FEDERAL HORTICULTURAL BOARD. 



441 



under consideration by the P'ederal Horticultural Board for some 

 time. Thi.s consideration has had relation particularly to (1) plants 

 imported with earth about the roots or "balled" plants and (2) 

 plants and seeds of all kinds for propagation from little-known or 

 little-explored countries. The large risk from importations of these 

 two classes of plants comes from the impossibility of properly in- 

 specting plants with earth or of disinfecting the attached earth ; 

 and from the dangers which can not be foreseen with respect to plants 

 coming from regions where plant enemies — insect and disease — have 

 been studied very meagerly or not at all. Inspection of such ma- 

 terial is necessarily in the blind, and the discovery of infesting in- 

 sects, particularly if hidden in bark or wood, or of evidence of dis- 

 ease, is largely a matter of chance. The inspection and disinfection 

 of both of these classes of plants as a condition of entry, therefore, 

 is a very imperfect safeguard. 



There has further developed throughout the country a wide interest 

 in this subject, which has manifested itself in numerous reque.sts for 

 greater restriction on plant imports from official bodies representing 

 the State departments of agriculture, the inspection officials of the 

 States, entomological and phytopathological associations, forestry 

 associations, etc. ' 



As a basis for such needed additional quarantine restrictions a pub- 

 lic hearing was conducted at this department May 28, 1918, at w^hich 

 the whole subject was fully discussed with all of the interests con- 

 cerned, including, in addition to those enumerated, both the import- 

 ing nurserymen and seedsmen, as well as the producing nurserymen 

 of the United States. 



There have been no changes in the list of foreign countries provid- 

 ing for inspection of nursery stock during the past fiscal year. A 

 full list of such countries was contained in the report for 1917. 



COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AND NATURE OF NURSERY-STOCK IMPORTATIONS. 



The following table gives the country of origin and the classes 

 of plants and seeds imported during the year ending June 30, 1918. 



Country of origin (Did itatxre of nursery-stock iniportations. 



97335°— AGB 191S- 



-29 



-i,..-.-V. 



