REPORT OF THE INSECTICIDE AND FUNGICIDE BOARD. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Insecticide and Fungicide Board, 

 Washington, D. C, Se/pteiriber 8, 1923. 



Sir : I have the honor to submit herewith the report of the work of 

 the Insecticide and Fungicide Board for the fiscal year ended June 

 30. 1923. 



Eespectfully, 



J. K. Haywood, Chairman. 

 Hon. Henry C. Wallace, 

 Secretary of Agriculture. 



SUMMARY. 



The insecticide and fungicide board aids the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture in the enforcement of the insecticide act of 1910. This act 

 was designed to prevent the manufacture, sale, or transportation of 

 insecticides or fungicides (including disinfectants) which are below 

 the strength claimed for them, which will not accomplish the re- 

 sults promised, which will be injurious to vegetation, or which fail 

 to comply with any other provision of the act, the purpose being to 

 have labels contain only truthful statements. 



The products regulated by this act are of varied character and 

 used for multifarious purposes. The eflPect of the enforcement of this 

 law is felt on the farm, cattle range, in the orchard, home, school, 

 hospital, and all places where the human race is engaged in the un- 

 ending struggle for supremac}^ over the armies of insects and germs, 

 which at times take such heavy toll of life and property. All classes 

 of people are directly benefited by the enforcement of this law. 



The enforcement of this law has had a marked effect upon the in- 

 dustry' engaged in the manufacture and sale of insecticides and fungi- 

 cides, and each j^ear sees progress in the direction of more truthful 

 labels and a higher standard of quality in the products on the market. 



The industry has made tremendous strides since the inception of 

 this regulatory work and the board is constantly confronted with 

 new problems. Each year sees a new crop of insecticides and fungi- 

 cides. Some represent new manufactures of the recognized standard 

 remedies, but there is always a certain percentage of new theories of 

 treatment represented by these new articles. The board has been 

 busily engaged in inspecting shipments and making tests to deter- 

 mine whether the new remedies really possess the virtues claimed for 

 them. This work necessarily takes time, but the aim is to get conclu- 

 sive results and therefore these tests must be thorough. The boll 

 weevil has probably been the cause of the largest number of these 

 new theories. As the result of the widespread ravages of the cotton- 



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