4o8 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
NO QUARANTINE ON NEW ENGLAND NURSERY STOCK 
Report of the Hearing Before the Federal Board of Horticulture at 
Washington, D. C., October 30th 
New England nurserymen have been greatly exercised by 
the announcement by the Federal Horticultural Board of a 
]jroposed quarantine of the greater part of New England on 
account of the ravages of the Gypsy and Brown Tail Moths. 
The hearing, which took place Wednesday morning, Oct. 
30th, in the Agricultural Department at Washington, brought 
together a large delegation of interested nurserymen, all 
anxious to protest against any drastic quarantine action 
against the New England nurseries. 
Among those present were K. L. M. J. Farquhar of 
Boston, who held a special appointment from Gov. Foss of 
Boston to attend the hearing. W. H. Wyman, president of 
the New England Nurserymen’s Association, Thomas B. 
Meehan, president of the American Association of Nursery¬ 
men, James McHutchison, of the New York Importers’ 
Association, and a number of others prominent in the nursery 
business of New England. Likewise Geo. B. Atwood, State 
Nursery Inspector of New York, Wm. J. Stewart, editor of 
Horticulture, Boston and numerous State Inspectors and 
Entomologists from the area, which it was proposed to 
quarantine. 
^ The situation was relieved at the outset by the announce¬ 
ment by Chairman Marlatt, of the Board, that the proposed 
quarantine would not materially affect the nursery industry 
but was aimed to regulate or prevent the movement of 
Christmas trees, lumber, and railroad ties from within the 
quarantined district to other sections of the United States. 
The Inspection and certification of all nursery stock in the 
quarantine district it is proposed to still leave in the hands of 
the State authorities, which State inspection the Board feels 
is already as thorough and efficient as it possibly can be 
made, and at most the Federal Board would no more than 
aid and co-operate with the State authorities. 
Mr. Farquhar opened the remarks on behalf of the 
nurserymen. He stated that he had come to Washington 
believing that drastic steps were to be taken against the New 
England nurserymen but after talking with the several 
members of the Board he felt there was no cause for alarm as 
he realized that the Board does not intend to enforce any 
measures that would interfere with the movement of nursery 
stock from New England, where the present State laws were 
properly enforced. He felt that the Board would only 
require that the nurseries be kept clean as they now are. 
Mr. Farquhar approved of the proposed quarantine on 
Christmas trees and greens, believing that the distribution of 
the moths could be more largely attributed to this cause than 
through nursery stock. 
Prof. Rogers of the Entomological Department of Wash¬ 
ington who has had an active interest in the work of the 
Department in the affected areas in New England, spoke of 
finding Gypsy Moth and Brown Tail Moth in large quantities 
in shipments of Christmas trees and Christmas greens which 
were shipped to Brooklyn, New York. As many as five 
hundred clusters of the egg being found on four car loads of 
Christmas trees. 
Alfred E. Brigg, representing the Boston Fruit and Pro¬ 
duce Exchange spoke against the quarantine on Christmas 
trees. 
Mr. Wyman, president of the New England Nurserymen’s 
Association, said he was greatly relieved by the statement of 
Chainnan Marlatt, that the quarantine would not affect the 
nursery industry. Had he been assured of this fact before 
leaving Boston he would probably not have attended the 
hearing for now he was sure that the interests of the New 
England Nurserymen could safely be left in the hands of the 
Board. 
l^[ln Massachusetts, he said, they had a very effective 
inspection not only of the nurseries but also covering an area 
of three hundred feet surrounding the nursery grounds. 
They depended not only upon State examination but also 
carried on a very thorough inspection with their own men 
both in the field and again in the packing houses before 
shipping the nursery stock and since putting this thorough 
inspection into force they have never had a single complaint 
from any point. All New England nurserymen are in 
sympathy with the work of the Board and have no feeling 
that the Board will do anything against the interests of the 
nurserymen. 
He wished to convey to the Board that the nursery busi¬ 
ness is but a very small means of transporting the moth, but 
that it is carried by artificial means, such as automobiles, 
and railroad trains. With the very efficient inspection now 
in force there is no danger of its being carried on nursery 
stock. “Let well enough alone,” said Mr. Wyman, “and give 
Federal authority to continue present method of inspection.” 
The issuing of a notice of quarantine against New England 
has been a great scare and has already caused the loss of 
thousands of dollars in orders for nrrrsery stock. He trusted 
that Dr. Howard and the members of the Federal Board 
would do all possible to let the public understand that the 
proposed quarantine in no wise affected the nursery business 
but was intended to prevent the distribution of the moth by 
means of Christmas trees, railroad ties and lumber. The 
nurserymen of New England have already felt the injury 
caused by the issuing of the notice of the proposed quaran¬ 
tine. 
Dr. Brittan, State Entomologist of Connecticut, spoke of 
conditions in his state and said that the moth had already 
been wiped out in sections where heretofore it had been more 
or less prevalent and by a chart showed the decrease from 
year to year since the department had been engaged in active 
warfare against the Gypsy and Brown Tail Moths. The 
work of extermination being well organized, it would be 
unnecessary to place a quarantine on such sections in Con- 
