FEDERAL HORTICULTURAL BOARD. 419 



the territory necessitated on account of the changes in distribution 

 of these two insects. This quarantine defines the district in New- 

 England infested by the gipsy moth and the brown-tail moth and 

 prohibits the movement in interstate commerce of plants and plant 

 products and stone or quarry products except in accordance with 

 the regulations prescribed therein. The spread of the brown-tail 

 moth during the year was so slight that it was not necessary to extend 

 the quarantine line on account of this pest. The spread of the gipsy 

 moth was also very limited. 



As in previous years, the cost of administering this quarantine was 

 paid out of the special appropriation for preventing spread of moths 

 granted to the Bureau of Entomology. 



THE PINK BOLLWORM. 



The appearance this year of the pink bollworm enemy of cotton in 

 two important cotton-producing countries of this hemisphere, namely, 

 Brazil and Mexico, has added a new and very serious element of 

 menace to the cotton crop of onr Southern States. 



THE PINK BOLLWORM IN BRAZIL. 



The entry and wide distribution of this insect in Brazil, we are ad- 

 vised, came from the introduction by the Brazilian Government be- 

 tween the years 1911-1913 of some 900 tons of Egyptian cotton seed, 

 W'hich was distributed for planting through the various cotton-grow- 

 ing States of Brazil. The existence of the pink bollworm, a new 

 enemy of cotton in Egypt, was not known to Brazilian authorities 

 and this seed was not submitted to any special inspection or to any 

 means of disinfection, with the result that the pink bollworm has 

 been generally distributed and apparently thoroughly established 

 in Brazil. 



THE PINK BOLLWORM IN MEXICO. 



In Mexico the introduction of this pest as now known came about 

 in a similar manner, namely, through the importation by individuals 

 of a considerable quantity of Egyptian seed in 1911. This seed w^as 

 first planted in the vicinity of Monterey, Mexico, and the seed prod- 

 uct of this crop, undoubtedly more or less infested with the pink 

 bollworm, was taken for planting into the very important Laguna 

 cotton district in north central Mexico. 



The existence of this pest in Mexico was determined by this depart- 

 ment on November 1, 1916, as a result of the receipt of specimens of 

 infested bolls from a planter in the Laguna district. These bolls 

 were supposed by this planter to be infested with the common 

 Mexican boll weevil, but proved on examination by specialists of the 

 department to contain, in addition to the boll weevil, examples of the 

 pink bollworm of India and Egypt. This unexpected determination 

 of the occurrence of the pink bollworm in Mexico was followed by 

 the issuance of an order by this department (Nov. 4, 1916), pro- 

 hibiting the further entry into the United States from Mexico, with 

 the exception of the Imperial Valley, State of Lower California, of 

 all cotton seed, cottonseed hulls, and seed cotton, and bringing under 

 regulation and restriction as to ports of entry Mexican cotton lint 

 of all kinds. 



