THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
1 5 1 
Our Book Uable 
Johnson grass, is also present here, but does not seem to cause the 
trouble that it does in some parts of the mainland. 
Will J. Cooper. 
Species and Varieties: Their Origin by Mutation. 
Hugo DeVries, edited by D. T. MacDougal. 9 by 6 inches. 
847 pages. Published by the Open Court Publishing Co., 
Chicago. This volume contains lectures delivered by Prof. 
DeVries, head of the chair of botany in the University of Amster¬ 
dam, at the University of California last season. 
The author opens his interesting volume bjr a discussion of the 
theories of evolution, which is a concise, lucid statement of the views 
held by various students of heredity and other phases of this study. 
The kernel of the whole work is that while the current belief assumes 
that species are slowly changed into new types, the theory of muta¬ 
tion assumes that new species and varieties are produced from 
existing forms by sudden leaps. While these new variants are ap¬ 
pearing, the parent form remains unchanged, and may repeatedly 
give rise to new types. These forms may appear simultaneously in 
groups, or separately at more or less widely separated intervals. 
It is in defending these views that the larger portion of the volume 
is concerned. The author states that his Work claims “to be in full 
accord with the principles laid down by Darwin.” This is a point of 
view that many of his critics do not share with him. 
No discussion in recent years of this topic, always of transcend¬ 
ing interest in the scientific world,—has stirred students of evolu- 
tion more deeply than this contribution of DeVries. To all those 
who are in any wise interested in the philosophic phases of plant 
and animal life, this volume can be commended with full confidence. 
PLANTS THAT BECOME PESTS IN HAWAII. 
How The Blackberry Became Nuisance—Territory 
Guarding Against Enthusiasm of 
Plant Fanciers. 
The Territory of Hawaii is compelled to watch the importation 
of plants and vegetables probably more closely than any state or 
territory on the mainland, in order to guard against the entrance of 
pests both of the animal and vegetable types. For the past five 
years the quarantine maintained by the Territorial Board of Agri¬ 
culture and Forestry has been very strict and though onerous at 
times, is very generally supported by public opinion. Many insects 
and plants which in their native habitat are so controlled by either 
their natural enemies or by the period of cold weather, that they do 
not in any sense constitute pests, become very troublesome when 
brought into a salubrious climate such as Hawaii possesses; and 
hence great care must be exercised in allowing any new thing to be 
brought in. 
A very striking example in this regard is to be found in the 
lantana plant (L. Camara—of the verbenaceae group) which is 
valued all through the United States as a bedding-out or green¬ 
house plant, and which is rather difficult to raise north of the Gulf 
states. Some plant fancier brought the seed of this shrub into the 
islands some years ago, and now it constitutes a thoroughly defined 
and v ery troublesome pest. It has obtained a foothold on most of 
the islands, and has taken possession of large tracts of pasture land, 
and other uncultivated tracts, where it forms almost impenetrable 
thickets. Laws have been passed to check its spread, and an insect 
enemy imported which it was thought would, destroy it. 1 his has 
been of some efficiency, but there is now some uneasiness lest the 
“lantana blight,” as it is called, will refuse to confine its attentions 
to lantana alone. 
On some of the islands, cattle men have much trouble with the 
common North American blackberry and raspberry which here 
refuse to confine themselves to fence corners and out of way places, 
but sometimes takes possession of considerable areas of pasture 
lands. Considerable money has been spent in employing laborers 
to dig out the roots from the cattle ranges. 
The well known Bermuda grass of the south, while furnishing a 
valuable pasture for stock, causes the sugar planter considerable 
trouble in Hawaii; while the bugbear of the cotton states, the 
Doings of Societies 
TREE DOCTORS ORGANIZE 
The business of caring for orchard and shade trees has grown in 
the last few years to a place of considerable importance. As a 
result of this type of endeavor there has recently been organized a 
society which is called The Employers’ Association of Landscape 
Foresters and Commercial Entomologists. This society aims to 
restrict the kind of labor engaged to those who are qualified by 
training and experience to practice what is called “scientific tree 
surgery and commercial entomology.” It purports to be a move¬ 
ment against the untrained, uncultured tree butcher and tree 
“doper.” 
The charter members were enrolled as follows: John T. Withers 
Jersey City, president; James E. Whitaker, Boston, vice-president; 
F. A. Bartlet, Stanford, Conn., secretary-treasurer; H. L. Frost, 
Boston, Chester L. Whitaker, New York, Lewis H. Wise, Jersey 
City, G. H. Allen, New York, examining committee. 
SWEET PEA ASSOCIATION 
Mr. Harry A. Bunyard is promoting a movement for the purpose 
of organizing a National Sweet Pea Association. This movement, 
if successful, is to be affiliated with the American Florists. Mr. 
Attlee Burpee, the seedsman, of Philadelphia, offers a cup for the 
initial exhibition of the society, and other interested persons 
promise to further it in every way possible. 
OPENING FOR NURSERYMEN IN HAWAII. 
By Dr. E. V. Wilcox. 
Special Agent in Charge, Hawaii Experiment Station, Honolulu, Hawaii. 
Constant application is made from all parts of the Islands for 
seed, suckers and plants of various economic crops and ornamentals. 
Neither the Territorial Board of Agriculture, nor the Federal Ex¬ 
periment Station is in a position to supply these demands; in fact, 
such work should not be a chief function of official institutions. 
The operation of a nursery is a commercial proposition. ' The sup¬ 
plying of small quantity of material for starting various kinds of 
crops is done temporarily by the Experiment Station, but will be 
abandoned entirely as soon as the matter is taken up by some com¬ 
mercial nurserymen. The plants and seeds most in demand are 
alligator pear, papaia, citrus fruits, figs, bananas, Roselle, cotton, 
soy beans and other legumes, corn and an extended list of ornamen¬ 
tal plants. In importing such things from the mainland, or else¬ 
where, there is always the danger of introducing some injurious 
insect or fungus disease; and the rigid quarantine which is.neces¬ 
sarily and rightly carried out in the inspection of such importation, 
sometimes injures the material which is imported. In addition to 
this, there is a likelihood of the deterioration of the material in 
transit, by long delays or by improper handling; and finally, the 
seed and plants introduced from other countries require acclimatiza¬ 
tion here, and may, therefore, prove somewhat disappointing to the 
importer. For these reasons, it seems strange that some nursery¬ 
man has not engaged in the business of producing acclimatized 
strains of economic and ornamental plants, such as are desired b\ 
the citizens of the Territory; and no hesitation is felt in recommend¬ 
ing the establishment of a commercial nursery near Honolulu as a 
promising businesss for the man who understands this sort of w r ork. 
There is not only the mere matter of supplying the demand for 
economic and ornamental plants, but there is also a good opening 
for the practical plant breeder in charge of such a business under¬ 
taking, in establishing and improving the varieties of some of the 
plants which we already have, particularly, the alligator pear, 
papaias and some of the more hardy ornamental plants which, if 
properly worked up would undoubtedly find a place in some of the 
markets of California and the Southwest. 
