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THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
The National Nurseryman 
Established 1893 by C. L. YATES. Incorporated 1902 
Published monthly by 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN PUBLISHING CO„ Inc. 
Hatboro, Pa. 
Editor .ERNEST HEMMING, Flourtown, Pa. 
The leading trade journal issued for Growers and Dealers in 
Nursery Stocks of all kinds. It circulates throughout the 
United States, Canada and Europe. 
AWARDED THE GRAND PRIZE AT PARIS EXPOSITION, 1900 
SUBSCRIPTION RATES 
One Year in Advance .$1.50 
Foreign Subscriptions, in advance .$2.00 
Six Months .$1.00 
Advertising rates will he sent upon application. Advertisements 
shonld reach this office by the 20th of the month previous to the date 
of issue. 
Payment in advance required for foreign advertisements. Drafts 
on New York or postal orders, instead of checks, are requested by the 
Business Manager, Hatboro, Fa. 
Correspondence from all points and articles of interest to nursery¬ 
men and horticulturists are cordially solicited. 
Photographs and news notes of Interest to nurserymen should be 
addressed, Bditor, Flourtown, Fa., and should be mailed to arrive not 
later than the 25th of the month. 
Entered as second-class matter June 22, 1916, at the post office at 
Hatboro, Pennsylvania, under the Act of March S, 1879. 
Hatboro, Pa., January 1919 
Subscribers to **Nurserymen's Fund for 
Market Development" 
A Npui ffar 
In no other occupation can men and women more 
surely find happiness and inspiration after the work 
of the day, than among nature’s own bounties, shap¬ 
ing them into lawn, garden, orchard, bed and bor¬ 
der, until their souls are satisfied with the loveliest 
there is in nature. 
It is the nurseryman’s privilege to foster the de¬ 
sire and supply the gems that will bring peace and 
happiness into everyone’s life. 
There can be no better wish for the New Year 
that the nurseryman be awakened to the full re¬ 
sponsibility of his honored calling. 
It is to be hoped the members of 
THE FOREIGN the Federal Horticultural Board 
PLANT EMBARGO will breathe easier and will he 
well rejiaid by that feeling of a 
duty well done, now their drastic proposition for the ex¬ 
clusion of plants has been approved by the Department of 
Agriculture. 
The fact that they have damaged an American key 
industry to the tune of many millions of dollars need not 
concern them, or that they put a large obstacle in the 
way of those foolish people who would like to make their 
home surroundings more beautiful. 
One of the specific duties of the Federal Horticultural 
Board is to guard the flora of the United States from in¬ 
sect pests and disease that might he imported from for¬ 
eign countries. The Board has come to the conclusion 
that the only way to do this was, not by insuring only 
clean stock should he imported and by efficient inspec¬ 
tion, *hut by prohibition, thus admitting it had no faith 
in the efforts or ability of foreign growers to only ship 
clean stock, or in the knowledge and ability of the path¬ 
ological service of foreign countries such as France, Hol¬ 
land, England and Belgium and still less in the ability of 
our own State Inspectors. 
Even with all the authority of the United States De¬ 
partment of Agriculture to enforce its rulings, and with 
all the science, economic entomologists and inspectors 
at its command, the Federal Horticultural Board had to 
acknowledge it was incompetent to prevent the introduc¬ 
tion of pests on nursery stock except by prohibition or in 
other words, it has decided to kill the dog to get rid of 
the Ileas. 
Even with this decision it is difficult to understand the 
reasoning that will permit seedling fruit stocks and rose 
and yet exclude ornamentals. 
Horticulture must be in the rum class as it requires 
such strict governmental supervision. 
It is true good may come out of evil, even if plant ex¬ 
clusion does not prevent epidemics of pests and disease 
it may spur our own growers to greater efforts, hut we 
have no pride in such progress. We would prefer the 
real American way, not by surrendering to an unseen 
imaginary foe, but by recognizing a difficulty and over¬ 
coming it. Insecf and plant life are interdependent in 
nature, and left to themselves the balance is maintained, 
unfortunately in the social laws governing the commer¬ 
cial exploitation of the flora of the country the entomolo¬ 
gist holds the balance of power, the tail wags the dog. 
In a business policy there are few of us 
LIVING UP who do not recognize what ought to be 
TO A CODE from what is common practice. But it 
takes real courage to have a high ideal, 
publish it and live up to it especially when it means re¬ 
fusing business to live up to a code. 
One of the most demoralizing things in the nursery 
business is the almost entire lack of consistancy in re¬ 
gard to wholesale and retail prices. The wealthy con¬ 
sumer can usually buy even lower than the trade. 
The department store can buy to sell cheaper than the 
local grower. 
It almost seems as if there was a lack of morality 
when it comes to selling nursery stock and although 
most nurserymen recognize the difficulty of a fair deal 
when selling to the consumer at the same time as cater¬ 
ing to the trade, as evidenced by the many discussions on 
the subject at conventions, few nurserymen seem ready 
to act as pioneers to bring about better conditions. 
There is nothing to prevent a firm from doing a whole- 
