictions, 
but finds the Western Plant Quarantine Board so insistent for 
certain quarantines that it will possibly be difficult to modify 
these regulations now. I think it expedient to advise nursery¬ 
men that in all probability there will be an absolute prohibition 
against the shipment of the black fruited currants within a 
few years. 
The black fruited varieties are worse than others in spreading 
this pest. If plantings are reduced, the loss will not be as severe 
when final prohibition comes. Red currants and gooseberries do 
not spread the pest with anything like the same ease that black 
fruited currants do. 
Nurserymen have said that the currant is incapable of spread¬ 
ing this pest in its dormant condition, because the pest is found 
only on the foliage. The department is not fully ready to admit 
this. If they can by experiments satisfy themselves that the 
pest is not carried on a dormant currant bush, then we could 
expect modified regulations. 
It seems to me that nurserymen could do much to co-operate 
with government and state officials as well as to show a fine 
sense of business service to a community and nation if in our 
catalogues and through our salesmen, we would start a cam¬ 
paign informing all purchasers of currants and gooseberries or 
five-needled pine, that these evergreens should be kept distant 
from the currants and gooseberries at least 1000 feet. The 
danger is then minimized, if not entirely avoided. There are 
few places where such separations could not be made if the 
planter was informed. It may be that a little notice in our cata¬ 
logues or enclosed in envelopes that contain bills for any of 
these articles would be a way of advising our purchasers and 
would accomplish the end desired. 
Some western members have complained that the Federal 
Government proceeds directly against the employes of a common 
carrier for violation of the quarantine governing the control of 
the pine blister rust. At the same time they resent the govern¬ 
ment’s direct control of the nursery firm or proprietor which 
leaves our employees out from liability. 
The railroads have so issued their orders to their employees 
that it would appear that the employees are individually liable. 
Perhaps we ought to impress our own employees in the same 
definite positive way. 
There seemed to be no new measures of control or legislature 
contemplated that would affect nurserymen. It is, of course, 
never possible to say when from some unsuspected coiner such 
legislation may come out, but from two days spent in associa¬ 
tion work I could not ascertain that there is anything new or 
of interest. 
J. EDWARD MOON, 
Chairman of Legislative Committee. 
REPORT OF SPECIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO CO-OPER¬ 
ATE WITH THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICUL¬ 
TURE IN NURSERY STOCK INVESTIGATIONS 
The personnel of this committee, re-appointed last year by 
President Lindley is as follows: 
Mr. Homer Reed, Louisiana, Mo. 
Mr. F. A. Wiggins, Toppenish, Wash. 
Mr. Harold Hume, Glen St. Mary, Fla. 
Mr. E. S. Welch, Shenandoah, Iowa. 
Mr. H. B. Chase, Chase, Ala., Chairman. 
In charge of the work of Nursery Stock Investigations for the 
U. S. Department of Agriculure is Mr. L. B. Scott, well known 
to you all. 
Just what the Department of Agriculture is striving for is out¬ 
lined in the following statements: 
“To investigate the production of fruit tree, nut tree and 
ornamental stocks used for propagation purposes; (1) to as¬ 
semble and study indigenous and other species and forms having 
promise of value for stock purposes; (2) to introduce, study, 
propagate and test foreign species, varieties and types having 
promise of value for stocks; (3) to improve by breeding and 
selection; (4) to determine the localities and regions best suit¬ 
ed for growing stocks, together with the best methods of produc¬ 
tion under American conditions.” 
The work is now in its third year and is being carried on 
by Mr. Scott and his assistants at the following points: 
Bell, Md., 5V 2 acres in fruit, nut tree and other seedlings, 
rose stocks and some ornamentals. 
South Haven, Mich., y 2 acre, mostly fruit tree stocks planted 
in the spring of 1922. 
Diamond Springs, Va., y 2 acre, fruit and rose stocks. 
Shatter, Calif., about y 2 acre, deciduous stocks, planted in 
1923. 
Altadena, Calif., Citrus stocks, work started in fall of 1922 
on the grounds of the Experimental Nursery of the California 
Fruit Growers’ Exchange, a tract of some 7 acres. 
San Dimas, Calif., 1 y 2 acres fruit tree stocks. 
Shortly after last year’s convention, Mr. Scott was advised 
of the re-appointment of this Advisory Committee and assured 
of the hearty co-operation of its members, that we wanted to be 
of service in any way possible and that he was to feel free to 
command us at any time. Mr. Scott replied immediately, ex¬ 
pressing his appreciation of the offer and assured us that as soon 
as the experiments had reached the point where the best types 
of stocks, seedlings, etc., had been determined, he would be very 
