164 THE MEXICAN COTTON-BOLL WEEVIL. 



LEGAL EESTRICTIONS REGARDING THE BOLL WEEVIL. 



UNITED JSTATES STATUTE. 



The statute, quoted in part below, prohibits the interstate ship- 

 ment of the boll weevil and certain other insects, and provides 

 penalties : 



AN ACT To prohibit the importation or interstate transportation of insect pests, and the use of the 

 United States mails for that purpose. 



That no railroad, steamboat, express, stage, or other transportation company shall 

 knowingly transport from one State or Territory into any other State or Territory, or 

 from the District of Columbia into a State or Territory, or from a State or Territory 

 into the District of Columbia, or from a foreign country into the United States, the 

 * * * boll weevil, in a live state, or other insect in a live state which is notoriously 

 injurious to cultivated crops; * * * or the eggs, pupa? or larva? of any insect 

 injurious as aforesaid, except when shipped for scientific purposes under the regula- 

 tions hereinafter provided for, nor shall any person remove from one State or Territory 

 into another State or Territory, or from a foreign country into the United States, or 

 from a State or Territory into the District of Columbia, or from the District of Columbia 

 into any State or Territory, except for scientific purposes tinder the regulations herein- 

 after provided for, the * * * boll weevil, * * * in a live state, or other 

 insect in a live state which is notoriously injurious to cultivated crops; * * * or 

 the eggs, pupae or larvse of any insect injurious as aforesaid. (33 Stat. L., 1269.) 



Sec. 2. That any letter, parcel, box, or other package containing the * * * 

 boll weevil * * * in a live state or other insect in a live state which is notoriously 

 injurious to cultivated crops; * * * or any letter, parcel, box, or package which 

 contains the eggs, pupa? or larvae of any insect injurious as aforesaid, whether sealed 

 as first class matter or not, is hereby declared to be nonmailable matter, except when 

 mailed for scientific purposes under the regulations hereinafter provided for, and 

 shall not be conveyed in the mails, nor delivered from any post office, nor by any 

 letter carrier, except when mailed for scientific purposes under the regulations here- 

 inafter provided for; and any person who shall knowingly deposit, or cause to be 

 deposited, for mailing or delivery, anything declared by this section to be nonmail- 

 able matter, or cause to be taken from the mails for the purpose of retaining, circulat- 

 ing, or disposing of, or of aiding in the retention, circulation or disposition of the same 

 shall, for each and every offense, be fined, tipon conviction thereof, not more than 

 five thousand dollars or imprisoned at hard labor not more than five years, or both, at 

 the discretion of the court: Provided, That nothing in this Act shall authorize any 

 person to open any letter or sealed matter of the first class not addressed to himself. 

 (33 Stat, L., 1270.) 



Sec. 3. That it shall be the duty of the Secretary of Agriculture and he is hereby 

 authorized and directed to prepare and promulgate rules and regulations under 

 which the insects covered by sections one and two of this Act may be mailed, shipped, 

 transported, delivered and removed, for scientific purposes, from one State or Terri- 

 tory into another State or Territory, or from the District of Columbia into a State or 

 Territory, or from a State or Territory into the District of Columbia, and any insects 

 covered by sections one and two of this Act may be so mailed, shipped, transported, 

 delivered and removed, for scientific purposes, under the rules and regulations of the 

 Secretary of Agriculture: Provided, That the rules and regulations of the Secretary 

 of Agriculture, in so far as they affect the method of mailing insects, shall be approved 

 by the Postmaster-General, and nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent any 

 State from making and enforcing laws in furtherance of the purposes of this Act. pro- 

 hibiting or regulating the admission into that State of insects from a foreign country. 

 (33 Stat. L., 1270.) 



Sec. 4. That any person, company, or corporation who shall knowingly violate the 

 provisions of section one of this Act shall, for each offense, be fined, upon conviction 

 thereof, not more than live thousand dollars or imprisoned at hard labor not more than 

 five years, or both, at the discretion of the court. (33 Stat. L., 1270.) 



QUARANTINES OF THE SEVERAL STATES. 



Quarantines designed to prevent the importation of the boll weevil 

 are now in force in the following States and Territories: Alabama, 

 California, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Okla- 



