204 JOURNAL OF ECOMONIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 14 



A few boxes at random are opened, but only a very small portion 

 of the m_aterial is examined. If passed, the immediate transportation 

 customs papers are signed by our inspector and the movement of the 

 material to Washington or, if on the Pacific coast, San Francisco is 

 authorized. 



Delay at the port of arrival or in transit is never due to our inspection. 

 Thus far, all of the special permit material has arrived at New York, 

 San Francisco, or Seattle. At each of these three ports we have an 

 adequate inspection force of competent men. Delay is usually due to: 



(1) A lack of knowledge of customs procedure on the part of the 



importer and a consequent failure to provide for the services of 

 a broker to get track of the goods when they arrive and to 

 make proper customs entry. 



(2) Dilatoriness on the part of brokers and transportation com- 



panies. 



If Washington is the designated port of entry, the material arrives 

 at that port in a custom.s bonded car and is hauled immediately to our 

 Inspection House by a custom.s bonded transfer company. Our In- 

 spection House has the status of a customs bonded warehouse. 

 The material is inspected at once. If it is free from pests and 

 the requirements have been com_plied with, the Collector of Customs 

 is notified and the material is released. Small packages are shipped 

 out at once by our own men in accordance with the instructions of 

 the importer. If the shipm_ent is a large one, it is turned over to 

 the importer's custom.s broker for handling. 



Shipments arriving at San Francisco intended for Pacific Coast 

 points are inspected and released there. In spite of the wild statements 

 frequently issued, no shipment has ever crossed the continent to be 

 inspected at Washington and returned to the Pacific Coast. 



After arrival at destination the plants are grown and propagated by 

 the importer at the designated place for a period of one to five years, 

 as specified in the bond. The length of time specified depends upon the 

 nature of the plants. Gladiolus bulbs, for example, are bonded for two 

 years; bulblets for three; orchids for five. 



As far as is possible, each lot of material is visited annually during the 

 growing season by an inspector of the Federal Horticultural Board and 

 reinspected under field conditions. 



In the lS/-^m.onths in which the quarantine has been in operation up 

 to Decem.ber 10, 1920, 554 special permits have been issued to 273 dif- 

 ferent permittees. The m.aterial imported under these permits is being 

 grown or will be growii in or near 2 14 different towns in 32 different states. 



