News and Notes. 293 



the term "nursery stock" as used in this act. "Field-grown 

 florists' stock" is all florists' stock which is usually grown outside 

 of greenhouses for all or part of the year." 



The importation of all nursery stock requires (i), a permit 

 from the Secretary of Agriculture; (2), a foreign certificate of 

 inspection — or if no inspection service is there maintained, entry 

 shall be at certain ports and inspection by officials of the U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture; (3), notice of shipment by importers, 

 which involves sending a full description of the importation to 

 the Secretary of Agriculture, and also to the authorized inspec- 

 tor of the state to which the consignment is destined, before re- 

 moval from the port of entry. 



If at any time it is deemed necessary by the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture to prohibit the importation of any classes of plants or 

 plant products from abroad, or prohibit or restrict their inter- 

 state shipment, a public hearing is given for discussion as to the 

 advisability of such a proceeding. 



To date, six such "Notices of Quarantine" have been issued, 

 the first one of which prohibits the importation of White Pine 

 (Pinus strobus h.), Western White Pine (P. monticola Dougl.j, 

 Sugar Pine (P. lambertiana Dougl.j and Stone Pine (P. cembra 

 L,.). This, of course, is directed at the White Pine Blister Rust, 

 Peridermium strobi Kleb. The second Notice quarantines 

 Hawaii with reference to the Mediterranean fruit fly. The third 

 is directed against the importation from abroad of the potato wart 

 disease. The fourth is a domestic quarantine against the gypsy 

 moth in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and 

 Rhode Island, and the brown tail moth in these states, as well as 

 Vermont and Connecticut. The fifth prohibits importation from 

 Mexico of seven fruits liable to be infested with the Mexican 

 fruit fly (Trypeta ludens). The sixth quarantines certain dis- 

 tricts in California, Arizona and Texas on account of two scale 

 insects of the date palm. 



The proposed import duty of 5% on coal tar creosote under 

 the new tariff schedule, is giving considerable concern to those 

 interested in wood preservation. Creosote has always been on 

 the free list, and the proposed duty seems not only at variance 

 with the policy of tariff reduction, but comes at an inopportune 

 time. Commercial conditions in the tar distilling industry have 



