BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY. 543 



THE NECESSITY FOR A NATIONAL QUARANTINE AND INSPECTION LAM'. 



As pointed out in the last annual report, the United States is 

 practically the only one of the great nations of the world which has 

 not protected itself by law from such accidental importations of 

 pests of this character. During the winter an inspection law, based 

 upon the permit system, was drafted and submitted to Congress after 

 consultation with the legislative committee of the National Nursery- 

 men's Association. Thorough hearings on the bill were held before 

 the Committee on Agriculture of the House, but, probably owing to 

 a disagreement on certain sections between the Nurserymen's Asso- 

 ciation and the officials of the Bureau, the act was not placed upon 

 the calendar. 



The hope is again expressed that a satisfactory bill may be drafted 

 the coming autumn, and that it will receive the sanction of both 

 houses of Congress. 



In June, 1910, the Chief of the Bureau visited Holland, France, 

 Belgium, and England, in order to look once more into the conditions 

 of growing nursery stock and into the inspection systems in those 

 countries as well. The French Chamber of Deputies failed to pass 

 the inspection law proposed by the ministry of agriculture during the 

 past season, owing to some doubt as to the question of expense. 

 The director of agriculture of France, however, is certain that 

 arrangements will be made in the very near future for the establish- 

 ment of the competent service referred to in the last report. In the 

 meantime, however, Belgium has established a service, under the 

 directorship of Doctor Staes, of Ghent, which promises efficient 

 inspection in the future. The officials of the board of agriculture in 

 London state that the exporters of nursery stock in Great Britain 

 are willing to have an inspection service started, and it seems prob- 

 able that the English Government will move in this direction. 



The insect conditions in the regions of the large exporting nur- 

 series of France, in the vicinity of Angers, Orleans, and Ussey, were 

 found to be very favorable during June, 1910. For some unknown 

 reason it was with the utmost difficulty that a lepidopterous larva 

 of any kind could be found in the north of France — not a single 

 brown-tail moth caterpillar or gipsy moth caterpillar could be found 

 in any of these nursery regions. The mayor of Angers, during the 

 winter of 1909-10, put in force the hitherto neglected police measures 

 providing for the destruction of every visible nest of the brown-tail 

 moth during the hibernating season. It is quite possible that the 

 efficiency with which this work was carried out has contributed to the 

 clean condition of the Angers nurseries the present season. It seems 

 impossible that the condition of nursery seedlings imported from 

 France during the coming winter can be at all like those of the two 

 past winters, but governmental and state vigilance should not be 

 relaxed on this account, since there are many other European insect 

 pests which constitute dangers to the United States aside from the 

 brown-tail moth and the gipsy moth. 



WORK IN BEE CULTURE. 



The work in bee culture lias been carried on as before under the 

 direction of Dr. E. F. Phillips. 



