February, '11] marlatt: national quarantine 119 



session of 1-909 they suggested a modified bill.' This was the Scott 

 Bill, with a good many features eliminated, which are believed to be 

 absolutel}' essential to the safeguarding of the country. For example, 

 the substitute bill proposed by the American Association of Nursery- 

 men omitted (1) inspection in the country from which the importa- 

 tion is made; (2) the indication of the country or district in which 

 the stock is grown; (3) provision making the fumigation or disinfec- 

 tion at the expense of the owner or consignee; (4) the provision for 

 placing a quarantine, so far as an}' particular kind of plant is con- 

 cerned, on any foreign district where such plant is known to be infested 

 with a dangerous insect pest or plant disease not now in this coun- 

 try (section 8. of the bill now before Congress); and (5) other sections 

 weakened by the omission of necessary certificates and of penalty for 

 ■counterfeiting or wilfully altering the same. 



It will be seen from these omissions that the substitute offered by 

 the nurserymen was hardly one to meet the emergency and fully pro- 

 tect the country. The important objection of the nurserymen had 

 been met in the omission of examination at port of entry, and it did 

 not seem wise to yield on these other matters vital, in the judgment 

 of this department, to the protection of the country and, at the same 

 time, not necessarily imposing any hardship or restrictions on the 

 importing nursery business, 



• In December, 1909, this nurserymen's bill just discussed was sub- 

 mitted to a number of state horticultural inspectors at their annual 

 meeting in Boston, and, at the suggestion of the latter, two provisions 

 were added which had been eliminated by the nurserymen, namely, 

 that providing for a foreign certificate to accompanj' imported stock 

 (section 2), and also the section empowering the Secretary of Agri- 

 culture to extend the provisions of this act to fruits, vegetables, and 

 other plant products not specified in the act, should occasion for such 

 action arise. A minor amendment was also inserted in the first sec- 

 tion providing that shipments of less than 1,000 trees or other plants 

 may be inspected at port of entry. The latter provision is an imprac- 

 tical one, inasmuch as it would require just as much machinery to 



all kinds of insects and pests. Therefore, American shippers to the markets of 

 British Columbia should see that their fruit and the packages it is shipped in are 

 clean and free from pests of all kinds, otherwise it will be condemned and losses 

 will occur on such unclean shipments." 



This statement shows that the objection to examination at port of entry is largely 

 theoretical, and undoubtedly a larger protection is secured to a country by this 

 method. 



^ Nat. Nurseryman, July, 1909, p. 212, 



