280 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 4 



discovery that the brown-tail moth nests were being brought into 

 this country in enormous numbers on imported nursery stock, the 

 legislative committee of the nurserymen, under the chairmanship 

 of Mr. Pitkin, came to Washington to oppose the bill which had 

 already passed the house and was before the senate for consideration, 

 and would undoubtedly have become a law in due course. The 

 committee made representation that it was not opposed to such 

 legislation, but wished to have the bill amended in certain features 

 to make it meet the needs of the importers of nursery stock. Under 

 the supposition of an honest intention on the part of the committee, 

 to this effect, the chairmen of the Agricultural Committees of the 

 house and senate, respectively, consented to withdraw the bill for 

 such amendment, with the idea that it would be submitted for enact- 

 ment before the next session of Congress. 



The actual attitude of this same committee is shown by the report 

 of the committee, published in the National Nurseryman, for July, 

 1909, page 209. Chairman Pitkin says, "The chairman of the com- 

 mittee called to his assistance Messrs. Irving Rouse, James M. Pitkin, 

 J. H. Dayton, Abner Hoopes, W. H. Moon, and Thomas B. Meehan, 

 and the committee went to Washington and succeeded in killing 

 the measure for the last session of Congress." A draft of a measure 

 suitable to the nurserymen was submitted (same publication, pages 

 212-213). This draft is based on the "killed" measure, but the 

 latter is so emasculated as to very much decrease its usefulness. 

 For example, the substituted bill proposed by the Committee of the 

 American Association of Nurserymen omitted (1) inspection in the 

 country from which the importation is made, (2) the indication of 

 the country or district in which the stock is grown, (3) provision 

 making fumigation or inspection at the expense of the owner or 

 consignee, (4) the provision for placing under quarantine, so far 

 as any particular kind of plant is concerned, any foreign district 

 where such plant is known to be infected with a dangerous insect 

 pest or plant disease, not now in this country, and, (5) other sections 

 weakened by the omission of necessary certificates and a penalty 

 for counterfeiting or willfully altering same. 



With the taking up of the subject of this legislation in the suc- 

 ceeding session of Congress, the same committee of nurserymen 

 was called before the House Committee on Agriculture at Washing- 

 ton, in April, 1910, and a full hearing was given on the meas- 

 ure, nurserymen, state entomologists, and individuals representing 

 agricultural a,nd horticultural societies appearing before the com- 

 mittee. The chairman of the nurserymen's committee, Mr. Pitkin, 

 stated in the pubUshed hearings of the committee (p. 75) : "I am glad 



