DANGER OF SPREAD OF GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 7 



filled with the one-fourth grown larvse. Moreover, one shipment of 

 nursery stock from Belgium to Louisiana contained an egg mass of the 

 gipsy moth. ' 



All of this imported European stock was again followed up as far 

 as possible in accordance with the arrangement of the previous year 

 with the customs officers and by agreement with the railroads, and 

 all reported shipments were inspected at their destination. 



Of the shipments of 1910 not less than 291 different lots were 

 found to be infested with nests of the brown-tail moth. These went 

 to the following States: Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Ulihois, 

 Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New 

 York, Ohio, and Virginia. 



BB.OWN-TAII, :niOTH NBSTS OIPOBTED IN 1911. 



As a result of a thorough investigation of European conditions, 

 which win be described later, a much better effort during the last 

 year has been made, notably in France and Belgium, to improve the 

 conditions of export stock, and as a result the importations of the 

 present season of 1911 so far have shown a very notable improvement 

 in amount of infestation. Nevertheless, the imported stock stUl 

 shows occasional infestation, and such infested stock is being widely 

 distributed. The danger as the infestation becomes less general is 

 perhaps just as great or even greater from the very natural lessening 

 of care or greater haste which wiU be given to examinations, and one 

 overlooked nest or egg mass is quite sufficient to establish these pests. 



RECOBDS OF DISTRIBUTION OF THE IMPOBTED mJHSEEY 

 STOCK INCOMPLETE. 



Nursery stock imported by dealers and sent direct in bond to des- 

 tination is probably all reported and subsequently examined. Much 

 of the imported nursery stock is, however, handled by customs 

 brokers or receiving agents in New York, and the different packing 

 cases are so marked that these distributing agents know where to 

 send them, and they are distributed widely over the country, often 

 in bond, without being examined in New York, and often without any 

 record being made of such shipment or final destination. As pointed 

 out by Dr. Howard in his testimony before the House Committee on 

 Agriculture, much of such nursery stock which enters at the port of 

 New York and is thence distributed in original packages the Govern- 

 ment has been able to trace through the courtesy of the railroads, 

 in addition to the regular arrangement with the customs office to 

 advise the Department of Agriculture on the receipt of such stock. 

 Nevertheless, the information gained from the customs office is evi- 

 dently incomplete, as very often the railroad companies report the 

 handling of stock of which no advice has been gained by the customs 



453 



