Evening star., 1947-11-23
Garden Groups
Fight Curbs on
Dutch Imports

Members OF several garden CLUBS
spoke at the hearing held Tuesday
by the Agriculture Department to
determine if further restriction
should be placed upon importations
of foreign bulbs and ornamentals.
Two scientists from the Netherlands
countered arguments that restric-
tions are justified as a sanitation
barrier by pointing out that regula-
tions in Holland are far more strict
than between sections of this coun-
try, and that diseases chargeable to
importation already exist here with
out great prospect of eradication.
About ITS persons attended the
hearing, at which DR.. C. J. Briejer,
chief of the phytopathological serv-
ice of the Netherlands, and his as
sistant, DR.. B. j. Hermans, took
issue with the entire argument OF
the United States departmental eX-
perts, contending that the plant
quarantine system of control is out
moded when living aphids which
are vectors of virus diseases are ever
found in the stratosphere.
The garden clubs adherents par
ticularly contended that Congress,
in its last session, intended to eX-
empt Holland tulips when the word
bulbs" was stricken from the new
section of the plant quarantine act
which gives the Secretary of Agri-
culture broad powers of plant ex-
clusion.
Marshall Plan Discussed.
The protest of the club groups was
based both on charge of unfair
ness to the Netherlands in carrying
out the Marshall plan, in considera-
ton of the fact that the Dutch get
most of their American dollars by
selling bulbs, and also on charge
that domestic growers were seeking
to freeze out foreign competition
and thus make American gardens
less beautiful and more costly.
Mrs. Frank Ball, representing the
Virginia State Federation of Gar
den Clubs with a membership of
5000, said:
Under the Marshall plan are we
going to'be asked to give to Holland
then deny to that country the op-
portunity to earn in trade the very
dollars we are called upon to give
them? Are we going to say to them,
We will cut off any market with
the United States so that you can
not earn living, but don't worry,
we will take care of you through
the Marshall plan?'" She also said
that without imports, American gar
dens in every hamlet and town
would be little more than patches
of brown sage and squaw grass"
Mrs. Robert Ash of the Mary
land Federated Garden Clubs,
which includes 1000 amateur gar
deners, spoke similarly.
1t is a fact, Agriculture Depart
ment spokesmen said later, that
plant quarantine regulations can't
be used for the purpose of imposing
a trade embargo or restrictions, but
must be directed against a definite
disease danger.
Possible Controls.
Greatly strengthened Federal i'm
port controls might include:
Post-entry quarantine, which would
mean growth of all imported stock
under inspection before dissemina-
ton; importing only seeds where
possible, otherwise cutting imports
down to young, smooth stock, not
over 18 inches in shrubs and 80
inches in trees; requiring all plant
propagating material to 60 through
Federal stations instead of the
present State setup with inspection
at destinations; prohibition of en-
try of known hosts of plant pests.
DR.. Cynthia Westcott, noted
woman plant pathologist, speaking
for the National Council of the
Federated Women's Garden Clubs
of America, told the hearing she
had grown imported bulbs for many
years, had studied their culture In
Holland, and could assure any one
that all the diseases and pests of
Holland are present in the United
States. She said that 1t was quite
as possible, if not easier, to buy
dsease-free stock from foreign
sources rather than rely on domes-
tic sources. This was in reply to
arguments of the American Nursery
mems Association for restrictions
on the imports of nursery stock.