The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-11-07
BAD FOR WICHITA.
Blow to That City as Nursery
JObbing Center.
The San Jose Scale Is Prevalent
There.
FORMAL ACTION TAKEN
chronological Commissioners
Place Ban on Big Stock.
Garden City Is Also Affected by
the Order.
FORMALACTION TAKEN

San Jose scale, the dreaded scourge
Of the fruit grower. has gained a foot
hold at Wichita, Kan, and in the opin-
lon of the state entomological commits
sion will put Wichita out of business
as a jobbing center of nursery stock.
The stock of the Wichita Nursery
company, estimated by the owner to be
worth from $1,000 to $4,000. can not be
sold, and may be ordered to be de-
stroyed.
The chronological commission of the
state met Friday afternoon at the office
of F. d. Coburn, and the members were
unanimously of the opinion that the
only way to fight San Jose scale eff
fectively is to burn up all the nursery
stock infected or exposed to infection,
regardless of the loss to the owner.
The experts on the commission held
that fumigation is not reliable as
cure for the scale, and that the state
can not afford to take chances. Abso-
lutte destruction of the nursery stock Is
the only sure cure.
The particular case under investiga-
ton by the chronological commission
was that of w. F. Schell. of the Wich-
tia Nursery company, who is so I'M
fortunate as to have his Wichita
nurseries afflicted with the San Jose
scourge. Mr.. Schell is one of the best
was Kansas horticultural commissioner
at the ST. Louis exposition.
s. j. Hunter, one of the state ento-
mologists, refuses to allow the rail-
roads to ship any stock from Schells
nursery at Wichita, on the ground that
the nursery is infected.
Mr.. Schell claims that he has done
his best to free the nursery from in
lection by fumigation and otherwise.
and believes that he should be allowed
to ship his stock. His agents have
taken large quantities of orders for
stock throughout Kansas and Okla
homa and now that the time has come
for shipment, he finds his plans blocked
by the orders of the state entomologist.
In order to give Mr.. Schell a chance
to defend himself. a meeting of the
state chronological commission was
held Friday afternoon. The commits
sion consists of F. d. Coburn chair
man; Walter Wellhouse, secretary;S. J.
Hunter of Manhattan and ]. T. Headlee
of Kansas university, entomologists,
and F. H. Stannard Of Franklin coun-
ty, a practical nurseryman.
The meeting was attended by
number of practical nursery men of
the state, and they all expressed the
idea that no one should be allowed to
place nursery stock infected by San
Jose scale on the market. They de-
clared that it should be burned, and
protection. Prof. Hunter and Prof.
Headlee also expressed the same
opinion.
Mr.. Schen said that he had built
fumigation house, and was willing to
have all his stock fumigated before
being sold. He said that he had seven
or eight thousand dollars invested in
the nursery business, and didn't want
to lose all of it. He also claimed that
other nurseries in the vicinity of
Wichita were infected by San Jose
scale as badly as his. He did not deny
that his stock was infected, but said
that If the commission would let him
sell off what he had on hand, he
would go out of business and never
plant any more nursery stock in the
vicinity of Wichita.
The commission. after hearing
statements from both sides, decided to
leave 1t to Prof. Hunter and Prof
Headlee to draft an additional regula-
ton to apply to such conditions as
are presented by Mr.. Schelps case.
The commissioner further instructed
Mr.. Shnell that he was not under any
of the stock which is now in his nur-
sery until specially authorized to do so
by the commission.
The nursery men say that Wichita
and Garden City are the only two
places in Kansas where San lose scale
is known to exist. They say it was
brought into those by two places by
nurserymen who bought cheap stock
in the east.
It is expected that the commission
will apply whatever regulation it makes
TO all the nurseries of the state If
any of them are found to be infected
with San Jose scale. the entire in
fected stock will be burned, and the
nursery required to move into some
other locality to resume business.