THE NATIONAL NURvSERYMAN 
THE AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
A Word to the Nurserymen 
Mr. Editor: 
In making a casual examination of the list of members of 
the American Pomological Society, we have been forcibly 
impressed with the fact that the nurserymen of the country 
covered by this splendid organization are not very intimately 
associated with it and in reality perform a very small part in 
its great public service. There is only one reason so far as I 
can see why this condition exists, namely, they are certainly 
not well advised as to its field of work, its influence and its 
great service to fruit-growing. No organization of this 
character can maintain itself in active working order for over 
half a century, simply by its own efforts, except it is servflng 
devotedly and well some great public interest. That is just 
what the A. P. S. is*doing. It has been, and is engaged in 
fostering, forwarding and fructifying both the latent and 
active fruit interests of this continent. It aims to aid 
materially in developing better fruit, better fruit-growing and 
better fruit-growers. Its splendid record of achievement 
during the past half century is ample proof that it has 
accomplished with a flattering degree of success the object 
for which it was organized. 
During all this time it has indirectly done the nurseryman 
a great and lasting service by encouraging the public to plant 
and cultivate fruit, trees, shrubs, vines and plants. 
Almost single handed it has brought about the use of a 
system of nomenclature that stands preeminent in the 
pomological world today. Through this society and the 
national government which is actively supplementing it, the 
nomenclature of our cultivated fruits is being systematized, 
simplified and purified. Scarcely a day passes that the 
society’s committee on nomenclature and the government 
experts do not. have some problem to settle concerning the 
synonyms, spelling, use or propriety of the names of our 
cultivated fruits. The society is becoming a clearing-house 
for all such matters in our continental pomological affairs. 
This work, however, is only one feature of its activities. 
At present a large and active committee is at work upon a 
schedule of ratings for the leading commercial varieties of 
apples. Later it will take up the other fruits in the order of 
their importance. At the same time a vigorous effort to 
extend the use of the score-card in judging all competitive 
fruit displays is being made. Committees on new fruits, 
foreign fruits, inspecting and grading fruits, adaptability of 
varieties, and others are earnestly at work on the various 
problems in these several directions. 
The ultimate benefit of the score-card work alone in 
bringing about a better appreciation of varietal merits, 
characteristics and values must be evident to all. While its 
significance as a factor in educating both the fruit growers 
and the public as to what constitutes a good specimen or 
package of fruit is almost beyond our comprehension. It 
requires a vast amount of labor to get results with subjects 
of this character when they cover such a tremendous territory. 
Much, in fact, most of the labor is gratuitous, but there is 
considerable expense involved and this requires money. The 
only source of such “sinews of war’’ is the membership fees. 
It is true that the society has a small endowment but the 
funds from that are used to encourage the development of 
new fruits and allied matters. The income from two to 
three more substantial bequests could be used to excellent 
advantage in furthering the work that now lies before the 
society. 
Under the conditions does it not appear that the efforts of 
this organization merits the active endorsement and financial 
support of the great nursery interests of the countries con¬ 
cerned? There is nothing incompatible between the objects 
of this society and the aims of any honest nursery firm. 
Note the list of nurseryman members. We know that nur¬ 
serymen as a whole are liberal supporters of similar move¬ 
ments in behalf of progressive horticulture and pomology. 
Personally, I feel that their apparent apathy towards the 
American Pomological Society is due to lack of data on the 
subject, hence this brief article touching merely upon the 
surface of the society’s work. 
E. R. Lake, Secretary. 
NEW ASSOCIATIONS 
About three months ago the Portland Floral Society was 
organized at Portland, with R. M. Bodlet, Secretary, and 
E. T. Miche, President. Mr. Miche is Superintendent of 
Parks in Portland. 
The Idaho Association of Nurserymen was also organized 
in July with J. F. Littooy of Boise, Secretary and Charles T. 
Hawkes of Caldwell, President. 
Last July the Oregon-Washington Association of Nursery¬ 
men was also formed with C. F. Breithaupt of Richland, 
Wash., President, and C. A. Tonneson, of Tacoma, Secre¬ 
tary. 
ROOT-KNOT, CROWN-GALL AND HAIRY-ROOT IN 
NEW ZEALAND 
We are informed by the Honorable Secretary of the New 
Zealand Association of Nurserymen, that the nurserymen in 
that far country are having their own troubles in connection 
with their Department of Agriculture legislation. 
The Department has condemned nearly $150,000 worth 
of fruit trees on account of their being infected with Root- 
Knot, Crown-Gall and Hairy-Root. 
The nurserymen are protesting on the ground that the 
disease has not been proved, and even if it is proved in a 
percentage of cases they contend that the disease is not so 
serious as to warrant such extreme measures. 
They write to the National Nurseryman for the very 
latest reliable irfformation on the subject to assist in con¬ 
travening such drastic action and promise to let us know 
how they get on in the matter. 
