THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
166 
We are also trying to arrange matters to take up the legislative ques¬ 
tion in the different states that have passed unfavorable laws, or laws 
that are a burden to the nursery business. It has been suggested by 
Mr. Watrous that we have a delegate or representative attend the annual 
meeting of the State Entomologist, and there present the frame-work of 
a uniform law, and, if possible, enlist their aid in the different states. 
My idea has been that the legislative committee should formulate the 
frame-work of a law then and this matter be taken up by the nurserymen 
in the different states, with a Anew of securing some uniformity; also 
eliminating the objectionable features, and giving a law that would 
enable the nurserymen to go ahead with their business without having 
to employ a lawyer or two to keep them posted as to the red tape neces¬ 
sary to do business in the different states. It seems to me Mr. Watrous’s 
suggestion is a good one, and that these two questions (legislation and 
transportation) are of most vital interest to the Association. 
I would like the views of the members of the Association on these 
points.” 
Emery Albertson. 
Note: —There is no question about the importance of these subjects. 
What we want is a full discussion and suggestions as to how the interests 
of nurserymen may be furthered in these particulars. —Ed. 
FUMIGATION OF NURSERY STOCK. 
[Abstract of address before the Southern Nurserymen’s 
Association at Norfolk, Va.] 
Unless nurserymen attend very carefully to the details of handling 
their nursery stock from the time it is dug, until it is delivered to the 
customer, it is liable to serious injury, such as results from exposure to 
the sun, drying winds, freezing, etc. When such injury is noticed, it is 
sometimes charged to the effect of fumigation. The writer’s attention 
has been called to such injuries a number of times during the past few 
years, and in almost every case he was able to trace the injury to some of 
the causes mentioned above, yet it has been difficult in some cases to 
convince the nurseryman that this injury was not caused by fumigation. 
Entomologists generally, have recognized the effectiveness of fumi¬ 
gation and also the fact that well matured nursery stock is not liable to 
injury if it is properly fumigated, yet, from the above, you will see that 
much has been charged to fumigation that was really due to other causes. 
Because of these facts some experiments were undertaken the fall of 
1904, to obtain reliable data on the effects of fumigation. 
A special fumigating house containing 150 cubic feet of air space was 
built for experimental purposes early in the Fall of 1904, and exper¬ 
imental work was begun about the middle of October, continuing on to 
the 1st of November. At this time in the vicinity of Richmond, most 
of the two-year apple, and also the peach stock was fairly well matured. 
Some one-year apple stock was, however, a little green, the tips of the 
limbs being somewhat soft and tender. 
Some of the stock was fumigated under ordinary conditions, while 
some lots were sprinkled with water, and in other lots the roots were cut 
to note the effect of the gas on freshly cut surfaces. The potassium 
cyanide used was 98% pure, and the sulphuric acid was also of high 
grade. 
All stock in these tests was exposed to the gas for a period of 40 
minutes, after which time the door was opened and the room aired for 
10 minutes. The stock was then removed and healed into moist soil. 
Quite a good deal of the apple stock fumigated at the time consisted 
of one year buds, about f-inch caliper, and 4 to 6 feet high. The charge 
used in fumigating this apple stock varied from 1 oz. to 100 cu. ft. of 
air space to 1 oz. to 25 cu. ft., yet even with the latter charge, which 
is four times the strength generally recommended for fumigating nur¬ 
sery stock, no injury was noted, except to the very tender tips, then only 
in a very few cases where the stock had set up a secondary growth. 
About the same conditions governed in the fumigation of the peach 
and two-year apple stock, on none of which any injury was noted. 
Pear seedlings were fumigated also, and in this work the charge ranged 
from 1 oz. of potassium cyanide to 50 cu. ft. of air space up to the 
strength of 1 oz. to 15 cu. ft. The latter you will note is almost seven 
times the ordinary strength, yet we were unable to find a single tree 
that appeared to have been injured by this treatment. 
All of the trees mentioned above, except a few that were injured in 
handling, grew very nicely in the spring and are now in fine condition. 
Trees were held with this fumigated lots without any treatment what¬ 
ever, and as all were planted together in the Spring, a good opportunity 
was afforded for comparison. In no cases, however, did the fumigated 
trees fail to show as good growth or a less healthy condition than the 
unfumigated ones. 
Because of these facts, we have concluded that the injury often at¬ 
tributed to fumigation is due to some other cause. One of the most 
fruitful causes in the opinion of the writer, is the digging of nursery 
stock before it is mature. Stock in this condition is much more liable to 
winter killing, and if fumigated with the ordinary strength of gas the 
tips of the twigs may be injured to some extent. 
In order to test the circulation of the gas in a house filled with nur¬ 
sery stock, some three-year apple trees with a considerable coating of 
San Jose scale on them were put in opposite corners of a fumigating 
house that was 10 ft. wide and about 16 ft. in length. This house had 
only one point for the generation of gas, which was near one side and the 
gas was put in through a small opening at this point. The infested trees 
were first placed in opposite corners of this large room and other nur¬ 
sery stock was then stacked as closely as possible about it until the 
house was entirely full. The ordinary charge of one oz. to each 100 cu. 
ft. of air space was then placed in a single jar as mentioned above. 
There were seven lots placed in a similar manner at diffrent times. In 
three cases out of the seven, living San Jose scale were quite abundant 
when the trees were examined the first of July, and there were a few 
on another lot. No living San Jose scale could be found on the other 
tree lots. 
This is, in the opinion of the writer, conclusive evidence that fumi¬ 
gation will not be effective unless good opportunity is given for the cir¬ 
culation of the gas to all portions of the room. Nurserymen should be 
careful, especially in a large house to set a jar with the proper proportion 
of chemicals so that there will not be more than 5 ft. from the generating 
jar to the farthest corner of the room. Besides this, an aisle should be 
left from the jar the entire length of the room. 
While nurserymen as a rule are careful in their work, some of these de¬ 
tails may be neglected in the rush of the digging season, and the writer 
wishes to emphasize the importance of attending strictly to the fumi¬ 
gation of nursery stock. We are confident that fumigation will not be 
effective unless these details are given careful attention. While our 
experiments appear to prove that fumigation is effective under proper 
conditions they seem also to prove that stock that is properly matured 
is not at all likely to be injured by fumigating it. 
J. L. Phillips, 
Blacksburg, Va. State Entomologist, 
CHARLTON’S NEW GRAPE. 
The National Nurseryman acknowledges the receipt of a fine sample 
of one of Mr. John Charlton’s new creations. This is in the form of his 
new pear “Rochester”. This pear received honorable mention by the 
committee on “New Fruits of the American Pomological Society at 
the Boston meeting.” The pear is of Beurre d’Anjou parentage which 
it resembles somewhat in form and color but it is much earlier and of 
excellent quality. As a plant breeder Mr. Charlton is making an 
impress upon American Pomology. 
THE SPEER GRAFTING MACHINE. 
It is rather surprising that the grafting machine is not more gener¬ 
ally used in this country. Many practical men pronounce it thoroughly 
feasible. Our own experience with the first machine placed on the 
market nearly twenty years ago was most encouraging. In our 
opinion there is no reason why this machine should not be used as 
freely in root grafting apple as mortising machines are employed in 
planing mills. 
Success in root grafting depends upon the opposition of the cam 
between layers of stock and scion. This is the principle, aside from 
this the operation is purely mechanical. In the Speer machine the 
splice is made with a sliding motion of the knife so that the tissues 
are neither torn or bruised. By sorting scions and stocks as to size 
very neat joints can be made. But of course the main point is the 
labor saving and this to nurserymen is most important. We believe 
that E. C. Mendenhall of Kimmundy, Ill., has a good thing. 
Gustavus Legg of Buford, Georgia, died February 16 aged 72 
years. Mr. Legg was not only a prominent nurseryman. He served 
in the State legislature of Alabama in 1878 and 1879. 
