136 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 84 



On the 5th of February, 1898, Germany suddenly placed an em- 

 bargo on the importation of all American fruits and fruit plants. Ger- 

 many was followed by nearly every European country ; and other 

 countries of the world followed suit. There was great consternation 

 in official circles in Washington when Germany's action became 

 known. President McKinley called in his Secretary of State, Judge 

 Wm. R. Day, and they puzzled about the reasons. Had it been done 

 in retaliation for the action of the American government in regard 

 to trichinized pork from Gennany? At all events, they decided it 

 must be looked into at once, and the Secretary of State cabled to 

 Ambassador Andrew D. White at Berlin to find out the cause of the 

 apparently unfriendly action on the part of the German government. 

 Ambassador White called on the German Minister of Foreign 

 Afifairs, Von Biilow, who smiled and sent for a pamphlet which 

 proved to be a bulletin on the San Jose scale that had just been pub- 

 lished in Washington and of which a copy had ijeen transmitted to 

 Berlin by the Scientific Attache of the German Embassy in Washing- 

 ton. Ambassador White cabled back to the Secretary of State : and 

 the Secretary of Agriculture, James Wilson, was immediately brought 

 into the discussion. 



Not only did this action on the part of foreign governments em- 

 phasize tremendously the importance of action for self-protection on 

 the part of the American government, but incidentally it called atten- 

 tion to the importance of the policy of establishing scientific attaches 

 at foreign capitals.' 



I remember an attempt to draft a satisfactory bill modifying 

 the bill drawn up by the convention of March 5, 1897, which was 

 made by the Hon. (jilbert N. Haugen and myself at his rooms 

 in the old St. James Hotel. Mr. A. E. Ingram (later of the Consular 

 Service but at that time a stenograjiher in the Bureau of Entomology) 

 acted as assistant. This was the bill, I think, covering both interstate 

 commerce in domestic stock and the protection of entry of foreign 

 stock that was introduced by Mr. Wadsworth, then Chairman of the 

 Agricultural Committee of the House, December 4. 1899 (H. R. 96), 

 and on February 12, 1900, was re]x)rted to the House by Mr. Haugen 

 with amendments from the committee. 



This bill thereafter was reintroduced at dififerent sessions of Con- 

 gress. It led a precarious existence. The opposition of importing 

 nurserymen and the interstate factors involved prevented it from 

 going far. It never reached an advanced stage. In the meantime 



' This latter point had already been urged by Secretary Wilson in his report to 

 the President of the United States in 1892. 



