FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT. 83 



The majority of the states in the iiuion now have laws which pro- 

 vide for Nursery and Orchard Inspection, especially for the former. 

 The passing of these laws dates back to the importation of the San 

 Jose Scale into the Eastern part of this country. It was early recog- 

 nized that this dangerous iiest is carried principally on nursery stock; 

 that is the pest is transferred from state to state or from section to 

 section, on nursery stock although we know that it may be transported 

 for short distances by wind, human agency or by being carried on birds 

 or other insects while the scale is in its larval condition. On this ac- 

 count it was certain that if the San Jose scale was controlled in our 

 nurseries, its spread over the country would be materially checked. It 

 has been the experience with most insect pests on their introduction into a 

 new country that where they became established, providing conditions 

 were favorable, multiplicatiou was much more napid than in their 

 native country. This phenomena is due to various causes, principally 

 the absence of natural parasites and enemies. 



Unfortunately, the laws passed in the various states controlling 

 nursery insi)ection vai-j^ remarkably, both as to their requirements and 

 as to the machinery designated for carrying out the requirements. In 

 some states the nursery inspection is placed in charge of the Econo- 

 mic Entomologist, in other states with the Horticultural Department, 

 in other states with the State Entomologist who is not connected w^ith 

 the State Experiment Station, and finally in some states the work is 

 carried out at the direction of the State Experiment Station or Agri- 

 cultural College Officials. It is easy to see that under these varying 

 conditions we are certain to have extremely variable quality in the work 

 as carried out. I personally hesitate to accei>t as i>erfectly safe the 

 nursery stock insi>ected in some of our states on account of the lax 

 methods in vogue, and likewise on account of the incomiietence and 

 carelessness of the inspectoi'S. Too frequently, inexi)erienced inspect- 

 ors are sent out to do this most important work, — young men who have 

 had but little training in Entomology or Plant Pathology, and who 

 still worse, do not have the work at heart and do not realize the ex- 

 treme importance of careful and conscientious inspection. 



There are now restrictions in some state laws which prevent the en- 

 try of nursery stock within its bounds which has not been fumigated. 

 Other states require no fumigation of stock except where they have 

 reason to believe tliat it is infested. While in other states, I am sorry 

 to say, we have no inspection at all. The United States Bureau of En- 

 tomology rather recently published a resume of the various require- 

 ments to be comi>lied Avith by shippers of nursery stock in the various 

 states. In glancing over these requirements one is astonished by their 

 variety and variance. 



What is the remedy for this condition of affairs? We hear much in 

 this day regarding ''State's Rights" in various methods. To a certain 

 extent it is possible that states have certain rights which should not be 

 violated or curtailed by the Federal Government, but I believe that the 

 solution of the Nursery Insi>ection problem for the United States is in 

 the obtaining of as nearly uniform inspection laws in the various states 

 as is possible. I believe that the inspection work in the states should 

 be under the control of the Secretary of Agriculture, who should grant 

 certificates to the various nurseries in the various states after thorough 



