THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
163 
PERNICIOUS PUBLICITY 
“Here’s some slulT that should be stopped” says E. F. 
Roekwell, Manager of the Nurserymen’s National Service 
Bureau, New York. “The right kind of publicity is all 
right, hut here’s an instance of the wrong kind,” 
In a Chicago paper recently this statement appeared: 
“Every variety of Barberry,—the common, the 
purple or the bronzed leaved, and all the rest,—are 
under fire, and it is hoped that Illinois will soon he 
comparatively free from the pest. The United States 
Department of Agriculture is co-operating with a 
similar department at the University of Illinois in 
this work.” 
The above, of course, refers to the “common” barberry 
because of the part it plays dn the spread of wheat rust. 
As every nurseryman knows, the Department of Agri¬ 
culture has stated frequently that the Japanese Barberry 
is not a host of the wheat rust. 
From information from other sources, I know that 
other newspapers have been guilty of the same careless¬ 
ness in remarks about the wheat rust and barberry. 
Every wide-awake nurseiyman should be on the look-out 
for this sort of thing and take the matter up immediately 
with the editor of his local paper anywhere such state¬ 
ments may appear so that the public may he set right. 
I know' of a nmnber of instances in which beautiful 
hedges of Japanese Barheriy have been torn out as a 
result of this misdirected “patriotism” on the part of the 
papers. 
This information is being sent to 700 newspapers 
which the National Service Bureau is supplying regularly 
with educational articles on small fruits, shade trees, 
shrubs, etc. 
Another “warning” that has gained some publicity is 
that planting should not he done this year because of the 
17-year locust. More damage is done every year 4o 
newly planted stock through careless planting and ig¬ 
norance than the seventeen year locusts could do in 
seven times seventy-seven years. 
The National Service Bureau, of course, does every¬ 
thing it can to combat this sort of thing, but individual 
nurserymen should co-operate by watching their local pa¬ 
pers and immediately taking it up with the editor when 
they see such statements. 
ECONOMIC BOTANY 
It is difficult to understand why the study of botany 
is so repellant to the average person. It is rarely one 
meets wth a student who takes up this study out of love 
for it, and when the college or high school course is 
done, what they do learn is promptly forgotten. Even 
among our own profession where you would think a 
good knowledge of botany was almost essential, very few 
are interested in it. In fact, the practical grower seems 
to think that a knowledge of it would be detrimental to 
t him. It is quite true he can get along without it, as it 
I does not seem to he an essential part of the growing and 
merchandizing of plants. This, however, is an ex¬ 
tremely superficial view of horticulture. When we stop 
to realize that directly or indirectly a very large propor¬ 
tion of the wealth of the world is derived from the vege¬ 
table kingdom, such as food, clothing, building material, 
medicines, rubber, oil, dyes, resin, etc., it is a wonder 
that more students do not follow the study. 
It may he there is not much direct profit in studying 
systematic botany or the classification and nomenclature 
of plants, or in geographical botany which relates to 
their distribution, but with the economic botany which 
confines itself to the study of the values and uses of 
plants to mankind, there is a field that would be at¬ 
tractive to the most materialistic mind. 
The potential wealth hidden away awaiting the experi¬ 
menter and investigator is tremendous. Some of our in¬ 
significant common weeds may have great wealth stored 
aw ay in them, w hich only aw aits the discoverer. 
At one time the potato and tomato were semi-poisonous 
weeds. The call has already gone out for some plant 
from which to make paper. Forests are fast being used 
up and some plant other than trees will have to be 
found for this purpose. There are thousands of acres of 
swamp land that are available for the purpose if the 
right kind of plant can be found that will make suitable 
pulp or fibre. 
There are thousands of unknown drugs and chemicals 
still hidden away awaiting the investigator; edible fruits 
to he investigated, grown and exploited. Praiseworthy 
efforts are being made in many of our schools, colleges 
and experiment stations to arouse the interest of the 
young men of the country and to teach them the impor¬ 
tance of the science of botany in its economic aspect. 
The young nurseryman who would take up the study 
of economic botany would find vast fields of enterprise 
open up before him, and through his ability to grow 
plants w ould he best fitted to develop any discoveries he 
may make. 
SEEING WITHOUT OBSERVING 
We often get so accustomed to seeing things we fail to 
observe them. It is not an uncommon occurrence for a 
man to have a calendar in front of his desk or a blotter on 
his desk, advertising the very thing that he does not 
know where to find, and for this reason advertisements 
often fail of the purpose for wdiich they are intended. 
They should always he fresh and carry some pithy mes¬ 
sage. 
There is no doubt that some of the finest products that 
have been advertised for many years have been put in 
the hack-ground by an inferior article, chiefly because 
advertisements of the first mentioned producl failed to 
tell the public the whole truth. 
Edw aid N. Hurley, chairman of the United States Ship¬ 
ping Board calls attention of editors to a letter written by 
.1. H. Bosseter, Director of the Division of Operations ex¬ 
pressing his view^s on the question of successful opera¬ 
tion of ships under the American flag in foreign trade. 
Nurserymen are not interested, w hat interest they did 
have has been killed by the Plant Exclusion Act put in 
operation by another branch of the government. 
