14 BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY AND PLANT QUARANTINE [Jan.-Mar. 
January 14, 1935. 
UNLIMITED ENTRY OF FOREIGN NARCISSUS BULBS AUTHORIZED, EFFECTIVE 
DECEMBER 15, 1936 
At the conclusion of the plant quarantine conference held by the Department 
on May 15. 1922, for the purpose of considering the classes of plants to be 
admitted without limit as to quantity and utilization under regulation 3 of 
Quarantine 37, the Nursery Stock, Plant, and Seed Quarantine, it was agreed 
that the bulb item under this regulation should be considered in detail at a 
conference to be held in the fall of that year. This conference with the im- 
porters was held on October 30, 1922, and on December 22, 1922, it was an- 
nounced that the unlimited entry of narcissus bulbs would be authorized for a 
l»eriod not to exceed 3 years, beginning January 1, 1923. In making this 
announcement the Department stated : " Information derived through inspec- 
tion of import shipments of bulbs since 1919 indicates that there is a consider- 
able element of danger in such importations in that they carry insect pests, 
the risk of establishment of which in this country cannot be entirely eliminated 
by inspection and disinfection. That risk increases directly with the volume, 
variety, and diversity of origin of the imports. Continuance of this risk 
through such imports is, therefore, only justified for such reasonable time as 
may be required to establish the commercial production of the several impor- 
tant species of bulbs in this country." 
The principal pests responsible for this conclusion were the bulb eelworm, 
AnguilluUna dipsacl (formerly called Tylenchus dipsaci), the greater bulb 
fly, Merodon equeslris, and the lesser bulb fly, Eumerus striffatus, all of which 
at that time appeared to be restricted as to distribution in this country. 
On November 16, 1925. a third public conference was held for the full con- 
sideration of the bulb subject — the fourth, if the original hearing of 1918, which 
was the basis of quarantine 37, is included. 
After careful consideration of the facts developed at this conference, it was 
publicly announced that the restrictions on the entry of narcissus bulbs 
authorized 3 years previously would go into effect January 1, 1926. In mak- 
ing this announcement the Department stated: "The evidence available at 
present indicates that none of the three important pests usually associated 
with imported narcissus bulbs has yet become so well established in the coun- 
try as to make control measures useless. A review of the present situation 
indicates that even in the districts where they have gained a foothold they 
may be materially controlled and possibly eradicated, especially in the case 
of the two bulb flies. We are going to give these districts a chance to clean 
up. They have promised to do so and the Department will insist that this 
be clone at the earliest date possible." 
To aid in the effort to control and possibly eradicate these three pests the 
Department on July 3, 1926, promulgated Domestic Narcissus Bulb Quarantine 
No. 62. As an additional safeguard to prevent further distribution of these pests 
in this country, all shipments of narcissus bulbs imported under permit in limited 
quantities for propagation purposes were given the hot-water treatment under 
the supervision of inspectors of this Department. From time to time certain 
varieties were rejected because of their availability in this country, the theory 
being that it was unwise to accept further risk of introducing the pests in ques- 
tion with these varieties. 
On January 29, 1931, a conference was held to review the plant pest situation 
with respect to narcissus bulbs and to consider the advisability of modifying the 
present restrictions on the entry from foreign countries and interstate movement 
of these bulbs. Consideration was also given to this subject at the conference 
held October 25, 1933. to reexamine the underlying principles involved in the 
interpretation and enforcement of the Nursery Stock, Plant, and Seed Quaran- 
tine No. 37. 
The above briefly outlines the history of the various steps leading to the present 
restrictions on narcissus bulbs. 
The bulb eelworm is now known to be cosmopolitan in distribution, attacking 
some 240-odd hosts, 57 of which have been found to be infested in the United 
States. The hosts in this country include bulbs, tubers, and wild and native 
plants. Despite the fact that no special effort has been made to determine the 
distribution of the bulb eelworm in the United States, it is of record as occurring 
in 32 States, and it is reasonable to assume that it could be located in others if 
