Report on Potato Embargo Considered at a Hearing Conducted 

 BY THE Special Commission of the Department of Agriculture, 

 Held in Washington, December 18, 1913. 



By Clarence Sears Kates, Delegate. 



The hearing was held for the purpose of discussing whether it is pos- 

 sible to safeguard this country from known foreign potato diseases which 

 have been inspected and pronounced free from infestation by foreign 

 experts. 



If deemed feasible, this would be accomplished by placing the potato 

 under the plant quarantine act, which now governs nursery stock only. 

 Otherwise, the alternatives either to exclude them absolutely by quaran- 

 tine or to allow their free entry without any supervision or inspection to 

 guard against disease. Also, to add to the potato diseases already under 

 ban the new disease known as Powdery Smut. 



Those in attendance were delegates from all of the potato growing 

 states — Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, 

 Maryland, Virginia, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Idaho, Colorado — 

 made up of pathologists, farmers, commission men and consumers; also 

 Senators and members of Congress from a number of these states. 



The foreign governments of Ireland, Scotland, England and Dominion 

 of Canada (as well as the nation of Great Britain), Holland and Belgium, 

 were each represented by delegates specially sent to this country for attend- 

 ance at this hearing. This shows the great importance of the question in- 

 volved. 



The United States Government, through the Commission, made it 

 clear at the outset that no consideration of the economic effect of the de- 

 cision could be considered. It was in the same category as the estab- 

 lishment of a quarantine against the human disease of small-pox. The 

 point to establish is — Is there a disease? If so, is it infectious? If in- 

 fectious, is it a menace? If a menace, how shall this country guard against 

 its spread? 



It was established to all present at this hearing that all the above 

 features were proved. Also, that the disease existed in the Dominion of 

 Canada, Newfoundland, Ireland and Scotland, and the continent of 

 Europe. This was proven from the printed reports of the pathologists 

 of the respective countries, and that there was no known preventive 

 or cure of the new disease of Powdery Scab. The United States inspect- 

 ors had noted the old disease of ''potato scab" or "black wart" and the 

 new one of ''powdery scab" in almost all of the importations examined 

 at the docks where potatoes enter and consisting of a very large percentage. 



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