264 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 6 



The writer considers the most important matter confronting this 

 association is the coordination of the work of the state inspection 

 ojfficials throughout the country in order to accomphsh the greatest 

 measure of success in preventing the spread of insect pests. Doubtless 

 each member of this Association has ideas upon this subject. The 

 ideas to be presented here are offered as a basis for coordination, which 

 at present is almost entirely lacking, for -the accomplishment of the 

 above purpose. 



First. We should make this a more effective organization of official 

 horticultural inspectors by securing the enrollment and active interest 

 of the inspection officials in charge in those states not now represented 

 and furthermore we should make this organisation a center for active 

 cooperation instead of maintaining it primarily for the purpose of 

 holding annual meetings, however helpful such meetings may be even 

 without further activity for 363 days in the year. 



Second. We need a uniform system of nursery and plant certifica- 

 tion. Certificates of inspection should mean more than the destina- 

 tion inspections made in some states show them to mean. Assuming 

 that the nursery inspectors in each state make full reports to their 

 chief of all insects injurious or likely to become injurious found in 

 each nursery inspected and assuming that these records are filed, could 

 not a simple system be devised for furnishing the head inspection 

 official in all other states a sworn statement of the actual condition of 

 each nursery as regards insect pests? If the findings show the nursery 

 absolutely free from insect pests, let the certificate be issued in accord- 

 ance therewith, otherwise I propose that for interstate shipments a 

 certificate be used which will state plainly that the nursery has been 

 found free from pests with certain exceptions filed with the officials in 

 charge of plant inspections in every state in the country, also that the 

 nurserymen accepting and using the certificate has agreed to use every 

 reasonable precaution against including any infested stock. 



In cases where such a special certificate is issued, the nurserymen 

 should be bound to assume his full share of the responsibility in the 

 matter. For example in the case of the Eastern peach borer, certi- 

 ficates might fairly be issued with the agreement that they are revok- 

 able upon the presentation of proof to the chief inspector that such 

 a certificate has been used on a shipment in which more than one 

 susceptible fruit tree in five hundred contained a live borer. Similar 

 arrangements could be made in the case of the woolly^ apple aphis, 

 perhaps providing for special exterminative treatments in this case. 

 The patrons of the nurserymen concerned could well afford to have 

 added to their bills the sHght expense occasioned by such arrange- 

 ments. If all the states having provisions for nursery inspections 



