THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
In looking over the catalogues of nurseries 
PRICE OF interested in growing forest tree seedlings 
FOREST TREE one is struck by the extraordinary range 
SEEDLINGS of prices exhibited for the same grade of a 
given kind of stock. Our attention has 
been recently called to this in connection 
with the price of catalpa seedlings. Is it possible to grow 
and sell at a profit catalpa seedlings of any size for $1.15 per 
thousand? Can any one afford to handle such plants for 
approximately one-tenth of a cent each? 
The Sylvicultural Branch of the U. S. Forest Service re¬ 
cently issued a circular entitled “Hardy Catalpa” in which 
seedlings are quoted as low as $1.15 per thousand, at which 
price the requisite number of trees required to plant an acre 
of land in catalpas to be grown for forestry purposes would 
aggregate the magnificent sum of $3.13. This was in 
Nebraska and under Nebraskan conditions. The question 
arises, are Nebraska nurserymen officiating as philanthro¬ 
pists or are they in the business for the purpose of making a 
livelihood? If they imagine that catalpa seedlings of any 
size can be grown and handled for $1.15 per thousand, are 
they not seriously mistaken in their calculations? In our 
judgment the growing of seedlings for any such price will 
certainly contribute less to gain than glory, and we are not 
sure that there will be a large return of the latter. 
The Forest Service circular states further that they have 
tabulated prices from forty-one nursery catalogues and find 
the variation in price to run from the figure quoted, $1.15 
per thousand, for 6 to 8 inch seedlings, to $15.00 per thous- 
sand for seedlings from 24 to 24 inches. There is also a 
wide range within each grade. For instance $2.00 to $5.00 is 
quoted for 8 to 12 in., $2.50 to $7.00 for 12 to 18 in., $3.00 to 
$10.00 for 18 to 24 in., and $5.00 to $15.00 for 24 to 36 in. 
seedlings. These low prices and this tremendous diversity 
in price suggests the desirability of nurserymen getting- 
together a little closer and improving their understanding as 
to the cost of growing catalpa and possibly other forest tree 
seedlings. 
The invasion of the fruit interests of the 
INSPECTION country by foreign parasites, such as San 
OF NURSERY J ose scale, gipsy moth and brown tail 
IMPORTS. ' moth, has become so serious that orchard- 
ists are taking steps to guard against fur¬ 
ther introductions of this kind. There is a general feeling 
all along the line that prevention is better and easier than 
cure in the case of these pernicious pests. It is, indeed, 
difficult to estimate, taking a concrete, case how much would 
have been saved to the country had San Jose scale been kept 
out. What insect and parasite free conditions mean to a 
section is well illustrated by the state of things prevailing in 
certain parts of the Pacific North West. In some of these 
remote valleys where fruit growing is new and parasites have 
not yet been introduced fruit production is “a dream.” 
The fruit is fair, unblemished and perfect, without the 
necessity of continuous warfare and heavy expense against 
the enemies that injure and destroy. It makes a vast dif¬ 
ference whether go per cent, of the fruit grades No. 1 without 
spraying and other troublesome effort, or whether it grades 
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50 per cent. No. 1 with an expenditure of 25% of its gross 
value in checking the inroads of parasites. Fruit growing 
would not be possible in many of these remote regions 
where transportation is poor and where the distant 
market is the’only one, were it not for the present freedom 
from introduced parasites. 
We cannot expect to develop such conditions in the East, 
but we can at any rate use our best efforts to keep our region 
as free as possible from foreign pests. To this end the nur¬ 
serymen have been considering the inspection of imported 
nursery stock and the passage of a federal statute providing 
for a feasible and practical means of inspecting such stock as 
it comes to us through our various ports of entry. 
The American Pomological Society, representing the 
orchardists of the country, at its recent meeting in St. 
Catherines manifested its interest in this project by authoriz¬ 
ing the appointment of a committee to further the passage of 
such an act. The naming of the committee was placed in the 
hands of the executive committee and President Goodman 
will probably announce the personnel of the committee in a 
short time. With the nurserymen working at one end of the 
line, the orchardists at the other, and the entomologists of 
the country cooperating with both, there is no valid reason 
why an effective and practical inspection measure should 
not be formulated and put upon the statute books before 
long. Such a bill should be so framed as to avoid hamper¬ 
ing the commercial interests of the nurserymen, and on the 
other hand, should provide satisfactory guarantee that it is 
not merely a statute but a practical guard against the intro¬ 
duction of pernicious insect or fungus pests, from the older 
plant .growing regions of the world. 
Obituary 
PETER BARR 
One of the most interesting figures in the English garden¬ 
ing world has recently passed away in the person of the late 
Peter Barr, who was known as the daffodil king, and was 
born on the Clvde in 1826. When but thirteen he began his 
horticultural career in the city of Glasgow where he obtained 
a thorough and practical knowledge of the nursery and seed 
business. Seven years later at Newry, Ireland, then at 
Worcester, England, and finally in London he acted as 
manager for several seed houses. In 1861 at Covent Garden 
he entered into a partnership which lasted until 1882 when 
the firm name was changed to Barr & Sons, as it still appears 
today on King Street, Co vent Garden. 
Mr. Barr’s first important contribution to horticulture 
was one of the largest collections of the lily family made up 
to that period. It was the work of several years and later 
the basis of a very important monograph on the subject. 
But it was on the daffodil he became leading authority. 
On it he spent the span of a normal lifetime. He popularized 
the flower and gave it a rank of first importance. His 
descriptive list of daffodils entitled “Ye Narcissus” is a 
standard work found in all botanical libraries. 
In his wide travels to enrich his collection, Mr. Barr dis¬ 
covered some of the leading varieties of daffodils. Norway 
