April, '21] beattie: operation of quarantine 37 203 



permitted for the purpose only of keeping the country supplied with new 

 varieties and necessary propagating stock. They are not permitted for 

 immediate commercial distribution or for the mere ornamentation of 

 private estates. Special permits are issued to commercial propagators, 

 to amateur propagators and to botanical gardens. The value of the 

 amateur fancier and student of plants and the grower of a special 

 collection to the development of American Horticulture is recognized 

 by the regulations. Every effort is made to discriminate fairly between 

 such cases and those where plants are desired merely as ornaments. 

 Arnong the most difficult cases to handle are those where plants are 

 desired merely for sentimental reasons: roses from the old home in 

 England, plants from the battlefields of France, dwarf Japanese trees 

 in the baggage of tourists, and so on ad infinitum. It is manifest that 

 such applications usually fall without the limitations of the quarantine 

 and cannot be authorized. 



During all this consideration the bearing jon the case of some 40 odd 

 special quarantines and restrictive orders such as the citrus quarantine 

 must be kept in mind. 



When the application is granted a bond is prepared and sent to the 

 permittee with his copy of the permit. This bond he executes and 

 returns to the Board. He is bonded in the sum of twice the estimated 

 value of the shipment to live up to his agreement with the Board. In a 

 great many cases such a bond is unnecessary, but a few plant growers 

 must be forced to comply with their agreements, and it is impossible 

 to discriminate between individuals in the enforcement of the quaran- 

 tine. Public institutions such as botanical gardens are, however, not 

 required to furnish the bond. 



When the plants come from abroad and reach the port of first arrival — 

 which is usually New York — they follow the usual nursery stock course. 

 The importer or his representative files with the customs authorities 

 the usual customs papers accompanied by a notice of arrival and a notice 

 of shipment and asks for customs authority for immediate transporta- 

 tion of the plants to the port of entry (Washington or San Francisco, as 

 may have been specified) . The notice of arrival and shipment are turned 

 over to the Federal Horticultural Board inspectors by the Customs 

 authorities. On that same day, or if the papers come in late in the day, 

 on the next day, the material is located on the piers and examined to see : 



(1) If it complies with the Regulations as to certification and mark- 



ings, and 



(2) If it is free from sand, soil, and earth, and is not obviously infected 



or infested. 



