February, '12] MARLATT: RECENT IMPORTATIONS 75 



PLANT IMPORTATIONS BY THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



In the case of the importations of new stock, plants, or seeds by the 

 Department of Agriculture, all such material coming to Washington 

 is thoroughly inspected by officers of this Bureau, and if need be, 

 disinfected or destroyed. Furthermore, all the lots of material which 

 the Department prepares for distribution are again inspected and, 

 if necessary, fumigated before being sent out. In this way, 750 

 different shipping orders have been inspected for the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry, and many of these lots have been fumigated. 



In the case of the importations by the Department of Agriculture 

 this double inspection and fumigation, with usually a considerable 

 period under quarantine, is believed to safeguard such material and 

 to reduce to a minimum the likelihood of the introduction of new 

 insect pests. As illustrating what may be brought in by such material 

 and which in the case of private importers must often escape detection, 

 it may be noted that more than 20 different pests have been inter- 

 cepted on the importations by this Department, many of these new 

 to this country, and with very unpleasant possibilities. These include 

 such things as weevils infesting seeds, grasshoppers with wild grasses, 

 grain insects, the mango seed weevil, a moth reared from mango seeds, 

 scale insects, aleyrodid species (insects related to the white fly), a 

 peach seed weevil from Siberia, Anthonomus druparium, already a 

 very injurious pest in Europe, and if introduced into this country will 

 probably be even more destructive than the plum curculio; a ceci- 

 domyiid (related to the Hessian fly) on Lotus introduced as a fodder 

 plant; several scale insects; eggs of a leaf hopper in cuttings of per- 

 simmon and peach from China. The latter, judging from its relation- 

 ship to known pests, is capable of very great destruction to all sorts 

 of orchard and ornamental trees. The eggs in this case are inserted 

 under the bark, and to the ordinary observer would pass absolutely 

 unnoticed. 



The record of importations of new pests given above is the best 

 possible argument for the passage of a national plant quarantine and 

 inspection law. 



RECENTLY ESTABLISHED PESTS 



Perhaps the most destructive comparatively new insect pest is the 

 alfalfa leaf weevil, which has already caused tremendous damage 

 in Utah, and threatens to extend throughout the great alfalfa 

 growing region of the middle West. It was evidently brought to 

 this country from Europe on some imported goods, not improbably 

 with the packing of nursery stock. 



