248 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [December, 



DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY, 



Edited by Prof, JOHN B, SMITH, Sc.D., New Brunswick, N. J. 



Papers for this department are solicited. They should be sent to the editor, Prof. John 

 B. Smith, Sc.D., New Brunswick, N. J. 



Some Features of Nursery Inspection. The inspection of nurseries and 

 nursery stock, and certifying to its condition as regarding injurious or 

 destructive insects, is a recent innovation in this country, and certainly a 

 very commendable one. It serves, in a measure at least, to prevent the 

 diffusion of the San Jose" scale, and will probably, in future, have a similar 

 effect in checking the spread of some other insects imported into this 

 country on or with nursery stock. There is also this to be said in its favor: 

 the usefulness of the custom will increase each year, because whatever 

 might be overlooked the first or second year will be sure to be discovered 

 later. 



It has fallen upon the State and station entomologists, almost without 

 exception, to make these inspections and grant certificates of apparent 

 freedom from San Jose" scale and other insects, the species of these last 

 varying with different States. Generally, a somewhat sweeping and very 

 indefinite statement is added, to the effect that the stock inspected ap- 

 peared free of all other dangerous (sometimes this is made more sweep- 

 ing and the word injurious used) insects or diseases. I believe, however, 

 the law only recognizes directly specified insects or diseases. 



This certificate is not a scientific document, neither does it deal with 

 scientific investigations, but it is simply a commercial rating of a nursery- 

 man's goods, and enables him to dispose of his stock without question 

 regarding its condition from an entomological point of view; and so long 

 as it enables him to escape being subjected to delay or loss by reason of 

 State laws, he is not likely to concern himself as to its exactness. 



With the entomologist the case is different. True, he does not say that 

 no San Jose scale is present, only that he did not discover any. There is 

 a traditional saying with respect to searching for a needle in a haymow, 

 and while, if the objects in the case were needles and haymows instead 

 of insects, the entomologist would only affirm that he had failed to find 

 his needle, the statement would mean little or much, in proportion to the 

 size of the haymow and the time that he was able to expend in searching 

 for the needle. 



In all professions, of which I have any knowledge, there is a point be- 

 yond which silence is accorded. If a question involves an unusual amount 

 of uncertainty no reply is given, and, as a rule, none is insisted upon. 

 But in the case of nursery inspection silence means condemnation, de- 

 struction of property and financial loss, and an entomologist must have 

 proof to sustain him before he resorts to silence, else he may be prose- 

 cuted for damages. 



