630 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



In addition to these mail entries, 336 packages of cotton and cotton 

 waste samples were received by freight and express. 



The restrictions on the entry of cottonseed, seed cotton, and cot- 

 tonseed products continue unchanged. 



In March a disinfection plant was put into operation at Portland, 

 Oreg. This permitted the opening of that port for cotton and cotton 

 waste requiring disinfection. Provision was also made for the entry 

 of waste not requiring disinfection at Norfolk, Charleston, Savan- 

 nah, Galveston, St. Albans, Buffalo, Rouses Point, and Portland, Me. 



Cotton lint has been under restriction since 1915 — eight years. 

 The total number of bales entered this fiscal year is 481,396, an in- 

 crease over last year's importation of more than 95,000 bales. This 

 is the second largest yearly importation of cotton lint on record. 

 For comparative purposes there is listed below the importations for 

 the past eight years in the order of the quantities imported : 



Year : Bales. 



1919-20 595, 765 



1922-23 481, 396 



1921-22 386, 803 



1915-16 316, 260 



Year ; Bales. 



1920-21 221, 303 



1916-17 — 216, 337 



1917-18 195, 723 



1918-19 179, 537 



This year's importations of cotton, cotton waste, and bagging 

 total 825,438 bales and make the largest yearly combined entry of 

 these commodities since they were placed under restriction. They 

 exceed the next largest year by nearly 60,000 bales. A tremendous 

 increase over last year's importations is shown in each commodity. 



Disinfection as a condition of entry is required as to the bulk of 

 these products and entry under disinfection is, therefore, restricted 

 to the ports of Boston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Port- 

 land, Oreg., where disinfection plants under private ownership and 

 management, but under the supervision of Federal inspectors, are 

 located. Provision is made under the quarantine for the entrj'^ of 

 certain cotton and cotton waste and bagging without disinfection 

 where, from the origin, condition, or treatment of the material, or 

 its immediate use in manufacture, such entry can be authorized with- 

 out risk of being the means of introducing cotton pests. The pro- 

 visions for such entry without disinfection are fully indicated in 

 the cotton regulations. (For tables indicating, respectively, the im- 

 portations of cotton, cotton waste, bagging and cottonseed, seed 

 cotton, and cottonseed products, see pp. 26, 27.) 



FRUIT AND VEGETABLE QUARANTINE. 



As a step toward keeping certain injurious fruit and melon flies 

 out of the United States, a quarantine has been placed on all fruits 

 and vegetables offered for import except from Canada, effective on 

 and after November 1, 1923. This action was taken following a pub- 

 lic hearing held December 19, 1922, at the department. 



Bananas, pineapples, lemons, sour limes, and grapes of the Euro- 

 pean or Vinifera type, are permitted unlimited entry from any for- 

 eign country under this quarantine, the experts of the department 

 believing that these fruits are reasonably free from risk. No re- 

 strictions are placed on the entry of fruits and vegetables from Can- 

 ada and exceptions are made for the entry of certain fruits and vege- 



