February, '11] MARLATT: NATIONAL QUARANTINE 117 



"American-grown Apple Seedlings," states that from twenty to forty 

 million of American-grown apple seedlings are used in this country 

 every year, the production of about a dozen nursery firms. The bulk 

 of the seed used comes from France, and therefore is of the same stock 

 as the imported French seedlings. 



Admitting the necessity for the importation of such foreign stock, 

 it becomes all the more imperative that such stock should be subject 

 to proper inspection and that every possible means should be taken 

 to safeguard this country from the introduction of new plant enemies. 



RENEWED EFFORTS TO SECURE NATIONAL LEGISLATION 



As soon as this new danger from brown-tail and gypsy moths became 

 known, a national quarantine inspection bill was prepared by the 

 writer, in consultation with Dr. Howard, relating solely to imported 

 nursery stock, with the object of meeting the immediate emergency 

 and protecting the country from these two very serious pests, as well 

 as to furnish future protection from other foreign insect pests and 

 plant diseases. The main objection to the earlier bills was avoided 

 by eliminating altogether the subject of local inspection of nurseries 

 or supervision of widely distributed pests — a field which has been 

 taken up efficiently in many states, and is more or less covered in all. 

 In other words, the measure was drawn to apply solely to imported 

 nursery stock and to new and locally established pests. 



This new bill (H. R. 27367) was reported by Mr. Scott from the 

 House Committee on Agriculture in January, 1909, was unanimously 

 recommended by this committee, and passed the House. It was then 

 reported from the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry 

 by Mr. Long, without amendment, and would undoubtedly have 

 become a law in due course if objections to its passage had not been 

 made at this time by the legislative committee of the American Nur- 

 serymen's Association. This committee came to Washington and pre- 

 sented to Dr. Howard and the writer their objections to certain features 

 of the measure, and inasmuch as it seemed possible to adjust some of 

 these objections and there was not time to effect this immediately 

 (as any compromise would have to be again referred to the Associa- 

 tion of Nurserymen), after consultation with Mr. Scott, the chair- 

 man of the House Committee on Agriculture, it was decided to with- 

 draw the bill for that session and endeavor to meet the objections 

 of the nurserymen so far as practicable without materially detracting 

 from the value of the measure. 



This bill, in important features, was the same measure now pre- 

 sented to Congress for action. Its chief divergence from the present 

 bill is that it provided for inspection of imported stock at port of entry, 



