-11- 



necessary for persons who are neither commercial growers of 

 plants, or amateurs who are recognized as maintaining col- 

 lections of real merit, or engaged in research or other work 

 of distinct public benefit with the plants concerned— in other 

 words , the ordinary plant lover who wants the plants for his 

 cwn garden or the adornment of his own estate— to secure new 

 varieties from home sources, and the Department has endeavored, 

 through the means enumerated, to make available such new 

 varieties of plants render methods which involve the least risk 

 to the horticulture and agriculture of the country* 



The status as to public service of the amateur is determined as follows: 



All requests for pe units from amateurs who believe 

 their collections are of real merit, and of distinct service 

 to the public, or who represent that they are engaged in 

 work of general public benefit with the plants concerned, 

 are first submitted tc the Bureau of Plant Industry of this 

 Department for examination and recommendation and the status 

 of the applicants is further determined by endorsements sub- 

 mitted by the applicants themselves or by information obtained 

 by the Department from all available sources* 



The opportuna ty for criticism of such determinations is fully realized, but 

 the Board has endeavored, from the sources indicated, to secure and file data with 

 respect to all applicants which may convince any fair-minded person of the reason- 

 ableness of the action taken* 



inasmuch as the enforcement of the Plant Quarantine Act is specifically 

 placed on the Department of Agriculture, it would seem thay determinations of this 

 sort, involving an appreciation of the merits and service character of the work of 

 any amateur, are best safegxiarded by being submitted for decision to the many plant 

 experts of the Bureau of Plant Industry with their wide acquaintance with- ornamental 

 horticulture, and that such decision should be supported by all available endorse- 

 ment and information obtainable from public sources or from persons closely in 

 touch with the activities of the applicants. The gates cannot be thrown wide 

 open, otherwise, as already indicated, we would have no quarantine and no protection, 

 but it is highly desirable to recognize the important, but fairly limited, class of 

 amateurs who will perform a -public service of real value with the plants imported, 

 and this has been the policy of the Board from the outset. 



DESIGNATION OF HEW VARIETIES. 



Various questions have been asked relative to the determination by the Depart- 

 ment of new varieties for the purpose of authorizing their importation under R egu- 

 lation 14. At the outset the Board undercook to take the word and judgment of the 

 importer as to new varieties. But, unfortunately, it soon developed that some 



