260 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 6 



In order to conform to this federal law, we propose to have enacted 

 in Minnesota this winter if it is a possible thing, a much more stringent 

 law" than we have at present. Under the present law the entomolo- 

 gist only inspects nurseries upon request, or when he has reason to 

 suspect the presence of injurious insects, but even in that event, he 

 can only inspect stock upon premises where it is grown for sale. He 

 is absolutely powerless with reference to private individuals, estates, 

 parks, etc. 



Two matters have come to our attention as inspector during the 

 season just passed which are worthy of comment and may have been 

 experienced by officials in other states. In the first instance two or 

 more dealers in a Minnesota city who shipped goods directly from 

 some other state to a patron and, not desiring to advertise the firm 

 from whom they bought these goods, asked us in order that they might 

 conform to the law, to furnish them with a Minnesota certificate 

 signed by the Minnesota official to the effect that this stock was in- 

 spected where grown. This^ request had to be denied, naturally, 

 and we explained to them that the Minnesota official, could have no 

 authority outside of Minnesota, and that their difficulty was purely 

 a trade matter which they would have to arrange for without the co- 

 operation of the Minnesota inspector. 



The second matter to which I refer is of much more serious import, 

 and one of such a character as to call for some discussion by members 

 of this Association. In connection with the affair just referred to, 

 I found that officials in two Eastern states were certifying that certain 

 dealers in Minnesota owned nurseries in the Eastern states referred 

 to. This testimony was signed by prominent officials and the state- 

 ments were, of course, absolutely false. I have since learned that this 

 condition of affairs has come to the notice of other inspectors beside 

 myself. 



The need of properly qualified inspectors is a fact of growing im- 

 portance impressed upon us each year. We have been asked by vari- 

 ous states to recommend or furnish men for inspection services but 

 we are seriously put to it ourselves to get men properly qualified to 

 take care of our own work in Minnesota, and so serious is the situation 

 that we contemplate establishing a special course in our college curric- 

 ulum for inspectors. It is evident that deputies sent among nursery- 

 men must be mature men. It injures our work seriously to send boys, 

 or those whom nurserymen might regard as boys to do this work. 

 Further, no matter how efficient an inspector may be as an expert 

 in detecting injurious insects or contagious plant diseases, if he is 

 not able to discuss methods of spraying, different insecticides and 

 spraying machinery in a helpful way with nurserymen and orchardists, 

 he is hardly acceptable to them as an inspector. In other words, an 

 inspector must be an "all around man. " 



