530 ANNUAL EEPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



the annual revision of this quarantine to take account of necessary 

 changes in the distribution of these insects. The extensive clean-up 

 operations along the western border of infestation, combined with 

 the destruction of the egg masses by the severe cold of the winter of 

 1917-18, made it possible to materially decrease the area quarantined 

 on account of the gipsy moth. As was the case during the last two 

 years, it was again not necessary to extend the areas quarantined on 

 account of the brown-tail moth. 



COTTON WASTE AND UNMANUFACTURED COTTON USED AS 

 PACKING FOR IMPORTED ARTICLES. 



It was discovered by the inspectors of the board that considerable 

 quantities of cotton and cotton waste containing seeds was being 

 brought into this country in the form of packing for china, bric-a- 

 brac, and other similar articles from Japan and China. An importa- 

 tion of chocolate from Mexico by parcel post packed in seed cotton 

 was also intercepted. To guard against the possible entry of the 

 pink bollworm with importations of this kind, at the request of this 

 department, the Treasury Department instructed all customs officers 

 to hold all importations packed with cotton or cotton waste and to 

 report the facts to the local inspector of the Federal Horticultural 

 Board at the port where the merchandise is offered for entry, or, in 

 the absence of a local inspector at said port, either to report the ship- 

 ment to the Department of Agriculture or require the importer to 

 remove and burn all such packing under the supervision of a customs 

 officer before entry of the merchandise is completed. 

 SHIP'S BALLAST AS A SOURCE OF INTRODUCING PLANT ENEMIES. 



The attention of the board has been repeatedly drawn to the sup- 

 posed risk of entry of plant pests in ships' ballast. This was especially 

 urged by persons who objected to Quarantine No. 37, and who made 

 the argument that there was a risk from such ballast equal to that of 

 plants with soil. Through the agency of inspectors at the principal 

 ports of entry into the United States, the board has had a careful 

 investigation made of such ballast. It was evident that war condi- 

 tions had very much increased the amount of ballast thus brought 

 to the i^rincipal eastern ports on account of the necessity prior to 

 the armistice of vessels employed in the transportation of troops and 

 supplies returning for the most part in ballast. It was found, how- 

 ever, that material employed for such ballast would seem to involve 

 ver}^ little risk of being the means of introduction of dangerous plant 

 enemies. The bulk of it was found to consist of sand, gravel, b^-oken 

 rock, and even ashes. The soil occasionally employed seems to have 

 been derived from river banks or from excavations for construction 

 purposes (cellar soil) . It was not shown, and it is not at all probable, 

 that valuable garden or field soil is ever used for such ballast pur- 

 poses. The sand and gravel is as a rule sold for building or other 

 construction purposes, and the broken rock and soil have been used to 

 some extent for filling in, and that brought in on Government vessels 

 very largely for fills in connection with Government constructions 

 on the water front. Some of this ballast has been toAved to sea and 

 dumped along w^ith city waste. While there may be a possibility of 

 plant pests being brought in with such soil, it is a very remote 

 one, and undoubtedly such use of ballast will be very largely reduced 

 when normal commercial conditions are resumed. 



