QUARANTINE LAWS AND ORDERS. 21 



apply the law above referred to, as the county commissioner would 

 then avoid all responsibility, even if the diseased stock perished on his 

 hands. This process has the added advantage of preventing the trees 

 from being offered to another orchardist. This advice is given on the 

 presumption that the stock in question contains bona fide disease, and 

 that it should not be planted under any circumstances. The inspector 

 must decide as to the facts, and the law seems to make his decision final. 



Federal Co-operation. 



The writer of this bulletin takes opportunity here to acknowledge 

 the uniform courtesy and material assistance extended by the Federal 

 officials of the coast in the enforcement of the horticultural quarantine 

 regulations. First, in helpfulness is the United States customs service, 

 without whose aid the inspection of foreign baggage and miscellaneous 

 parcels would be most expensive to the State and unsatisfactory. The 

 officers not only keep our quarantine officers informed of arrivals, but 

 they give our deputies opportunity of physical inspection and aid 

 therein while examining packages for dutiable goods. 



When the new policy of inspecting Hawaiian vessels was inaugurated 

 last June the Federal health officers gave the horticultural deputies per- 

 mission to board the boats while in quarantine. A deputy now visits 

 each vessel along with the health officer, thus giving him the oppor- 

 tunity of inspecting the ships before coming to dock. The Public- 

 Health and Marine Hospital Service also gives all possible assistance to 

 the horticultural officials, and throughout the entire Federal service at 

 our maritime ports the spirit of cooperation is manifest, adding effi- 

 ciency to the measures of protection from insect invasion inaugurated 

 by the State Quarantine Officer. 



Squirrel Extermination. 



The Public Health and Marine Hospital Service and the State Board 

 of Health are engaged in exterminating the squirrels of California in 

 an effort to stamp out the germs of bubonic plague. The object of this 

 campaign is to conserve public health, yet the results will be beneficial 

 to fruit growing and farming as well, and in view of its economic rela- 

 tionship to agriculture the quarantine, guardians and horticultural com- 

 missioners of the State are justified in giving non-official aid in every 

 way to the extermination of squirrels. It is hoped these officials will 

 not neglect an opportunity of assisting the State and Federal authori- 

 ties in their efforts to extirpate a pest that is most harmful to our soil 

 interests and dangerous to the health of our people. 



Good Will to Nurserymen. 



After attending a meeting of the Pacific Coast Association of Nurs- 

 erymen, the writer can bear testimony to the good spirit that prevails 

 upon the part of the membership toward the inspection and quarantine 

 laws of California. From a former spirit of hostility to some of the' 

 restrictions upon the transportation of nursery stock, or at best of tol- 

 erance to many of these regulations, there has developed an attitude of 

 cooperation with the horticultural officials of the State. Although the 

 nurserymen are yet in opposition to what they deem unnecessary ordi- 

 nances and rules concerning the handling of stock in transit, their gen- 

 eral views are broad and helpful to the officials, leaving little cause of 



