THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
47 
months—one of them on May 28, the otlier on October 18, 
to which all interested in this subject were invited to be 
present and to offer protests if any. At both meetings 
the Nurserymen’s Association, as well as the Legislative 
Committee of the Society of American Florists and Orna¬ 
mental Horticulturists, and a numner of individual 
growers were present, all of whom gave valuable data for 
the proper enlightenment of said Federal Horticultural 
Board. They were most cordially received, attentively 
and patiently listened to—even thanked—for the infor¬ 
mation given, but that is all. 
Why all this infonnation which was given in good 
faith has been turned down, the Federal Horticultural 
Board does not tell us; they simply say: “After June 1, 
1919, you cannot import anything but the few items in 
bulbs, fruit-tree stocks and roses for grafting purposes 
noted above.” 
Whether the action taken by the Federal Horticultural 
where, before the war, upwards of one thousand nur¬ 
series were operated; a large part of whose products was 
exported to the United States. We have sent our kin and 
friends to bleed on the battlefields of devasted Belgium 
to help to return these people to freedom, and, now that 
this has been accomplshed and they are preparing to take 
up their customary vocations in anticipation of support¬ 
ing themselves as they have always bountifully done be¬ 
fore, and they come to us and offer us their horticultural 
specialties, as they did before the war (the majority of 
which we cannot procure elsewhere or which we cannot 
produce ourselves) we will have to hold our hands up in 
horror and say : 
“While we have cheerfully helped to feed and 
clothe you and while our soldiers have died on the 
battlefield to give you your freedom, we cannot buy 
your Azaleas, Bay Trees, Norfolk Island Pines, Rho¬ 
dodendrons, Palms, your Begonias, Gloxinias’ and 
800 Montmorency Cherry Trees in this orchard and only four lost out of this planting 
Board is in accordance with the law as enacted by Con¬ 
gress, which created their power, we do not feel compe¬ 
tent to pass upon, but we are satisfied, however, and con¬ 
fident that it was not intended as the spirit of this Act, 
that the policies and destinies of the entire Horticultural 
Trade, with its millions of dollars of investment, should 
be placed in the hands of five (5) members of the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture. 
Your Congressman has the means of finding this out, 
and if you will appeal to him for aid in the matter we are 
certain that he will investigate and see to it that such 
power, if it exists, is changed so that the Horticultural 
Trade will be placed in the high position to which it is 
entitled. 
Finally: For more than four years our country has 
cheerfully assisted and helped to keep a great portion of 
the Belgian population from staiTing; this embraces the 
great plant-growing districts around Ghent and Bruges, 
other specialties (as badly as we need them) because 
there is a Federal Horticultural Board of five men in 
Washington who, while they have no record that you 
have in the past sent us any insect pests that have 
been dangerous to our country, they fear that there 
may be such pests hidden away in your country and 
that these might, in leaf or soil, escape the rigid ex¬ 
amination which your entomologists give them before 
you ship them, and that they might even escape the 
careful examination which our State and Federal De¬ 
partments give them on their arrival here, and thus 
become a serious menace. While you continue to 
have our sympathy, we cannot think of purchasing 
your horticultural products!” 
Think it over, and if you want to assist to place Horti¬ 
culture in its proper position, write to your Congressman 
at once. He will stand by what is right if you submit 
the facts properly to him. 
