THIRTY-FOURTH FRUIT-GROWERS CONVENTION. 



1^5 



fied us that hereafter, if we wanted to see any plants coming through 

 the United States mail, we would have to wait until the plants were 

 delivered to the consignees. The trouble is that the authorities at 

 Washington don't vicAv these things as do the people of California. 

 It is a very hard matter to get the authorities at Washington to act. 

 I would like ^Ir. Fowler to know that this matter has been carried up 

 to headquarters and representatives in Congress have been seen about it, 

 also leading men in Washington City. We have this letter from Mr. 

 Wilson, stating that he would dislike very much to see any restriction 

 put upon the free iuterchange of plants through the United States 

 mails. Until they do see it, we will be at a disadvantage. I Avill say 

 that we have been requested within the last week, as I stated to another 

 audience the other day, to quarantine against the introduction of 

 cotton seed into the State of California, on account of the boll weevil, 

 and this came from the Agricultural Department. We all know that 

 we never had such a good Secretary of Agriculture lief ore. The sys- 

 tem all dow'n the line is a good one. In Mr. Woglnm and 'Mr. Mackie 

 you can see the kind of men the}^ send out. but tliey do nol see this 

 thing as they ought to — this quarantine matter — and until they do. 

 we will have an uphill job, and the greatest dangei*. as Mi'. Fowler says, 

 seems to be impossible to correct. 



MR. FOWLER. I would like to say another word. Mr. Jeffrey 

 has just said that the Agricultural Department is anxious for us to 

 quarantine against cotton seed coming from Texas into California. 

 Anybody knows that they can send cotton seed through the mail just 

 as cheap and as quick as they can through the express office, or any 

 other way. Our law requires that plant and nursery stock of all kinds 

 being shipped through any source shall be plainly marked on the 

 outside of the package, stating what that package contains, so that 

 the inspectors Avill have an opportunity of getting hold of it. The 

 United States mail don't do that. They send those things through 

 without any kind of mark — with just the name and address of the 

 individual to whom it is sent ; and it is a hard matter for a ]M)st- 

 master to tell w^here they come from and who sent them, and \\ /i''re 

 they were growai, and the eommissiont^r has no chance to get at them 

 at all, only by consent of the |)arty to ^vhoin they are sent. The 

 postmaster can tell you that tlioi-c is a pacicago tliere^ which he thinks 

 contains plants, and it is for so and so. and it will l)e delivered to him. 

 Then you can see that party, and, if he will let you. you can examine 

 the plant. I have burned up a great deal of stuff that came through 

 the mails, but I have always done it by the consent of the party to 

 whom it was sent. When I could get hold of a party that had anything 

 of that kind and could talk to him, I could convince him that it was 

 best to let me look at it, and if it was necessary to destroy it he would 

 generally let me do it. I have burned up sacks of mail four feet high 

 that contained nothing but plants, and they came from Florida. It 

 is a condition that is very dangerous. . 



I\IR. SHxVRP. Did you examine them after they went to the con- 

 signee ? 



10 FGC 



