Evening star., 1925-12-09
Loyalty to Onion Arouses
Foes of Foreign Narcissus

is n friend of mana strong friend.
Thus do we battle for the sturdy
stalwart against the Self-seekin-
snob. for the utilitarian and delicious
against the strictlA 'ecorative.
Referring TO tne hearing that was
held on the subject, the Springfield
Union cites the fact that among Ger
tain persons who attended the DANCE
of insect pests was secuted as ex-
aGGerated and unconvincinc. Be that
as it may continues the Union. the
plea for purely American narcissus
came under a different head and. Il
seems to us. was entitled to kindly
consideration. The feeling in favor
of native grown American bulbs
might well serve as an appeal to the
patriots of the country to rise up and
strike off the shackles of the foreign
Iulbs But IAN embargo on this
class of bulbs" according to the AT
lanta Journal. lis rather serious
thlnS. from the standpoint of many
business men. as the imports annually
reach one hundred million.
To cut off this source of supply might
place American grown bulbs out Of
the reach of most people, and increase
fCriStS' bills in every community. II
is argued. too. that all these pests ex
lst in the United States. in which
florists generally agree, and that IL
serious effort is to be made to prevent
additions, it can best be done at the
points of shipment
Careful handling of the situation
is advised by the Bangor Commercial,
which suggests that perhaps the dis
cussion that is now on will result in q
clGr;fication OF the law ana not permir
OF blanket exclusion which might re
suit in foreign retaliation Two
questions also are raised by the Balti-
more Sun, which states: with the
narcissus fly already domesticated in
the United States. one wonders why
foreign bulbs should be banned and
domestic ones allowed to move with
out restriction. Or. if domestic bulbs
ara tC be inspected and the infected
ones destroyed. why cannot the same
procedure be applied to Dutch bulbs?'
American producers" according Ia
the Buffalo News, desire A han on
the bulbs, vet they are not in posi-
ton to meet the demands that would
fall upon them if the foreign supply
were shut off at this time. In the cir
cumstances, the best thing that the
Department of Agriculture can do is
to serve notice on the growers of Hol-
land and France to see to it that their
bulbs are free of disease" The Phil.
adelphia Bulletin also feels that there
seems to he a strange lack of evi'
tdence that either the narcissus f1y or
! the eelworm is actually likely to men
ace the onion growers. 1t is even
questionable whether the narcissus
| fly and the eelworm are not native 10
America as well as to Europe
! "If any real danger to American
| plant life can be shown in the intro
duction of narcissus bulbs, other than
that OF competition with American
growers, the showing should be quick
ly and incontrovertibly made" de
clares the Columbus Dispatch, while
the Norfolk Ledger-Dfspatch holds
that certainly nothing should be al
lowed to have weight with the De
partment of Agriculture except the
desire to protect the purity of the
bulb" and that unless the embargo
can be proven necessary from that
standpoint it should not be allowed"
"It would be decidedly unfair to the
millions of amateur gardeners in the
United States" concludes the Water
town Daily Times. "for the Depart
ment of Agriculture TO create a mo-
nopoly of American bulbs. If there is
danger of disease the bulbs by all
means should be barred; If it Is simply
an attempt to create a monopoly, It
Is high-handed piece of business.
What TIE public wants to know =
4 tl>> g.. .tss