April, '21] SANDERS: HORTICLLTURAL INSPECTION 163 



by those states contemplating new legislation, or changes in their existing 

 legislation. Several states have already adopted this bill wholly, or in 

 part, and experience has proved it to be sufficiently complete and 

 fundamental for all ordinary- purposes. This bill is to be commended 

 to those who are contemplating alterations in their horticultural inspec- 

 tion laws. 



The horticultural inspection service of our states at the present time 

 varies too greatly in efficiency and thoroughness — to such a degree that 

 it is questionable whether it is right and proper in some instances to 

 reciprocate in the acceptance of certificate licenses. These conditions 

 are caused by various inadequacies, some of which could be remedied 

 by greater effort on the part of state officials. 



One of the prime reasons for faulty inspection in certain states is the 

 insufficient financial support whereby an inadequate force of trained men 

 is employed during the inspection period. The fact that one state con- 

 taining a considerable number of nurseries may be so unfortunate as 

 to overlook a serious pest within these nurseries, due to lack of funds 

 for sufficient inspection officials, and lack of time as a consequence, may 

 permit its multiplication and distribution of the pest to other states. 

 The state officials in such cases are not always to blam.e, but much of the 

 blame for these conditions should be placed on the nurserymen of the 

 state, whose lack of interest in their own business welfare, and that of 

 others in similar pursuits, obtains in their failure to secure adequate 

 appropriation to support the work. We have before us at the present 

 time an enormous problem with the very dangerous and serious Gipsy 

 moth, which has multiplied enormously in certain state nurseries, 

 and probably has been shipped to many points within that state and 

 other states. Although this condition is most deplorable, yet the entire 

 blame cannot be laid on the officials who are charged with the inspection, 

 but some of it should be charged to the nurserymen's association of that 

 state, which has shown but little activity in past years in attempts 

 to secure adequate appropriations for the safeguarding of their own 

 interests. 



Moreover, careless systems and methods of inspection, or almost 

 total lack of system, combined with a force of untrained or inefficiently 

 trained and experienced inspectors, has brought about a m.ost deplorable 

 condition in some states. I can speak frankly of the woeful condition, 

 and lack of system and accuracy in the nursery inspection work in my 

 own state, previous to 1917. In this particular instance, it was not due 

 to lack of funds, but to a lack of system and trained inspectors, which 

 served to perpetrate a wholly unsatisfactory and inefficient nursery 

 inspection system. Are there not other states at this time, where, to a 



