14 DANGER OF SPREAD OF GIPSY AND BEOWN-TAIL MOTHB. 



States, of the final establishment of such service. Later the details 

 of the law were communicated to Dr. Howard by Dr. Paul Marchal, 

 who is charged with its execution. 



Dr. Marchal's high reputation gives a guarantee of thoroughness, 

 and a great improvement has actually taken place in the condition 

 of the nursery stock coming from France. The rank infestation of 

 1909-10 has given place to moderate infestation of 1911, but there 

 is still decided room for betterment. 



In England Dr. Howard found that, as in France, there was no 

 governmental nursery inspection. The nursery conditions there are 

 somewhat better than in. France, but the brown-tail moth and other 

 injurious insects which might easUy be imported on nursery stock 

 occur in England. The ofiicials of the Government had the estab- 

 lishment of a governmental inspection service under consideration, 

 and were willing to establish such a service, but stated that the 

 demand for it must come from British nurserymen. An attempt was 

 therefore made by Dr. Howard to get these interests to ask for such 

 service, and, while no action has yet been taken, it seems probable 

 that the English Government will move in this direction. 



IMPORTATION OF REFUSE STOCK. 



The fact that all the continental countries of Europe have enacted 

 very strict inspection and quarantine laws relating to the entrance 

 into their territories of nursery stock, or other living plant materials, 

 operates very unfavorably for this country, where there is no bar to 

 the entrance of any stock, however worthless, or insect-infested, or 

 diseased. As a result, the United States receives, in addition to 

 fairly good nursery stock brought in by reliable importers, a great 

 mass of refuse stock, imported under the worst conditions, massed 

 in vast quantities in large packing cases, at best in poor condition 

 and often diseased or insect-infested. The United States thus 

 becomes a sort of dumping ground for material which could not find 

 sale in Europe. Much of this worst-quaUty stock is that referred to 

 elsewhere as being imported by department stores of our larger cities, 

 and also by unscrupulous nurserymen who are careless of their 

 own reputations and the interests of their customers. 



NECESSITY OF QUARANTINE LEGISLATION. 



The necessity of National quarantine to prevent the general intro- 

 duction of such dangerous insect pests as those discussed in this 

 bulletin, and also of equally dangerous plant diseases, has long been 

 recognized. 



The need of legislation is much increased by the fact that the 

 United States is the only great power without protection from the 



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