1648 



INSPECTION 



INSPECTION 



horticultural inspectors and the principal nurserymen's 

 associations, without, however, coming to any agree- 

 ment as to suitable legislation. Finally, in 1908, the 

 promoters of this legislation having become thoroughly 

 discouraged, the project was definitely abandoned, 

 the San Jose" scale in the meantime having been carried 

 on nursery stock into practically every state in the 

 Union. 



The effort which eventually resulted in the enact- 

 ment of the present law was due to the discovery, in 

 1909, of the introduction of enormous quantities of 

 brown-tail moth nests full of hibernating larvae on 

 seedling fruit stock, chiefly from northern France and 

 Belgium. With these were occasional egg-masses of 

 the gipsy-moth. During the years 1909 and 1910, 

 stock infested with thousands of larval nests was sent 

 to no less than twenty-two different states, covering 

 the country from the Atlantic seaboard to the Rocky 

 Mountains. So far as possible, this stock was followed 

 up by state and federal inspectors and the infesting 

 insects destroyed. 



This new danger led the writer in 1909 to draft a 

 national quarantine and inspection bill relating particu- 

 larly to imported nursery stock, and other plants and 

 plant-products offered for entry from foreign countries, 

 but providing also means for quarantining new pests 

 locally established within the United States. This bill 

 promptly passed the House, but was objected to by 

 nurserymen, and was withdrawn with the idea of 

 revising it so as to meet in a satisfactory way these 

 objections. There followed many attempts to draft a 

 measure which would give reasonable protection and 

 be at the same time satisfactory to the nursery interests, 

 and many different bills were introduced in Congress 

 from tune to time, all based on the original bill just 

 referred to. Securing desirable legislation of this kind 

 against a small but organized opposition is a slow 

 process, and the effort instituted in January, 1909, did 

 not reach fruition until August, 1912. The passage of 

 the act was finally much aided by the hearty coopera- 

 tion of Californian interests, due to the discovery that 

 the Mediterranean fruit-fly had become thoroughly 

 established in Hawaii and was likely at any time to be 

 carried by Hawaiian fruits to California, and thus 

 jeopardize the vast fruit development of that state. 



The bill as passed is a compromise measure, and 

 divides responsibility between the federal government 

 and the state authorities. It, furthermore, gives no 

 control over the interstate movement of domestic 

 nursery stock, except as to areas and plants specifically 

 quaranl ined. 



The rcope of this act has been given in an opening 

 paragraph. The system of control of imported nursery 

 stock and a description of the several foreign and 

 domestic riant quarantines and restrictive orders 

 follow. 



Control of nursery stock importations. 



For the purposes of this act, nursery stock offered 

 for entry into the United States falls into two classes, 

 namely: 



1. That coming from countries having an official 

 inspection and certification system, and 



2. From countries which have no system of inspec- 

 tion or certification. 



Nursery stock from the first class of countries, 

 arrives with some assurance of freedom, or at least the 

 responsibility for its condition fixed on some known 

 foreign official. 



Nursery stock from the second class of countries 

 arrives with no information as to its probable freedom 

 from infestation by insects or diseases. 



Commercial importations are permitted only from 

 the countries belonging to the first category, and from 

 countries belonging to the second category importa- 

 tions are limited by regulation and permitted only for 



experimental or scientific purposes. Mail importations 

 are not permitted except of field, vegetable, and 

 flower seeds. 



The following countries have provided for inspec- 

 tion and certification of export plants and plant-prod- 

 ucts in conformity with the regulations under the 

 plant-quarantine act: Australia, Barbados, Belgium, 

 Bermuda, British Guiana, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, 

 England, France, Germany, Guatemala, Holland, Ire- 

 land, Japan, Leeward Islands, Antigua, St. Christopher- 

 Nevis, Dominica, Montserrat, Virgin Islands, Grand 

 Duchy of Luxemburg, New Zealand, Scotland, Union 

 of South Africa, Straits Settlements, Switzerland, Trini- 

 dad, Wales, Windward Islands, Granada, St. Lucia, 

 and St. Vincent; and these include most of the countries 

 which have hitherto maintained any considerable com- 

 merical trade in nursery stock with the United States. 

 Any other country may obtain the benefits of com- 

 mercial exportation by providing for the proper inspec- 

 tion and certification of exported stock. The Italian 

 government has indicated that the Province of Padua 

 will certify export nursery stock, and a national law 

 has been passed with the object of ultimately meeting 

 for the country as a whole the requirements of the plant- 

 quarantine act. 



The federal act has very greatly stimulated those 

 foreign countries which have considerable commercial 

 trade in plants with the United States to do better 

 work of inspection and to provide suitable legislation 

 and officers to meet the requirements of the act. 



The United States is no longer a dumping-ground 

 for any sort of infested and diseased stock. Brown-tail 

 moth and gipsy-moth infestation has practically ceased, 

 insect infestation by any important pest is rare, and 

 the general condition of the stock has been very much 

 improved. 



In general explanation of the federal powers in rela- 

 tion to the importation of nursery stock, it may be 

 said that these powers relate (1) to the issuance of 

 permits for the importation of nursery stock, (2) the 

 provision for foreign inspection and certification as a 

 condition of entry, and (3) the distribution to the 

 several state inspectors of exact information in regard 

 to the origin, arrival, and destination of the imported 

 stock. 



To the several states is left the entire responsibility 

 for the inspection at destination of commercial impor- 

 tations of nursery stock, and, if this inspection is not 

 done by state inspectors, there is nothing in the federal 

 law to make good this neglect. Most of the states have 

 made fairly adequate provision for such inspection, 

 and this inspection, as shown by the pests intercepted 

 and destroyed, has been of tremendous value. 



Foreign plant quarantines. 



Under the provisions of Section 7 of the plant-quar- 

 antine act, the following foreign plant-quarantines have 

 been established: 



White pine blister-rust. This is Quarantine No. 1, 

 promulgated September 16, 1912, and amended and 

 superseded by Quarantine No. 7, promulgated May 

 21, 1913. This quarantine was drawn to prevent the 

 introduction into the United States of the white pine 

 blister-rust, and forbids the importation into the 

 United States from each and every country of Europe 

 and Asia of all five-leafed pines. 



Potato wart. This is Quarantine No. 3, promulgated 

 September 20, 1912, to prevent the introduction into 

 the United States of the disease known as "potato 

 wart," "potato canker," "black scab," and the like, 

 and forbids the importation into the United States 

 from the countries of Newfoundland, the islands of 

 St. Pierre and Miquelon, Great Britain and Ireland, 

 Germany, and Austria-Hungary, of the common or 

 Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum) . 



Mexican fruit-fly. This is Quarantine No. 5, and 



