70 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 3 



at home. The indifference of florists and nurserymen in connection 

 with this necessary inspection of forei^ stock is to be deplored, and 

 there certainly is need of a clause in the law, if we have a Federal 

 inspection law governing importations, obliging these parties in the 

 interest of the welfare of horticulture, to notify their various inspec- 

 tors of the arrival of foreign stock which has not previously been in- 

 spected in this country. While I believe we, as inspectors, are not at 

 all unanimous in desiring uniform inspection laws throughout the 

 country, nevertheless if it were possible to have Federal laws support- 

 ing this body in its resolutions, and its members in their work in their 

 various states, I believe it w^ould add dignity to the work and relieve us 

 of much embarrassment. It is almost impossible, with the business 

 interests in a state so antagonistic to progress along these lines, to 

 pass state laws stringent enough to fit the needs of the situation. 



Closely allied to the need of strengthening our work and our posi- 

 tion in the various states is the demand for publishing the proceed- 

 ings of our meetings. This calls for money ; not much, however. At 

 the suggestion of our Secretary I sent out circular letters to all of the 

 inspectors, asking them if their departments or their various boards 

 of control would countenance an annual assessment to this end, and it 

 was with pleasure that I learned from many that they can promise this 

 financial support. Almost all of them from whom I have heard say 

 they are quite positive their various boards will allow it, and some give 

 positive assurances to this end. I trust there are many here from 

 whom I have not heard who are attending the meeting with the same 

 favorable answer to the proposition. 



There are various points in connection with the work upon which 

 I feel keenly, and which I should like to discuss, but our program is 

 a long one, and these various points I have in mind are either on the 

 list of subjects for discussion, or will come up naturally in the remarks 

 following the various papers to be presented. 



Each and all of us come in contact more or less with the apathy 

 or indifference on the part of nurserymen, until their business is 

 affected. I venture to assert that if a copy of our program were sent 

 by each one of you to each of your constituents, asking for some com- 

 ment, or some suggestions to be presented to the meeting, that a very 

 small fraction of your nurserymen would take the trouble to reply. 

 Now, I believe if we had Federal authority behind us, not in the 

 matter of uniform laws regarding fumigation and other details not 

 demanded by every state, but uniform laws regulating our relations 

 to the nurserymen, and the relations of the nurserymen to us, this 

 evil in a measure would be corrected. 



