70 PROTECTION OF PLANTS — 1924-25 



The steamship companies are very courteous and permit us to look over 

 the ships' manifest, which is a document with an itemized hst of the boat's 

 cargo, for all points in Canada, the United States and other contries, so that we 

 know excactly what is coming in from foreign countries via water. 



We have a much harder task to keep track of what is coming into the coun- 

 try via Rail, as our railway systems have not yet managed to make up a mani- 

 fest for each trainload of produce arriving in Canada and I do not suppose such 

 a manifest would be of very great help, as we have a very long border line. 

 These cars are switched at the border and we would need a very large staff if we 

 had to place an officer at each of the border stations. The transportation com- 

 panies at present have a separate manifest for each car, so that the best we can 

 do at Montreal in regard to the rail shipments is to concentrate on produce that 

 clears customs at Montreal. The bonded shipments for points outisde Mon- 

 treal go through to destination without be'ng intercepted by us. Nursery stock 

 not arriving at St. John, N. B. but at other seaports along the Eastern coast of 

 North America is bonded on Montreal or Niagara Falls for inspection and is 

 intercepted by us. 



All invoices of plant products that clear customs at Montreal, must be 

 certified by one of our staff before the entry is passed. This is an easy matter 

 for the customs brokers, as we are located in the customs building where they 

 pass their entries, so that we have a record of all plant products for the port. 

 We are entirely dependent on the customs officials to block any entries of plant 

 products that have not been certified by one of our staff. A list of plant pro- 

 ducts has been isued to the chief checker so that they are always on the watch 

 for such shipments. 



When not busy with the inspection of nursery stock an inspector visits the 

 railway express sheds where the fresh fruits and vegetables arrive each morning 

 from the United States. 



I believe that it is almost as important to inspect vegetables and fruits for 

 insects, as it is plants; although the inspection of nursery stock receives special 

 attention; and rightly so, as here we might have an insect lurking, waiting for 

 its host plant to put forth its foliage so that it may feed upon it in the spring, 

 and lay its eggs, and thus start an infestation. 



The Regulations covering the importation of nursery stock are very strict 

 and now that they have been in force for over a year, I think there are very few 

 shipments from countries other than the United States which escape inspection 

 by one of the members of the Department. 



During last summer, it was found advisable to permit the importation 

 of nursery stock through the mail from all countries other than the United 

 States, as people were handicapped who wanted to import nursery stock in small 

 quantities. The minimum freight and express rates on small quantities were so 

 high, that the transportation charges were perhaps in some cases, five times the 

 actual value of the goods. In order to cope with this matter, a new clause was 

 inserted in the Regulations permitting the importation of nursery stock through 



