352 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY |Vol. 14 



conditions unattractive t3 the beetles, therefore eliminating if possible 

 the chances of their infesting the immediate surroundings of nurseries 

 and greenhouses. 



Regarding the matter of farm and garden produce, as said before 

 these are restricted only from June 15 to November 1, and during that 

 period certification is required of all farm produce passing out of the 

 quarantined area. Farms within the quarantined district but outside 

 the actually infested section are given blanket permits, good until con- 

 ditions warrant inspection of their produce. Throughout the past 

 season hay was forbidden shipment altogether from the infested zone, 

 as it is impossible to certify a quantity of hay and say that it is free 

 from infestation. All sweet or sugar corn carried out was inspected, 

 this crop is the mDst likely of any garden produce to harbor beetles in- 

 asmuch as the beetles are attracted to it and work their way beneath 

 the husks at the silk end. This past summer, 2,137 baskets of com 

 were examined and 846 beetles found, a considerable amount of this 

 com was shipped to points as distant as New York and Pittsburgh. 

 Smooth skinned crops such as apples, pears, peas, melons and tomatoes 

 are very unlikely to be infested if properly handled and graded. One 

 of the principal endeavors has been to get the farmers to take their 

 produce in from the fields as soon as possible after gathering and then 

 generally to regrade or sort under cover, thereby lessening to a decided 

 degree, the possibilities of the beetles dinging to the different articles. 



In the case of flowers gathered by individuals and carried from place 

 to place, it is almost impossible to stop this without posting inspectors 

 upon every road leading out of the area also upon every train or trol- 

 ley passing out. In order to warn people unfamiliar with the require- 

 ments, cloth signs were stretched across all principal roads leading out 

 of the infested area, stating that it was unlawful to carry beyond that 

 point, garden and farm produce, flowers, etc., without certification by 

 our office. It is difficult to say just how helpful these signs were but 

 we believe they caused many to hesitate and procure a permit before 

 carr>dng prohibited articles out of the restricted territory. 



The increased area over which the quarantine is in force at the pres- 

 ent time will require a somewhat different method of procedure than 

 that in force throughout the past season but from the experience of 

 the past two years adequate plans are being worked out and put into 

 execution to cover this enlarged area. 



