578 



THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



which faction shall collect the Customs duties has caused traffic by rail 

 from all Mexican points to cease. Here, as at all other points of entry, 

 orders to all concerned are to confiscate all host fruits of Trypeta ludens 

 found attempting to cross the line. I found a copy of these orders 

 together with a list of the fruits quarantined, tacked on the wall of the 

 Customs office located midway on the international bridge. A day 

 spent at this point observing what happens to all of those who are 

 returning with their purchases of carne, verdugas and fruita made in 

 the Municipal market at Porfirio Diaz would satisfy the most captious 

 that this avenue of entrance is closed to the fruit flies. 



Laredo is connected by rail with all points in the Republic. Through 

 this port of entry came into the United States the bulk of the com- 

 mercial shipments of oranges from Mexico prior to the issuance of 

 Notice of Quarantine No. 5. The best criterion that a student can use 

 to judge of the effect of this order in stopping all imports of quaran- 

 tined fruits from crossing the line or being locally distributed in this 



Fig. 337. Fruit in tlie municipal marliet at Neuva Laredo, Mexico. (OriginaL) 



vicinity, is the bitter comments of many of those who live or do busi- 

 ness in the city of Laredo. The importance also of confiscating the 

 individual specimens of fruit found in the possession of both through 

 and local travelers is fully realized and put into effect by those whose 

 official duty it is to search for contraband articles both on the trains 

 and on the bridge. 



At Brownsville an opportunity of demonstrating the positive neces- 

 sity of this quarantine order presented itself. During my visit a 

 passenger train arrived from the city of Mexico, the first to come 

 through in six weeks. On the international bridge in company with the 

 Immigration officers, the Customs inspectors and Dr. Fairchild of the 

 Public Health service, I boarded this train and took a part in searching 

 the baggage. Among other things we found about twenty-five oranges. 

 Five of these were found in the hand bag of a through passenger in the 

 pullman coach ; fine, smooth, thin-skinned fruit, without any external 

 blemish, and encased in wrappers bearing the following legend printed 



