184 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



In December, 1911, several meetings of members of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture and persons in- 

 terested were held, and an agreement was finally reached, 

 based on statements by members of the department as to in- 

 terpretations which would be made of certain sections of 

 the bill by which opposition was withdrawn and the bill 

 was enacted by Congress, becoming a law effective Oct. 1, 

 1912. 



Under this law two somewhat different subjects are regu- 

 lated. All nursery stock brought into the United States 

 must comply with certain requirements, and notice of each 

 consignment must be sent to the Nursery Inspector of the 

 State to which it is consigned. In connection with this, 

 power is given to the secretary of agriculture to forbid the 

 importation of plants, etc., liable to bring in wdth them 

 diseases or insects not already widely prevalent in the United 

 States. 



The other point covered by the law is that the secretary 

 may quarantine portions of the United States against other 

 portions, to prevent the spread of insects and diseases, in 

 cases where he may see fit to do so. Both of these parts of 

 the law have such close relations to conditions in Massa- 

 chusetts that it is well to consider them in some detail. 



Imported Stoch. — The importance of examining all 

 nursery stock brought into this country was presented in the 

 last annual report. Most of our worst insect pests and many 

 plant diseases have undoubtedly reached the United States 

 in this way. Despite this, many more yet remain which 

 could easily be added to our list, and it is most important to 

 discover any of these when they are first brought in. Prob- 

 ably a dozen different pests have been found during the last 

 three or four years on foreign stock examined as it entered 

 this country. 



The Massachusetts inspector has kept as close a watch on 

 all imported stock during the last three or four years as 

 funds and information of the shipments available would 

 permit. By the new United States law notice of each ship- 

 ment is sent him, and with the larger appropriation available 

 both of the difficulties preventing thorough work have now 



