166 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 12 



eaten away, and I know that the hydrocyanic hquid gas must have a 

 much more serious effect than the cyanide. 



Mr. E. R. Sasscer: Hydrocyanic acid is said not to injure cloth, 

 and therefore tent burning is reduced to a minimum. 



Adjournment. 



[Papers read by title.] 



THE WORK IN THE UNITED STATES AGAINST THE 

 PINK BOLLWORM 



By W. D, Hunter, Bureau of Entomology and Federal Horticultural Board, 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture 



Historical 



The protection of the United States against the pink bollworm 

 (Pectinophora gossypiella Saunders) was first seriously considered by 

 the Department of Agriculture in April, 1913, when the writer brought 

 to the attention of the Federal Horticultural Board the strong possi- 

 bility that the pest might be introduced at any time in cotton seed 

 from Egypt or other infested countries. Shortly' thereafter a quaran- 

 tine was promulgated to take effect on July 1, 1913. This quarantine 

 prohibited the importation into the United States of cotton seed of all 

 species and varieties and cotton seed hulls from any foreign locality, 

 except the Imperial Valley in the State of Lower California in Mexico, 

 where the cultivation of cotton is continuous with the growth of the 

 crop in California. In August of the same year an amendment was 

 issued which provided for the entry under regulations, for milling only, 

 of cotton seed from certain additional northern states in Mexico. 



It was soon found that the quarantine against cotton seed and hulls 

 was not sufficient to protect this country for the reason that consider- 

 able quantities of seeds, in some cases as many as 600 per bale, were 

 arriving in lint. Consequently means were taken to regulate the 

 importation of lint and to require its fumigation in vacuum apparatus 

 devised after a long series of experiments by IVIessrs. E. R. Sasscer and 

 L. A. Hawkins. In the meantime the destruction of the seeds found in 

 opening and cleaning foreign cotton was provided for in all mills utiliz- 

 ing such cotton, regardless of their location in the United States. 



It was also necessaiy on account of the oceurrence of the pink boll- 

 worm in Hawaii to place that territory on the same basis as foreign 

 countries in regard to shipments of seed, hulls and lint. 



During all this time, of course, it was not known that the pink boll- 

 worm existed in Mexico. Suddenly, however, on November 1, 1916, 

 specimens of the insect were received through Mexico City from a 



