432 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



bad. Confusion for the nurseryman resulted. In late years we have been 

 engaged in attempting to secure as much possible uniformity in these 

 laws, in which the organization of the National Association of Horti- 

 cultural Inspectors has been of the greatest value. From the first it 

 was seen that the matter of the control of nursery stock was properly 

 a matter for control by the national government, being strictly a matter 

 of interstate commerce. As a result, on March 5, 1897, there assembled 

 in Washington, D. C, a National Convention for the Suppression of 

 Insect Pests and Plant Diseases by Legislation. This convention rep- 

 resented the horticultural and agricultural interests of the entire 

 country. It recommended a measure to Congress empowering the 

 Secretary of Agriculture to establish an inspection of all importations 

 of nursery stock, plants, etc., into the United States, and of all which 

 were subject to interstate commerce, and also drafted a suggestive out- 

 line for state legislation upon the same subject. This proposed legis- 

 lation seems to cover the matter of the inspection and control of insects 

 disseminated on nursery stock, plants, etc., in a most satisfactory man- 

 ner, though some minor points might now need modification. At this 

 convention Dr. L. 0. Howard, entomologist, U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, presented a paper, in closing which he is reported to have 

 said, that it was " his firm conviction that the establishment of such a 

 service at the eastern ports . . . would many times repay the horticul- 

 tural interests of the country." In the next 'Yearbook' of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture for 1898, in a most interesting and valuable 

 article upon the 'Danger of Importing Insect Pests/ Dr. Howard 

 again urged the importance of such legislation. He said: 



The remedy for this condition of affairs is obvious. Laws must be passed 

 establishing a system of inspection of dangerous classes of merchandise, just as 

 has already been done in the case of live stock, and just as has already been 

 done in a partial way by the state of California. The passage of some such 

 national measure as that recommended by the convention of horticulturists and 

 agriculturists held in Washington, D. C, March 5, would seem, from a considera- 

 tion of the facts here presented, to be abundantly justified by the constant 

 danger which threatens our agricultural and horticultural interests. 



The writer is not familiar with the inside history of the work of the 

 committee on legislation appointed by this convention. In any event 

 nothing came of it. The impression is general that the matter at first 

 received the opposition of influential nurserymen. Later, however, 

 when it became necessary for the nurserymen to comply with many 

 and diverse laws to their great inconvenience and annoyance, they 

 evinced interest in securing national legislation on the matter. The 

 chairman of their committee on legislation recently expressed his 

 earnest desire that national legislation might be enacted upon the sub- 

 ject, but after practical experience in presenting the matter to congres- 

 sional committees seemed to feel that there was but little prospect of 



