PROTECTING AMERICAN CROP PLANTS 83 



impracticable to properly inspect such material here and the certi- 

 ficates of foreign inspectors have proved to be of little or no value. 

 From one of the smaller European countries 1,23G separate and 

 distinct shipments were examined in the past six years and each 

 shipment was found to be infested with one or more dangerous 

 insects. Three hundred seven of these shipments were azaleas. 



3. No system of inspection will prevent the spread of danger- 

 ous insects and diseases. The very best system of inspection may 

 delay the spread and for this reason properly conducted inspection 

 pays, for it may be regarded as a form of insurance. Exclusion 

 of the plants themselves is not always an absolute safeguard, but 

 it is the safest method knowTi and has been adopted in one form or 

 another by practically all civilized countries. 



4. After careful study of all phases of the subject the Federal 

 Horticultural Board decided on a system of limited exclusion. 

 Under this plan the governing principle is to limit commercial plant 

 importations to the classes of plants which have been represented 

 by the plant interests concerned in this country as being essential 

 to plant production ; in other words, the raw material out of which 

 salable fruit trees, roses, etc., are made. To these have been added 

 certain classes of plants, including bulbs and seeds, which could be 

 reasonably safeguarded by inspection and disinfection. 



5. The main features of the new quarantine are as follows: 

 Requires permits and compliance with regulations for importa- 

 tion of lily bulbs, lily of the valley, narcissus, hyacintlis, tulips, 

 and crocus; stocks, cuttings, scions, and buds of fruits for propa- 

 gation; rose stocks for propagation, including Manetti, Multi- 

 flora, Brier Rose, and Rosa Rugosa; nuts, including palm seeds, 

 for propagation; seeds of fruit, forest, ornamental, and shade 

 trees, seeds of deciduous and evergreen ornamental shrubs, and 

 seeds of hardy perennial plants. 



Leaves unrestricted, except in special cases, importations of 

 fruits, vegetables, cereals, and other plant products imported for 

 medicinal, food or manufacturing purposes; and field, vegetable, 

 and flower seeds. 



Excludes all other classes of plants for propagation, including 

 fruit trees, grapevines, bush fruits, grafted and budded roses, 

 forest, ornamental, and deciduous trees, ornamental and decidu- 



