74 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
The Foreign Nursery Stock Quarantine 
The Nurserymen’s Legislative Committee Meets Secretary Houston. 
Through the efforts of Senator Calder and Congress¬ 
man Baeharaeh, a eoimnittee from the Society of Ameri¬ 
can Florists and the Legislative Committee of the Ameri¬ 
can x\ssociation of Nurserymen secured an intei’view 
with the Secretary of Agriculture, Hon. D. F. Houston, in 
Washington, on Saturday morning, March 1st, and enter¬ 
ed a protest on the recent order of the Federal Horticul¬ 
tural Board, excluding, after June 1 next, importations of 
nursery stock of every description, excepting fruit 
stocks, rose stocks and a few bulbs and tubers. 
On the Florists’ Committee were J. G. Eisele, F. R. 
Pierson, J. H. Totty and C. B. Knickman; and on the 
Nurserymen’s Committee, J. G. Harrison, Chairman; 
Thomas B. Meehan, Wilmer W. Hoopes, Charles Perkins, 
2nd, and Edward Moon. 
Curtis Nye Smith, Counsel for the Nurserymen’s Asso¬ 
ciation, presented to Mr. Houston a copy of the Nursery¬ 
men’s brief, and also one prepared by the Florists’ Com¬ 
mittee, and in doing so directed the attention of Mr. 
Houston to the most important paragraphs in them. 
Mr. Houston assured the committee that it was his de¬ 
sire to do justice to all, and that in accepting the de¬ 
cision of the Federal Horticultural Board on this matter, 
he had done so knowing that they had been investigating 
the subject for many months and had arrived at their 
conclusion only after deciding that such action would be 
the only method of safeguarding this country from in¬ 
sects and disease now prevalent in other countries. 
He wanted the Committee to feel, however, that it was 
far from his desire that the florist or nursery business 
should be injured by any unjustifiable action and assured 
them that he would carefully read and consider the briefs 
submitted to him and as soon as possible would advise 
them what action he would take. 
Following is copy of the brief submitted by Counsel 
Smith for the Nurserymen’s Committee. 
IN BE OBJECTIONS TO FEDERAL QUARANTINE 
ORDER NO. 37. 
SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS 
1. Statement of American Association of Nurserymen. 
2. Appeal to the Secretary of Agriculture from the 
Federal Horticultural Board. 
3. (irounds of objections of nurserymen to Quaran¬ 
tine Order No. 37. 
A. Of Doubtful Legality. 
(x) The evidence does not support the 
Quarantine. 
(y) Unreasonable discriminations depriv¬ 
ing citizens of equal protection of the 
laws. 
fz) No legal hearing given on this quaran¬ 
tine. 
B. Quarantine is unnecessaiy. 
C. Quarantine is unfair. 
D. Impossibility of securing domestic grown or¬ 
namental nursery stocks. 
E. Quarantine creates hostility and retaliations 
from foreign nations. 
F. American consumers of foreign grown nur¬ 
sery stock not considered by Quarantine. 
4. Conclusion and Recommendations. 
A STATEMENT OF THE PRINCIPAL OBJECTIONS OF 
THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF NURSERY¬ 
MEN TO FEDERAL PLANT QUARANTINE 
ORDER NO. 37, EXCLUDING CERTAIN 
FOREIGN GROWN NURSERY STOCK. 
The American Association of Nurserymen is the oldest 
and largest organization of nurserymen in the United 
States, having been organized forty-three years ago and 
represents all of the larger and many of the smaller nur¬ 
serymen throughout the United States. It can be said 
without successful denial that this Association more 
nearly represents the ideas and wishes of those engaged 
in the important industiy of importing, growing, and 
selling of all kinds of plants, trees and shrubs, more 
generally known as nursery stock, than any other or¬ 
ganization, or group of persons. This Association by a 
unanimous resolution at its Annual Convention declared 
its opposition to the total exclusion of foreign grown nur¬ 
sery stock, such as is provided in Quarantine Order Num¬ 
ber 37, and has, by its otlicers, recently authorized this 
statement of objections and such further action as may 
be found necessary in order to secure the repeal or sub¬ 
stantial modification of said Order Number 37. In a de¬ 
sire to be quite frank, but more especially to dispute the 
erroneous statements of the proponents of this Quarantine 
Order it is alleged that there are some members of this 
Association who favor this exclusion order. These mem¬ 
bers are very few indeed, and, from an intimate know¬ 
ledge of their business it is believed that their approval 
of the order is influenced by their personal gain or profit 
resulting from the effects of this Quarantine Order. It 
is confidently stated that the greater proportion of all 
American Nurserymen disapprove of this order, and all 
registering their objections from a firm conviction that 
said order is unwise, unnecessary and profoundly injuri¬ 
ous to the horticultural interests of this country. These 
objectors are not prompted by two importers as has been 
stated by the Chairman of the Federal Horticultural 
Board. 
This Association is advised that other organizations of 
nurserymen, notably, the New England Nurserymen’s 
Association, the State Associations of Nurserymen of 
Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey have 
