February, '11] marlatt: national qlahantine 115 



Nursery stock for export was found, in many cases, to be grown in 

 the vicinity of hedges and trees infested with the brown-tail moth and 

 gyps3^ moth and other injurious insects not yet introduced into the 

 United States, and no special precautions were being taken by nurs- 

 erymen to prevent the infestation of this stock by injurious pests. 

 The brown-tail moth nests are so characteristic and noticeable that 

 it is only by mere carelessness and inattention on the part of French 

 exporters that they are packed for shipment without removal. 



As a result of the agitation of 1909, the French exporters promised 

 to take all possible precautions, and the French ministry of agricul- 

 ture promised to found a governmental inspection service, but, unfor- 

 'tunately, the Chamber of Deputies failed to pass the inspection law 

 proposed by the ministry of agriculture. As already noted, the con- 

 dition of the inspected material of 1909-10 Avas no better than in the 

 ])revious ye sly. 



The director of agriculture of France, however, continued to urge 

 the need of a plant-inspection service for export nursery stock, and 

 early in November of this year (1910) this department was advised, 

 through the Department of State and the ambassador of France to 

 the United States, of the final establishment of such service. Later 

 the details of the law were communicated to Dr. Howard by Dr. 

 Marchal, who is charged with its execution.^ 



Dr. Marchal's high reputation gives a guaranty of thoroughness^ 

 and a great improvement may be expected in the future in the con- 

 dition of the nursery stock coming from France. 



In England Dr. Howard found that, as in France, there was no 

 governmental nursery inspection. The nursery conditions there are 

 somewhat better than in France, but the brown-tail moth and other 

 injurious insects which might easily be imported on nursery stock, 

 occur in England. The officials of the government board of agri- 

 culture of London, stated that the Government had the establish- 

 ment of a governmental inspection service under consideration and 

 were willing to establish such a service, but the demand for it must 

 come from British nurserymen. An attempt was therefore made by 

 Dr. Howard to get these interests to ask for such service, and, while 

 no action has yet been taken, it seems probable that the English 

 Government will move in this direction. 



Significance of the importations of 1909-10. — It is scarcely necessary 

 to comment on the tremendous danger which the importations of 

 nursery stock of the seasons of 1908-09 and 1909-10 has for this 

 country. The enormous cost of the gypsy and brown-tail moths in. 



^See The New French Plant Inspection Service, by Dr. L. O. Howard, Journ. 

 EcoD. Ent. 3: 499. 



