Januabx 12, 1922 



The Florists^ Review 



35 



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HOW PLANTS CAN COME IN 



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IMPORTING UNDER QUARANTINE, 



Provisions for Entry of Plants. 



In a circular letter under date of Jan- 

 uary 1, 1922, explaining the provisions 

 for entry of plant novelties and propa- 

 gating stock under regulation 14 of 

 quarantine 37, C, L. Marlatt, chairman 

 of the Federal Horticultural Board, in- 

 dulges first in a defense of the embargo, 

 with which the trade is familiar from 

 his previous statements, and then ex- 

 plains the measures providing for the 

 entry of such stock as may be necessary 

 for propagating purposes. Since many 

 thousands of gladiolus bulbs are coming 

 in under these provisions and supplies of 

 plant novelties such as the English 

 large-flowering begonias are obtained in 

 the same way, these regulations are of 

 enough interest to the trade to be given 

 at length here. The provisions under 

 which plants or plant products can be 

 imported are, in Mr. Marlatt 's words, 

 as follows: 



"Under regulation 2 of the quaran- 

 tine, unlimited entry is possible, with- 

 out permit or other restriction, of field, 

 vegetable and flower seeds, and of 

 fruits, vegetables, cereals and other 

 plant products imported for medicinal, 

 food or manufacturing purposes. 



"Regulation 3 provides for the unlim- 

 ited entry, under permit and with pro- 

 vision for inspection, and, if necessary, 

 disinfection, of certain important classes 

 of plants and plant products which can 

 not at present be adequately produced 

 in the United States. 



"Regulation 14 makes provision for 

 the entry, under special permit, of any 

 plant or seed not included under regu- 

 lations 2 and 3 for the purpose of keep- 

 ing the country supplied with new vari- 

 eties and necessary propagating stock 

 as a basis for reproduction plantings 

 which will ultimately make the United 

 States independent of foreign supplies. 



"Regulation 15 recognizes the inti- 

 mate trade relations between the United 

 States and Canada and Mexico, and pro- 

 vides, under permit and necessary safe- 

 guards, for the importation of other- 

 wise prohibited stock from foreign coun- 

 tries contiguous to the United States. 



Entry Under Regulation 14. 



"As already indicated, the object of 

 regulation 14 is to make it possible to 

 keep the country supplied with 'new 

 varieties' and 'necessary propagating 

 stock.' These terms are described in 

 regulation 1 under quarantine 37. 



"A new variety is understood to mean 

 a novelty, i. e., a new plant, variety, 

 strain, type or form, either recognized 

 by the trade as such or so listed or de- 

 scribed in catalogues, trade journals or 

 other publications, or duly and prop- 

 erly certified as such by the originator 

 or introducer. 



"Necessary propagating stock is con- 

 sidered to mean stock of old or standard 

 varieties not available in this country 

 and imported for the multiplication of 

 the plants in question as a nursery or 

 florists ' enterprise as distinguished from 

 importations for the immediate or ulti- 



mate sale of the stocks actually im- 

 ported. 



"The expression 'limited quantities' 

 used in regulation 14 is understood to 

 mean, with respect both to new varieties 

 and necessary propagating stocks, such 

 quantities as will supply reasonable 

 needs for the establishment of reproduc- 

 tion plantings. 



Immediate Sale Prohibited. 



"Inasmuch as the purpose of regula- 

 tion 14 is to make possible the home 

 production of any new plants and of 

 any old varieties of plants not commer- 

 cially available in the United States, 

 the immediate sale of plants thus im- 

 ported is not permitted, but these plants 

 must be kept and utilized for the pur- 

 pose of reproducing additional stocks 



"Quarantine 37 restricts the 

 entry of nursery stock and 

 most other plants and seeds, 

 permitting unlimited entry 

 only of certain classes of plants 

 which it is believed cannot at 

 present be produced ade- 

 quately in the United States," 

 says Dr. Marlatt. "Provisions 

 are made, however, in the 

 regulations under this quaran- 

 tine for the entry of any plant 

 whatsoever for which a rea- 

 sonable need can be show^n, 

 either for introduction of new 

 varieties, or for propagating 

 stock not available in this 

 country, or for any experi- 

 mental or scientific purpose." 



for periods of from one to five years des- 

 ignated in the bond, the period being 

 based on the time needed for multipli- 

 cation or reproduction. No restrictions 

 are placed on the sale of plants produced 

 from imported stock, except that the im- 

 porter will be expected to maintain a 

 suflScient supply to meet his needs. 



"It is expected, therefore, that im- 

 portations under regulation 14 will be 

 by persons who will propagate the im- 

 ported stock as a commercial enterprise. 

 The only exceptions will be the issuance 

 of permits to provide for the needs of 

 botanic gardens, agricultural colleges, 

 experiment stations, and other similar 

 public institutions, and to those few 

 amateurs who are widely or nationally 

 known as maintaining collections of 

 real merit or engaged in work of public 

 benefit with the plants concerned. If 

 such persons arc not known to the ex- 

 perts of this department, they will be 

 required to furnish evidence of their 

 status. Permits will not be issued to 



anyone for the importation of plants for 

 personal use, such as for the mere 

 adornment of private estates. 



Permits Passed On. 



' ' There is no limitation under regula- 

 tion 14 as to the number of permits for 

 different plants or classes of plants 

 which an individual may request, but, 

 prior to the issuance of the permits, the 

 varieties applied for will all be passed 

 upon by experts of the bureau of plant 

 industry of the department, for the in- 

 formation of the board both as to neces- 

 sity for the particular importation and 

 as to the quantity adequate for the pur- 

 pose intended. Plants thus imported will 

 be restricted to the smallest plants as to 

 size and age or to the portions of plants 

 that can accomplish the purpose. 



"The bond required by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture in connection with 

 such special permits was found neces- 

 sary to prevent the immediate sale Jjy 

 some importers of plants obtained por 

 propagation under such permits, it is 

 of the type of bond long used ipr the 

 customs service for similar -plirposes 

 and has not proved a serious bar to 

 plant importations. It is not required 

 of botanic gardens, state experiment 

 stations, agricultural colleges and other 

 similar public institutions. Such bond 

 may be either issued by an approved 

 sureties company or it may be certified 

 by personal bojidsmen acceptable to the 

 department. 



"For the purpose of enforcing con- 

 ditions of entry, inspection, and other- 

 wise safeguarding the shipments, all im- 

 portations under regulation 14 must be 

 made through the Federal Horticultural 

 Board of the Department of Agriculture, 

 but for the use of the individual im- 

 porter. 



The procedure for making importa- 

 tions under regulation 14 is as follows: 



Application blank. Tbe Federal Horticulturnl 

 Board will supply, on request, a form of appli- 

 cation for special permit to import nursery stocli 

 and other plants and seeds under the provisions 

 of regulation 14. This application, under "Con- 

 ditions of Entry," explains the tx>nding require- 

 ments and also tbe conditions of pactiing, in- 

 spection and clearance through the custom house. 

 It also embodies various agreements which must 

 be subscribed to by the importer to safeguard 

 the Importation. The application must be filled 

 out as to ail the informational data called for 

 and must be signed by the applicant, and for- 

 warded to the Federal Horticultural Board. The 

 applicant should also indicate whether the Im- 

 portation la intended for commercial propaga- 

 tion or for a public institution, or is requested 

 by an amateur as defined in a preceding para- 

 graph. 



Permit and shipping tags. If the permit Is 

 issued, the applicant will be furnished with a 

 blanlj form of bond to be executed and returned 

 to the board, and also with shipping instructions 

 and shipping tags to be forwarded with his order 

 to the exporter. With the exception of trans- 

 pacific shipments for western destinations, such 

 shipping tags will be addressed to the U. 3. De- 

 partment of Agriculture, Federal Horticultural 

 Board, Washington, D. C, but will be endorsed 

 with the permit number and name of the Im- 

 porter. Transpacific shipments for all western 

 points entering through the port of San Fran- 

 cisco may be given inspection and clearance at 

 that port in the same manner as at Washington. 



Delivery to board in bond. Material coming to 

 Washington must be turned over to the Federal 

 Horticultural Board by the importer or his au- 

 thorized agent, and In the specially equipped 

 inspection houses and under expert care as to the 

 welfare of the plants, it will be carefully ex- 

 amined by the board's inspectors. If the ship- 

 ment is found to comply with the conditions of 

 entry and to be free from dangerous insects or 

 diseases, it will be Immediately repacked and 

 forwarded, charges collect, to the importer. 

 Shipments for clearance at San Francisco will 



