﻿THE PINK BOLLWOEM 19 



one in Oakland, Calif. A little later two additional plants were 

 erected at New York City and one at Newark, N. J. Plants are 

 now available at Seattle, Wash., Oakland and San Francisco, Calif., 

 and Astoria and Portland, Oreg. These establishments have a 

 capacity sufficient to handle all of the imported cotton without 

 any special delay. The larger plants have a capacity of upward 

 of 1,000 bales per day. 



The procedure to be followed in the fumigation of foreign cotton 

 is given in an order of the Federal Horticultural Board {19)^. 



Later investigations led to the placing of restrictions on certain 

 kinds of cotton waste, cotton wrapping material and cottonseed 

 products. On April 11, 1916, the collector of customs at Norfolk, 

 Va., telegraphed the board that some 189 tons of cottonseed from 

 Lagos, West Africa, constituted a portion of the cargo of the British 

 steamship Appam, brought to Newport News as a German prize 

 of war. In cooperation with the Office of Markets the board took 

 immediate steps to dispose of this seed, which was found to be 

 infested by the pink bollworm. A provisional sale had been made 

 by the admiralty board to the proprietor of an oil mill in South 

 Carolina. This was set aside as soon as the danger of introducing 

 the pinlv bollworm was explained. After considering a number of 

 methods of disposing of this seed, it was finally decided to have 

 it treated with sulphuric acid and thus made available as a fertilizer. 

 Through the cooperation of one of the largest manufacturers of 

 fertilizers this was done with the utmost dispatch. The entire 

 lot of 4,000 bags of seed was placed in sulphuric-acid vats within 

 four days from the time the presence of the seed at Newport News 

 became known to the department. As an additional precaution 

 the tAvo holds of the Appam which contained the seed were fumi- 

 gated with a heavy dose of hydrocyanic acid gas, and the docks, 

 lighters, and trucks, as well as floors and platforms, were thoroughly 

 cleaned of any scattered seeds. 



To guard against the possibility that the pink bollworm had 

 escaped prior to the treatment which has been described, repeated 

 inspections were made later of the cotton fields near Newport News, 

 which are at a distance of about 10 miles. No traces of infestation 

 have been found, and it now seems certain that the establishment 

 of the insect from this seed was prevented. 



DISCOVERY IN MEXICO 



Earlier in this bulletin attention has been directed to the fact that 

 when the (luarantine against foreign cottonseed was placed in 

 operation the State of Lower California, Mexico, was not included, 

 and that subswiuently cottons(;e(l was permitted entry, for milling 

 purposes only, from certain noitiiern States of Mexico. The reason 

 for this was (luit several of the entomologists of (he department had 

 been in norther-n Mexico and had fonnd no traces of infestation by 

 any insects other than those whi<-h are known to occur in the United 

 States. These explorations were made some years previously, how- 

 ever, and it was thought desirable to make new examinations on ao 



• I><-iiiilc<] iriforrri.-itiori .-in Io Uic ;ift i vil IfH of 1lii> I'cdci-ul lli»it iciilliinil MoMi-d mid ils 

 (|iiHrantlric and oilier r«-s( ri'l I vc ordciM .iiirl rcifuljil ions rcliitiiiK li> CDltoii mid cotton 

 pi-odiHrtH, may be found In llH .service und ii'KUlutory aiinoiinciincnls. 



