386 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 15 



The following interesting interceptions were recently made by Mr. George Com- 

 pere of the California State Department of Agriculture, stationed at San Francisco : 

 Maggots of the Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens Loew., in mangos from Mexico; 

 maggots of the melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae Coq., in cucumbers from Hawaii; 

 and Lepidosaphes auriculata Green, on croton from Hawaii. 



Mr. Lee A. Strong, Chief, Bureau Plant Quarantine, of the State of California, 

 left Sacramento September first for the purpose of studying the port inspection 

 methods employed in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington. Inciden- 

 tally while in the East Mr. Strong visited the Japanese Beetle laboratory at Riverton, 

 New Jersey, and the Bean Beetle laboratory at Birmingham, Alabama. 



Mr. Max Kisliuk, Jr., recently forwarded to Washington a moth which had been 

 collected by a steward of a ship arriving in Philadelphia from Htill, England. The 

 moth in question was collected while the vessel was in mid-ocean and has been identi- 

 fied by Dr. Schaus as the lappet moth, Gastropacha qiiercifoHa Linn. Although this 

 insect is not looked upon as a pest in England, its food plants include apple, plum, 

 pear, hawthorn, blackthorn, willow and sallow. 



Mr. Max Kisliuk, Jr., in cooperation with the post office officials in Philadelphia, 

 intercepted on August 28th a sample package of cotton seed which had been shipped 

 from Brazil. On close examination the seed was found to be infested with the pink 

 boll worm. To further illustrate the danger of importing injurious insects in foreign 

 mail shipments, Mr. Harris Sargent, who is in charge of the Federal Inspection 

 Work at Portland, Oregon, reports that recently a consignee brought to his office a 

 package containing approximately two pounds of cotton which had been delivered 

 by the post-man to the latter. The cotton in question was shipped from Peru. 



The fifteen-car fumigation house at Laredo, Texas, was totally destroyed by fire 

 on July 19th. The fire originated at the oil tanks owned by the Humble Oil Com- 

 pany, which were located nearby and rapidly spread to the fumigation house. In 

 addition to the destruction of the fumigation house, one carload of cyanid, one 

 carload of sulphuric acid, three hydrocyanic-acid gas generators, and necessary 

 acid, and cyanid mixing tanks were destroyed. At the time of the fire there were two 

 empty railroad cars in the fumigation house which were also destroyed. The loss 

 is estimated at approximately $35,000. Steps were immediately taken to draw up 

 plans and secure bids covering the erection of a new fumigation house at that point. 



