45 



To illustrate this point extracts from various letter^ will be 

 given as follows : 



Letter from J. B. Johnston to Wilmon Newell, dated June 29, 1916. 



I would like to call your attention to a recent shipment of royal 

 palms that was sent from Cuba to Mianii, Fla. for use on the Deering 

 Estate. The shipper has been informed that part of the lot was con- 

 demned on account of a fungus on the trunk. I would greatly 

 appreciate complete inforination as to the specific fungus and the 

 nature of the disease for which the material was condemned if this 

 report be true. 



Letter from Wilmon Newell to J. B. Johnston, dated July 18, 1916. 



With reference to yours of the 29th, will say iha,t the report of 

 our Deputy Port and Railway Inspector at Miami shows that on June 

 21 he inspected 3 carload of royal palms from Santiago consigned to 

 the Deering Estate of Miami, of which sixteen were destroyed or 

 badly damaged by a fungous disease. My understanding is that the 

 palms destroyed were so badly damaged by the fungus that it would 

 have been useless to plant them anyhow. 



We have not yet received at this office any specimens from the 

 shipment and I do not know whether any have been preserved or not. 

 From the description which I have received of the trouble, it appears 

 that the palms which were destroyed were useless anyhow and even 

 though the fungus were not identified, their destruction when so 

 badly infected with any disease would have been fully justified. 



Letter from the jSeferetary of the Federal KortLoultural Boaird to the 

 shipper pf the royal palmis, dated July 22, 1916. 



Under date of June 20, 1916, there arrived and were entered by 

 you to W. D. Sturrock, Miami, Pla. ■ under permit No. 587. These 

 plants were certified by the inspection service of your country as being 

 free from injurious insect pests and plant disease. We are advised by 

 Prof. Wilmon Newell, Plant Commissioner, of the State of Florida, 

 Gainesville, Florida, that an examination of the palms on arrival 

 indicated that sixteen of them were badly affected, in fact, practically 

 destroyed by a fungous disease which has not yet been identified. In 

 view of the fact that the destination of these plants is only about forty 

 eight hours removed from Cuba, and certainly not over three days 

 removed from the original shipping poinj, Santiago, it is evident that 

 they must have been in a diseased condition at the time they were 

 shipped. A repetition of shippiijg diseased plants will compel us to 

 cancel all pernjjts to import from you and to refuse to issue further 

 permits. 



