23 
i crate  of  125  lbs.  Salinas  potatoes  in  Honolulu.  .$2.50 
Less  value  of  crate . . . . 30 
Net  cost  125  lbs.  Salinas  potatoes $2.20 
Net  cost  100  lbs.  Salinas  potatoes.  $1.76 
Net  cost  100  lbs.  River  potatoes 1.50 
Difference  in  cost  to  consumer  in  favor  of 
Rivers  $ .26  or  17% 
Lesser  water  content  in  Salinas,  gain  of  at  least.  . 10% 
Lesser  waste  in  preparation  of  Salinas  for  the  pot 
owing  to  freedom  from  scab  or  other  defects 
gain  easily  15% 
Total  advantage  from  use  of  Salinas  or  Salinas- 
type  potatoes 25% 
* 
And  thus  the  consumer  may  actually  find  himself  the  gainer 
at  the  end  of  the  game,  in  addition  to  providing  against  in- 
vasion by  scab  or  other  pest. 
I would  respectfully  recommend  therefore  that  the  import- 
ers be  given  a month’s  warning  from  date  of  mailing  of  circu- 
lar and  then  rule  out  all  potatoes  showing  evidence  of  scab. 
Meantime  we  will  pursue  the  policy  followed  hitherto. 
Oriental  Maze. — Encouraged  by  the  recent  U.  S.  Treasury 
Department  ruling,  we  have  taken  upon  ourselves  to  sub- 
stitute a policy  of  more  thorough  study  of  vegetable  matter  of 
Oriental  origin  for  the  piece-meal  inspection  hitherto  pursued. 
Our  findings  by  way  of  insect  and  fungus  pests  were  a start- 
ling revelation  and  we  are  determined  to  prosecute  our  task 
with  vigor.  For  the  small  amount  of  material  we  need  to 
inspect  the  tax  upon  our  time  is  out  of  proportion,  but  there  is 
at  present  no  alternative.  Because  of  a train  of  circumstances 
referred  to  in  my  letter  to  your  president,  and  especially  Uncle 
Sam’s  inflexible  rules,  at  least  one  of  us  must  remain  on  the 
dock  from  the  day  the  Oriental  cargo  is  discharged  until  prac- 
tically the  last  of  it  has  passed  entirely  out  of  customs’  juris- 
diction, generally  ten  days  to  two  weeks  and  from  7 a.  m.  to 
5 p.  m.  of  each  of  those  days.  Exasperating  to  time  and 
patience  though  the  task  is  I am  convinced  the  protection  thus 
afforded  justifies  it.  Few  of  the  pests  prevailing  in  the  Orient 
are  known  and  their  potential  power  for  destruction  can  only 
be  judged  from  past  experience.  Our  melon  fly,  which  must 
have  come  from  there,  and  the  San  Jose  or  Chinese  scale  in 
the  States  are  examples  of  that  awful  power.  I hope  the 
Board  will  deem  it  expedient  and  endorse  my  recommenda- 
tion in  the  president’s  letter. 
Greedy  Scale. — Owing  to  rather  heavy  infestation  with  this 
scale  bug  we  were  compelled  to  order  returned  two  car-loads 
