207 
of  which  there  were  about  80,  were  segregated  at  our  request  and 
fumigated. 
Three  boxes  of  sweet  corn  were  found  badly  infested  with  oui 
corn  leaf-hopper.  We  were  informed  that  it  was  returned  from 
San  Francisco  because  of  these  insects.  We  fumigated  them  be- 
fore releasing. 
One  lot  of  seed  coffee  came  from  the  Dutch  East  Indies.  There 
is  a most  destructive  coffee  leaf  disease  ( Hemilaea  vastatrix) 
prevalent  in  that  section  of  the  world.  Not  many  years  ago  it 
lias  laid  waste  the  coffee  fields  of  Ceylon  and  other  islands  in  the 
East  Indies.  By  way  of  precaution  therefore  we  secured  the  con- 
sent and  cooperation  of  the  importer  to  annihilate  all  possible 
contamination  by  immersing  in  the  standard  solution  of  formalin, 
consisting  of  one  pint  40  per  cent.  (Commercial)  formalin  in  15 
gallons  of  water  for  an  hour.  It  may  be  well  to  state  in  this  con- 
nection that  we  will  always  be  glad  either  to  treat  or  prescribe 
treatment  of  seeds  when  necessary,  at  the  owner’s  request. 
Aphis  or  plant  lice  on  roses  and  carnations  was  another  com- 
mon cause  for  fumigation. 
Nurserymen  on  the  Mainland  were  observed  to  remove  the  soil 
from  the  roots  of  some  shipments  of  plants  and  not  others,  from 
which  we  infer  that  they  do  so  at  the  request  of  importers,  not  all 
of  whom  seem  as  yet  informed  of  our  strict  ruling  against  soil. 
The  great  variety  of  possible  pests  inhabiting  soil  leaves  us  no 
discretion  in  the  matter. 
HILO  INSPECTION. 
Upon  his  work  in  Hilo  during  the  month  of  April  Bro.  Matthias 
writes  as  follows: 
“Eleven  foreign  vessels  came  to  anchor  in  Hilo  Bay.  Had  in- 
spection work  on  board  of  two  of  them,  eight  on  the  wharves  and 
nine  at  the  postoffice. 
“One  ship  came  in  ballast  consisting  of  soil  and  rock,  which 
was  dumped  into  the  sea. 
“There  were  90  lots  and  1,479  parcels. 
“Seventy-five  sacks  of  potatoes  underwent  the  cleaning  process 
before  being  admitted. 
“Several  hundred  plants  of  various  descriptions  were  fumi- 
gated, adhering  soil  and  wrappings  were  consigned  to  the  deep. 
“Two  cases  of  small  grasses  being  badly  infested  with  slugs, 
went  the  same  way. 
“One  parcel  of  gladiola  bulbs  was  infested  with  aphis,  presum- 
ably the  species  mentioned  in  ‘Journal  of  Economic  Entomology’ 
of  1908,  page  230.  The  bulbs  being  of  fancy  varieties  were  care- 
fully cleaned  and  treated  with  cyanide  before  being  passed.  This 
is  the  second  time  I came  across  this  insect  on  gladiola  bulbs.” 
