312 MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



these regulations are carried — under legal sanction — is but little real- 

 ized by the general public, or even by those most vitally concerned, the 

 actual growers of cotton. 



It is generally recognized that the principal source of introduction 

 from one widely separated country to another of these major insect 

 pests of growing cotton is through the medium of cotton seed. Foreign 

 countries, particularly Egypt, have demonstrated the truth of this 

 theory, and, profiting by their unfortunate experience, the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, in an effort to keep out the Pink 

 Boll Worm, Gelechia gossypiella, prohibits by Notice of Quarantine, 

 the importation into the United States of cotton seed and cotton seed 

 hulls, and the activities of the inspectors in executing the provisions 

 of this regulation prevents the entrance of the same. 



Fig. 100 is an example of some of the.se activities and illustrates cot- 

 ton found in the baggage of passengers arriving at San Francisco from 

 foreign ports. Cotton seed — as may be plainly seen — was associated 

 with this cotton and as a consequence of violating regulations the whole 

 was confiscated and burnt. The cotton shown in the photograph was 

 collected in small amounts from the different pieces of baggage arriving 

 in one vessel, and is typical of similar findings. 



The importation of cotton into the United States for any purpose 

 whatsoever is controlled by stringent regulations issued by the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, and these regulations are at all 

 times enforced by the United States Customs and the horticultural 

 inspectors. Raw or unmanufactured cotton lint, either baled or unbaled, 

 including all cotton which has not been woven or spun or otherwise 

 manufactured, such as all forms of cotton waste, including thread waste, 

 card strips, willowed fly, willowed picker, picker or blowings, and chum 

 and cotton waste in any other form arriving from countries that do 

 not maintain an official system of cotton inspection must be fumigated 

 before being distril)uted from port of entry. This procedure is made 

 necessary by the presence of cotton seed in such material. Special ports 

 of entry have been assigned for this purpose and all foreign cotton 

 seeking an entrance into the United States is admitted only through 

 such ports. San Francisco is the only port open to imports of cotton 

 on the Pacific Coast of continental United States. 



Fig. 101 illustrates the apparatus used for fumigating foreign cot- 

 ton seeking an entrance into the United States through the port of San 

 Francisco. This consists of a boiler plate cylinder 29 feet long and 8 

 feet in diameter, reinforced with channel iron on the interior side and 

 so constructed that it will support a 25-ineh vacuum for not less than 

 15 miimtes ; provided with two vacuum gauges to register pressure, 

 and steam pipes for raising the temperature if necessary. In the center 

 of the picture can be seen the acid proof generator in which are brought 

 together the cyanide, acid and water used for fumigation and where the 

 hydrocyanic-acid gas is generated before being admitted into the cham- 

 ber. On the extreme left is the pump run by electric power which 

 exhausts the air and creates the vacuum. 



Fig, 102 shows the method of loading the chamber with cotton pre- 

 paratory to fumigation. A rail track runs the entire length of the 

 chamber and small cars fitted to use these tracks are loaded outside. 

 Fifteen bales of cotton is an average load for a car and the chamber 



