17(1 



Till- AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



May -22, 191. r >. 



INSECT NOTES. 



THE DIFFICULTIES OF PLANT QUAR- 

 ANTINE. 



Si .mi after the establishment of the Imperial Department 

 griculture, some sixteen or more years ago, the subject of 

 preventing as far as possible the introduction "t Insect pests 

 and plant diseases into these islands was taken up, and its 

 importance was repeatedly impressed upon the Governments 

 oi tin- several islands. For several years now laws have been 

 i] force in all the Windward and Leeward Islands and in 

 Barbados having tor their object a regular quarantine system 

 for imported plants. In the same period of time great 

 strides have been made in the United States and inmost 

 other countries of the world where attempt- are being made 



to prevent the introduction oi new pests. These attempts 

 are being made along two lines. One, as in the West Indie-, 

 deals especially with pests of staple crops, having only general 

 regard to insects attacking minor crops and ornamental plant-: 

 while the other line of attempt ha- for its object the intercep- 

 tion and destruction of every pest of all crops and plants, 

 potential as well as actual. 



The total prevention of the entrance of insect pests i- 

 a gigantic task. In California, where perhaps the quarantine 

 regulations are more comprehensive than elsewhere, practically 

 every avenue of entrance for insects is guarded, not only in 

 the case of arrivals from points beyond the continent such as 

 China, Japan, the Phillipines and the Hawaiian Islands, but 

 also from the adjoining States, and from Canada ami Mexico. 



Inspectors employed for the purpose not only have the 

 right, but are required by law to .search freight and express 

 parcel-, and also pas-enger.-' baggage and hand baggage for 

 all plant material, infected material; and all fruits and other 

 plants, seeds and cutting- arriving from any port or place 

 from which the importation of plants is prohibited, are confis 

 rated and destroyed. This inspection does not, or did not. 

 extend to material forwarded through the post, and here l- 

 the weak link which may decide the strength of the chain 



In a recent Dumber of the Monthly Bulletin of the State 

 Commission of Horticulture (Vol. Ill, No. 11. p. 465), 

 Mr. Frederick Maskew, who is in charge of the administration 

 ol l he plant quarantine law, publishes a short article entitled 

 'A Leak in Our Quarantine'. Here it is shown that in spite 



of great progress and an increased Staff, there exists a great 



dangei of serious pests of important crops being introduced 



ih tile mails, which are immune from quarantine 



inspection. It is stated that cotton is a very pr ising crop 



for the State oi i alifornia with a wide area suitable for its 

 its, which at present is free from the pests of this 



crop. It is hoped to 1 p 0U1 such important pests as the 



boll weevil and the pink boll worm, but the danger of their 

 introduction is shown by the fact that cotton bolls and 



i-ott i. seed have been sen; int.. the State from a district in 



otton belt, and while the chance of these insect- being 

 introduced in that mannci i i.itlnra remote one, it is still 

 possible. The instance cited was that of a small parcel 

 containing a cotton boll and cotton .seed put up as a souvenii . 



Insti notions for planting the cotton seed were included in the 



iner. 



Tin ly to .-how how simply the 



work of experts and the expense and organization directed 

 coward prevention might be entirely brought to naught. 



In the Lesser Antilles, the provision for preventing 



introduction of new pests i- necessarily adapted to the 

 resources of these small communities Is is not pi >1< to 



employ in each island a start' of trained entomologists, 

 Sufficient in number to make possible the careful inspection 

 of all freight, parcels, baggage and hand baggage, and it is 

 not desired to interfere with trade by imposing unnecessary 



restrictions on the conditions of trade and travel. 



It is hoped that the means employed will greatly reduce 

 the chances of new pests being introduced, and it is quite 

 pos-ible that they may answer the purpose as well as more 



elaborate Bind more expensive methods. Each community will 



of course lie specially interested in excluding the pests of its 

 principal crop. Thus in all the islands where cotton is 

 grown, the importation of cotton «vd from any point where 

 the cotton boll weevil is known or believed to occur is pro- 

 hibited except in small quantities tor experimental purpi 

 with government sanction. 



This precaution would be useful also in the case of the 

 pink boll worm, which, probably a native of India, is now 

 a pest in Egypt and occurs or is likely to oc^ur in many other 

 plai es 



In Barbados, cotton stainer* do not occur, and the desire 

 to prevent the introduction of these insects has resulted in 

 a law which provides that all cotton seed imported for the 

 extraction of oil shall be fumigated. 



In all these islands a definite attempt is made to destroy 

 scale insects on imported nursery stock and ornamental 

 plants. 



The froghopper and the giant moth borer of sugar-cane 

 are abo pests which have been made the subject of special 

 legislation in certain of the islands. 



Dr. EL T. Fernald, in his address as President of the 

 American Association of Economic Entomologists, at the 

 annual meeting at Philadelphia in December last, said in the 

 course of his remarks 'modern transportation lias rendered easy 

 the introduction of the pests of other countries, and in spite 

 of all the laws, supervisory boards and inspection now 

 actively at work, some of these pests at least are sure to slip 

 in.' This statement together with that quoted in the last 

 number of the Agricultural News, from Bulletin Xo. 186 of 

 the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to the effect that a per- 

 fectly reliable method "t destroying insects present in imported 

 seeds is much needed, will serve to show that the difficulties 

 of preventing the introduction of pests on or in imported 



plants are well recognized. 



It is also recognized that the existing methods of fumi- 

 gation are far from perfect. The degree oi efficiency attained 

 by fumigation depends on the nature of the material 

 fumigated, and the gas used for the purpose, as well as the 

 condition- under which the process i- carried out. 



Plants which cany scale insect- on their leaves and bark 

 ma) be treated with a fair amount of success by fumigation 

 with hydrocyanic acid gas, but it is too much to hope that 



this method will alw iys kill 100 per cent, of the scale insects 

 and their egg-, with one fumigation. Mealy bug- at the 

 roots of plants, -oil inhabiting grub-, and froghopper are all 

 likely tii escape the (nil consequence of the fumigation from 

 the protection the) jet from the soil. Cotton seed is fumi- 

 gated with difficulty, as i- shown b) the report of the 

 Superintendent of Agriculture, Barbados, foi 1912 13, in which 

 it is stated that certain experiment- which were carried out 

 conclusively proved that sulphur dioxide was ineffective 



beyond a depth of :i inches on either side of the tub.-,' 

 i.e., that tin- insecticide has the powei of penetration only to 



a di i |n cotton Seed il i- further stated 



that hydrocyai ic acid gas proved to be even less satisfactory 



in this connexion. Carbon bisulphide, on the other hand, 

 proved satisfactory, but this material is costly, and to a con- 

 siderable extent dangerous to use, 



