FEDERAL HORTICULTUEAL BOARD, 633 



The presence of the pink bollworm was not determined in any of 

 the States listed above. The production of cotton on the west coast 

 has not been important hitherto, but in some of the States visited the 

 production is increasing and there seems to be a likelihood of very 

 considerable future development. 



Mexican hrooTncorn. — Requests for the direct entry without disin- 

 fection of Mexican broomcorn grown in the vicinity of Xicotencatl, 

 on the east coast of Mexico, made it desirable to get accurate in- 

 formation as to the possible risks from such broomcorn of being the 

 means of carriage of any pests new to the United States. An ex- 

 ploration of this district in May developed the fact that the broom- 

 corn was more or less infested by a stalk borer apparently new to 

 the United States. In view of the experience with the European 

 corn borer and the fact that such borers attack a large variety of 

 plants and, therefore, with bulk movement, would have opportunity 

 to be introduced and established almost anywhere, it was deter- 

 mined that the existing regulations under the corn borer quarantine 

 could not be modified with safety as to Mexico. 



Under the European corn borer quarantine. No. 41, the entry of 

 foreign broomcorn is restricted to certain ports of entry, now New 

 York, Boston, and San Francisco, and under the further require- 

 ment of steam sterilization. Mexican broomcorn can therefore be 

 entered through the ports indicated, but must reach these ports by 

 water route. 



It may be noted that there are at least three corn borers which are 

 known to occur abundantly in Mexico, and at least one of these, 

 Diatraea lineolata Walk., is apparently quite possible of becoming 

 a serious corn pest, perhaps widely in the United States. The larvi3e 

 collected in the broomcorn at Xicotencatl seem to come closest to 

 this species. 



QUARANTINE INSPECTION SERVICE. 



This service includes (1) inspection and, if necessary, the disin- 

 fection as a condition of entry of restricted plants and plant prod- 

 ucts arriving at various ports, and examination, in cooperation with 

 customs officials, of passengers' baggage, crews' quarters, ships' 

 stores and cargoes, to determine their freedom from contraband 

 material; (2) inspection, in cooperation with the customs and postal 

 officials, of foreign parcel-post packages for contraband material; 

 (3) inspection in the District of Columbia; (4) inspection of plant 

 introduction gardens; and (5) Mexican border inspection (see dis- 

 cussion of this last under pink boll worm, pp. 4, 5). 



Port inspection. — Owing to the large number of foreign vessels 

 arriving at Galveston and the possibility of contraband material on 

 these vessels, an inspector of the board was stationed at that port in 

 February to assist and collaborate with the customs service in the 

 enforcement qf plant quarantines. Inspectors of the board are now 

 stationed at nine of the principal ports of entry, namely, Boston^ 

 New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, New Orleans, 

 Portland, (Oreg.) Seattle, and Galveston. This service is further 

 supplemented by collaborators, either State or Federal, stationed at 

 16 ports of entry in Virginia, P'lorida, Mississippi, and California. 



In addition to the inspection of restricted plants and plant prod- 

 ucts, the inspectors of tlie board have supervised the fumigation of 



