436 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The only adverse feature, therefore, is the cotton unlawfully 

 planted in zone No. 2 in Texas. Responsibility for possible failure 

 to exterminate the pink bollworm in Texas, should such failure ulti- 

 mately result, must rest upon the comparatively few interested parties 

 who have been responsible for misleading a number of farmers and 

 encouraging them thus to violate the Texas statute. The individuals 

 who have thus planted cotton in violation of the law are known, as 

 also the acreage planted and the probable amount of the crop pro- 

 duced, and, under the State law, they must bear the expense of clean- 

 ing and disinfecting the cotton in such manner as the commissioner 

 of agriculture of the State shall direct. 



TEXAS BORDER QUARANTINE SERVICE. 



The regulation of the entry into the United States of railway cars 

 and other vehicles, freight, express, baggage, and other materials 

 from Mexico and the inspection, cleaning, and disinfection of such 

 cars and freight, etc., have been continued during the year to prevent 

 the accidental movement of cotton and cottonseed from Mexico into 

 the United States. This inspection service covers the ports of El 

 Paso, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Laredo, and Brownsville, and now in- 

 volves the services of 11 inspectors. During the year 25,257 cars have 

 been inspected and passed for entrance into the United States, divided 

 among the border ports as follows: Brownsville, 1,635; Eagle Pass, 

 3,836; El Paso, 6,787; Laredo, 12,999. 



No cars or freight fouled with cotton seed are permitted entry until 

 such seed has been entirely removed. This necessitates, in many cases, 

 the transfer of freight to clean cars on the Mexican side. In addition, 

 as a condition of entry, all cars and freight which come to the border 

 containing such seed are disinfected with hydrocyanic-acid gas. At 

 the beginning of this work this disinfection was only given to cars or 

 freight which had either been found to contain cotton seed or which 

 had originated in regions where the pink bollworm was known to be 

 present. The general presence of cotton seed in cars and freight later 

 necessitated the fumigation of practically all cars and freight enter- 

 ing from Mexico, with the exception of certain cars concerned in the 

 shipment of ore and lumber chiefly offered for entry at the port of El 

 Paso, and which, under arrangement with the importing companies, 

 were thoroughly cleaned of cotton seed at point of origin before load- 

 ing and so certified. 



The system of disinfection of cars and freight with hydrocyanic- 

 acid gas by means of generators placed within the cars has been the 

 best available means, but is unsatisfactory owing to the poor condi- 

 tion of the cars and also to the fact that it gave no security against 

 any insects which might be resting on the exterior of the cars or their 

 motive parts. To meet these defects it seemed highly desirable to 

 provide for the disinfection of cars and freight in specially con- 

 structed houses capable of containing one or more cars at a time. 



The erection of such fumigation houses was authorized toward the 

 end of the fiscal year 1917-18, and plans were drawn, bids secured, 

 and contracts let for the construction of five fumigation houses at 

 the ports above mentioned. The construction of these houses is now 

 well under way. Their size has been adjusted to the needs of the 



