Page 6 



BETTER FRUIT 



October, ipiQ 



Weevil Quarantines in Relation to Marketing Fruit 



By W. H. Wicks, Director Idaho Bureau of Plant Industry 



THE alfalfa weevil (Pythonomus 

 posticus) has caused the states of 

 Arizona, California, Nevada, Ore- 

 gon, Washington, Montana and Colo- 

 rado to place a ([uarantinc against 

 alfalfa infested counties of Idaho in 

 common with the entire slate of Utah, 

 and certain counties in Colorado and 

 Wyoming. Since the beginning of the 

 spread of alfalfa weevil, it has been 

 found in newer sections from year to 

 year, and quarantine laws are being 

 passed by other stales, which laws are 

 more and more rigid in regard to the 

 movement of various products from in- 

 fested sections. Alfalfa hay is the most 

 valuable crop in the state of Idaho. The 

 1917 report of the State Bureau of 

 Markets gives the following figures: 



Alfalfa hay, 1,244,328 tons $18,664,920 



Wheat, 9,0.38,537 bushels 13,557,805 



Oats, 4,548,672 bushels 3.093,097 



Potatoes, 2,636,229 bushels 2,636,229 



Apples, 1,995,000 bushels 1,895,250 



Prunes, 600 cars 360,000 



Pears, 70,000 bushels 105,000 



Peaches, 165,000 bushels 198,000 



These figures show that the apple 

 crop ranks first of all fruits in the 

 state and the total value of the fruit 

 output of the state, at average pre-war 

 prices, amounts to .$2,558,250. In the 

 movement and handling of horticultural 

 products, including potatoes and vege- 

 tables, the alfalfa weevil quarantines 

 play an important part. 



Extent of Quarantine Regulations of 

 Neighboring States. 



Arizona quarantines entire state. 



California quarantines Cassia, Bing- 

 ham, Bear Lake, Oneida, Bannock, 

 Franklin, Power, Payette and Madison. 



Nevada quarantines Cassia, Bingham, 

 Bear Lake, Oneida, Bannock, Franklin, 

 Power, Payette and Madison. 



Oregon quarantines that portion of 

 the state of Idaho bounded on the 

 north by the 43d parallel north latitude, 

 on the east by the State of Wyoming, 

 on the south by the State of Utah, on 

 the west by 113lh meridian west longi- 



tude, and on the northwest by the Snake 

 River. 



Washington quarantines all counties 

 in Idaho south of Idaho county. 



Montana includes in their quarantine 

 Cassia, Bingham, Bear Lake, Oneida, 

 Bannock, Franklin, Power and Pay- 

 ette. 



Colorado quarantines Cassia, Bing- 

 ham, Bear Lake, Oneida, Bannock, 

 Franklin, Madison, Power and Pay- 

 ette. 



Upon recent investigation by the 

 United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture Bureau of Entomology, Salt Lake 

 City, represented by Mr. George I. 

 Reeves, being assisted by county agents, 

 evidence has been produced resulting in 

 the repealing of county quarantines in 

 Idaho. This action has been olTicially 

 recorded as follows: 



REPEALING QUARANTINE ORDER NO. 11 

 Pertaining to Alfalfa Weevil 



July 22, 1919. 



WHEREAS, The alfalfa fields of the follow- 

 ing counties of the State of Idaho are infested 

 with alfalfa weevil (Phytonomus posticus) : 

 Bear Lake, Franklin, Oneida, Cassia, Bannock, 

 Bingham, Madison, Power and Payette; and, 



WHEREAS, Said quarantine declares and 

 proclaims a quarantine prohibiting the ship- 

 ment of alfalfa hay and cereal straw as stock 

 food, stock bedding or packing for potatoes, 

 fruit and nursery stock, or for any other pur- 

 pose from or which has been grown in any of 

 the above named counties to the following 

 alfalfa-producing counties of the State, to-wit : 

 Minidoka, Twin Falls, Lincoln, Blaine, Good- 

 ing, Camas, Elmore, Ada, Owyhee, Canyon, 

 Gem, Boise, Washington, Adams, and Nez 

 Perce; and, 



WHEREAS, Recent investigation by the Bu- 

 reau of Entomology, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, has made it appear that in order to 

 make county quarantines effective against the 

 counties of Washington, Canyon and Ada 

 where alfalfa weevil has recently been found, 

 it would be necessary to quarantine also, Owy- 

 hee, Gooding, Lincoln, Blaine, Elmore, Boise, 

 Custer, Lemhi, Idaho and Adams; and, 



WHEREAS, It appears that the weevil prob- 

 ably always occurs from 50 to 100 miles be- 

 yond the point where it is possible to And it; 

 and, furthermore, it has been demonstrated by 

 careful investigation and carefully enforced 

 quarantine regulations in Colorado and Utah 

 that the operations of quarantine orders have 

 proved valueless in preventing the spread of 

 the w eevil ; 



THEREFORE, It is hereby ordered that said 

 quarantine No. 11, issued August 1st, 1918, be 

 repealed and all state quarantine guardians 



Alfalfa hay harvest in Southern Idaho. Alfalfa hay is the most valuable crop in the state. 



and deputy horticultural inspectors are hereby 

 notified that no further quarantine regulations 

 shall be enforced in the movement of Idaho 

 alfalfa hay to any part of the state. This 

 order shall take effect and be in force on and 

 after the 22nd day of July, 1919. 



MILES CANNON, 

 Commissioner of Agriculture. 

 C. C. MOORE, 

 Acting Governor of the State of Idaho. 

 Attest: ROBERT O. JONES, 



Secretary of State. 



It appears that it is only a matter of 

 time when the alfalfa fields of Idaho 

 will contain the weevil and quarantines 

 will necessarily become state-wide, the 

 same as those affecting the state of 

 Utah. States which now have quaran- 

 tines for the above named counties will 

 no doubt revise their laws to include 

 the entire state of Idaho. The market- 

 ing of alfalfa hay and products becomes 

 more difficult as states pass more rigid 

 quarantine laws. The outlet for alfalfa 

 will then be either feeding it to live- 

 stock in the state, or shipping it out 

 into states without quarantine, or in the 

 form of alfalfa meal or similar prod- 

 ucts. 



State Requirements in Moving Products 

 from Weevil-Infested Territories. 



The recent quarantine order from the 

 State of Washington is here given as 

 typical of the intent and purpose of 

 other states which now have quarantine 

 laws on this matter, which show the re- 

 quirements that must be fulfilled in the 

 movement of Idaho products into such 

 states: 



Alfalfa Weevil Quarantine. 



1. Alfalfa hay and other hays of all 

 kinds and cereal straws, excepting the 

 material known locally in Utah as salt 

 grass packing hay, which shall be ad- 

 mitted into Washington, provided that 

 such material be cut only between the 

 dates of October 1 and April 1, and that 

 the raking, shocking, stacking, baling or 

 shipping of this material as a commer- 

 cial product he allowed only after the 

 ma'ximum daily temperature of the sea- 

 son has fallen below sixty degrees 

 Fahrenheit. 



Provided further, that a certificate be 

 required from the Crop Pest Inspector 

 of the State of Utah showing that these 

 requirements have been met, which cer- 

 tificate .shall accompany each ship- 

 ment. Provided further, that no salt 

 grass packing hay shall be held over in 

 the field from one season to another. 

 The use of salt grass hay as a packing 

 material in shipments of fruit, crockery 

 and other materials is permitted, pro- 

 vided said salt grass hay has been cut 

 and removed from the field between 

 October 1 and April 1 as above speci- 

 fied and stored in warehouses removed 

 from alfalfa fields, alfalfa hay or other 

 suspected materials. 



2. Fresh fruits and vegetables, ex- 

 clusive of potatoes, excepting under the 

 following regulations: 



a. Shipments for Washington to be 

 made only from points designated by 

 the recognized State Pest Inspection 

 Officers of the State shipping into Wash- 

 ington, said officers to notify the De- 



