88 



chances whatever, but must be governed by the condition of the nursery 

 stock in every ease. In innumerable cases the accompanying certificate 

 gave the stock a clean bill of health, when a careful examination would 

 reveal the presence of dangerous pests. Sometimes it would be root 

 borers, as in the case of Japanese orange stock, which passed the 

 State quarantine officer's hands. The commission regards it as a mat- 

 ter of the utmost importance that the inspection of nursery stock 

 should by all means be done at destination of goods, no matter where 

 else they may have been examined. In no other way can the matter 

 be brought home to every community and made a local one, which it is 

 in a very large measure. 



In addition to the nursery stock work, both that coming in and that 

 being shipped out, the fruit-packing houses are watched and all infested 

 fruit condemned and destroyed; also the orchard it came from is traced 

 and inspected and the infested trees fumigated as soon as possible. 

 The fruit packers are not allowed to take boxes, ladders, etc., from 

 infested groves to those known to be free of pests. In these matters 

 the commission has the hearty cooperation of both packers and growers. 



CONCLUSION. 



The system has grown up with the magnitude of the work. Changes 

 and improvements have been made by each of the commissioners who 

 have had it in charge. The law has been changed in some respects; 

 public opinion, which has always been strongly in favor of the work, 

 is now unanimously for it; the courts have lately upheld the law, and 

 the commission looks forward in expectation that Riverside will con- 

 tinue to be, as it now is, not only the largest compact area of citrus 

 groves in the world, but the cleanest of insect pests as well. 



NOTES ON A BRIEF TRIP TO PUERTO RICO IN JANUARY AND 



FEBRUARY, 1899. 



By A. Busck, Assistant. 



Sir: December 11, 1898, in accordance with your instructions of 

 December 10, 1898, I proceeded to Norfolk, Ya., and joined the United 

 States Fish Commission expedition on the U. S. S. Fish Hawk for Puerto 

 Rico. My instructions read as follows: (1) " Make as complete a col- 

 lection as possible of the scale insects of the island, making an especial 

 effort to secure their parasites; (2) to collect and learn as much as 

 possible about other insects in all orders, especially those injurious to 

 agriculture." 



The results of the trip were the collection of between 800 and 900 

 species of insects, together with many spiders and myriapods, most of 

 which have already been determined. It is the object of the writer, 

 however, m this brief report to give simply a summary account of the 

 journey, with mention of such injurious insects as he could collect or 

 learn about. He has appended a list pf Coccidte which he collected 

 and which have been named by Messrs. Pergande and Cockerell. 



