226 
THE NATIONAL NURSI^KYMAN 
QUARANTINE 37 
ENGLISH IVY 
Flushing, N. Y., July 17, 1919. 
Editor National Nurseryman:— 
Dear Sir: 
I was much disapj)ointed in the report of the proceed- 
ings’^of the American Association of Nurserymen held in 
Chicago in June and published in the July issue of your 
paper. 
Therein there was no expression of the Association 
concerning the Federal Quarantine Law known as Quar¬ 
antine 37. I had counted upon the opposition of this 
quarantine coming into the open and registering their ob¬ 
jection thereto, but apparently no member dared even 
call his soul his own to the extent at any rate of proclaim¬ 
ing his unbiased judgment. Or are all the members of 
the Association affected with the money itch and, believ¬ 
ing themselves benefited, kept silence. It is incredible they 
did so from conviction; the ethics of the question are all 
on the other side. 
It is wholly unreasonable to expect the Horticulturists 
abroad to feel kindly to America when she, almost with¬ 
out warning, nearly ruins them. I inquire where the 
doctrine of Christian or any other ethics appears in such 
selfishness and inquire too if this is the spirit of true 
democracy that is to make the world a safe habitation 
for man. 
The entomologists and men of science generally must 
do something to justify them before the people and to 
make it appear how necessary they are in the machinery 
of government. Many of them are influenced uncon¬ 
sciously to take the stand they do and, without being 
aware of it, become instruments for the suppression of 
the real interests of mankind. Nature in its workings 
makes few mistakes and perhaps were we possessed of 
infinite knowledge makes none at all. If an insect jiest 
appears it will shortly he preyed upon by some parasitic 
or other enemy and a balance re-established. Witness 
the San Jose scale and Oyster Shell scale. Natural 
enemies rather than man’s agency control both and in¬ 
deed all such pests. 
There will he a rising and ebbing tide in their appear¬ 
ance. The Oyster Shell scale which, in recent years, has 
been most menacing is today in this locality very greatly 
diminished and its extinction even is jiromised by natural 
agencies. It has been in evidence here in the East for 
more than fifty years and Ave no longer hear much about 
it. It is the new pests that the scientists herald to the 
world as the destroyer of man’s ease and even his exis¬ 
tence. The rigid enforcement of Quarantine 37 will limit 
greatly the ornamental material so much used in recent 
years for the adornment of modest and elaborate homes 
and will limit greatly man’s freedom. It is more than a 
tax upon consumption, it is in many things an absolute 
])rohihition prompted by rather shady and certainly sel¬ 
fish reasons. If we would pay more attention to conser¬ 
vation of natural resources and less to interference with 
the commerce of the world we would do something for 
the uplifting of society and the regeneration of man. 
Very truly yours, 
Theo. Foulk. 
There is always a good demand for English Ivy. The 
florists use it in great quantities as well as the land¬ 
scape gardeners, so there is rarely an over-production. 
In addition to this it is very readily propagated, as it 
roots easily from every joint. It is one of those things 
that the nurseryman need never fear having an over 
supj)ly of, and if he does a general business it is almost 
essential that he carry a stock. 
The one objection to it from a commercial viewpoint 
is its liability to winter kill. While it is considered hardy 
as far north as New York, it suffers very much in the 
winter especially in exposed places and southern ex¬ 
posures. It seems to thrive better in sheltered positions 
where it does not get too much sun, especially in the win¬ 
ter. 
This plant has not been used as much as it should as 
a cover plant. To-day, the writer passed a very well 
kept place where there were quite a number of large 
trees on the open lawn, where it would have been prac¬ 
tically impossible to have kept a good stand of grass un¬ 
der them. The ground was completely covered with Eng¬ 
lish Ivy that was well looked after, the result being very 
])leasing. For this purpose alone, covering the ground 
under trees and shaded positions where grass will not 
grow, it is invaluable and should be used a great deal 
more than it is. Such positions occur in city yards es¬ 
pecially, due to the buildings and other conditions that 
are uncongenial for grass. When properly planted with 
English Ivy, a veiy pleasing effect can be secured both 
summer and winter. 
There are quite a number of forms. The common one, 
which seems to he very generally distributed, has rather 
a large leaf and a loose growth. This, however, is not a 
very good tyjie for clinging to walls, and it is sometimes 
amusing to see large bunches at the base of walls, where 
it was planted with the evident intention of having it 
climb and cover them. One of the main reasons the 
English Ivy does not climb is due to improjier planting or 
starting. A very common practice is to set out plants 
from pots, and then fasten the vines to the wall. This is 
not at all a successful method to start it clinging. A 
much better plan is to peg the vines down along the base 
of the wall and let them root at each joint. The new 
shoots, coming right from the ground, adhere much more 
easily and cling to the wall from the ground up, whereas 
if loose vines are nailed to the wall, there is always a 
loose ])ortion constantly in motion by the wind, wdiich 
prevents it from adhering to the wall. ^ 
✓ 
Some of the smaller leaved ty])es seem to cling much 
more readily than larger ones, so care should he used in 
securing the proper kind of stock for the different pur¬ 
poses. 
SPEAKING OF FATHER 
Mother— “No, Ethel, a visit to the seashore is out of 
the question this year. Your father can’t affoid it.” 
“Mother, has it ever occurred to you that father could 
work harder if he tried ?”^— Life. 
