February, '17] SASSCER: IMPORTED INSECT PESTS 219 



The inspection of cotton from foreign countries, on account of the 

 pink boll worm danger was originally carried on at the dock, but 

 after thorough fumigation became obligatory the dock inspection 

 has been discontinued, and reliance has been placed on the thorough 

 fumigation in large chambers which have been constructed by import- 

 ing companies. Large quantities of old gunny sacks, burlaps and 

 hessian, as well as much jute waste and shoddy wrapped in old cotton 

 bale covers are imported. This fact being demonstrated the Board 

 required that all burlaps, which had been used for covering cotton, 

 should be treated before release. 



Special disinfection plants have been erected to meet the require- 

 ments of the Federal Board, so that large importing companies now 

 handle an immense quantity of material in a day. One company 

 has erected two fumigating chambers of cylindrical form, 9 feet in 

 diameter and 116 feet long, through which pass in a single day a large 

 number of bales of imported cotton and other cotton waste materials. 



In addition to the port of entry inspection other phases of activity, 

 such as inspection of samplerooms and receptacles for storage of 

 cotton samples, inspection of warehouses, factories and storerooms in 

 iVew York and its vicinity have been carried out, in order to meet the 

 requirements of the Federal Board attempting to prevent the introduc- 

 tion of dangerous insects and diseases. 



(Numerous interesting lantern slides showing the New York port 

 of entry, the large cargoes of various material to be inspected, the 

 fumigation chambers and plants of certain firms and the inspection 

 of potatoes, were thrown on the screen.) 



IMPORTANT FOREIGN INSECT PESTS COLLECTED ON IM- 

 PORTED NURSERY STOCK IN 1916 



By E. R. Sasscer, Washington, D. C. 



The fiscal year 1916 marked a slight decrease in the amount of 

 nursery stock offered for entry by the five principal European countries 

 exporting plants to the United States with the exception of Holland. 

 Although the amount of nursery stock exported .b}' Belgium, England, 

 France, and Germany into the States during this period is somewhat 

 less than in the fiscal years preceding, it will be noted from the table 

 below that more plants were imported from these countries, except 

 Germany, in 1916, than in 1913 or 1914. 



As the result of State and Federal inspection the following insects 

 have been intercepted during the calendar year: Egg masses of the 

 gipsy moth (Porthetria dispar Linn.) were taken on five different 

 occasions as follows: on beech and apple stock from France, on 



