BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY AND PLANT QUARANTINE 37 
Regulatory operations 
Investigations on the fumigation of cottonseed in steel tanks of 
10,000 to ^54,000 cubic feet, and holding up to GOO tons of seed, were 
completed, and the method was approved for commercial use for 
elimination of the pink bollworm. In all 18,000 tons of seed were 
treated in this way during 1948. Forced circulation of gas through 
the tank insures its effective distribution throughout the load in 5 to 
10 minutes. 
The pink bollworm quarantine was amended on April 27, 1949, to 
add to the lightly infested area several counties' of New Mexico and 
Texas found infested during the 19,48 season and to release from quar- 
antine six counties in Texas in view of their apparent freedom from 
infestation for several consecutive years. 
The extension of the pink bollworm quarantine in northwestern 
Texas and southwestern Oklahoma in the fall of 1947 added a tre- 
mendous cotton-growing and ginning area to that already under pink 
bollworm regulation. During the current fiscal year inspectors made 
54,463 visits to 1,267 gins, 70 oil mills, and 105 compressers, as well as 
other handlers. A total of 316,532 permits were issued covering move- 
ment of cotton and its products. Recent simplification of issuance of 
permits makes it possible for an inspector to supervise 30 to 40 cot- 
ton-processing units in northwestern Texas and southwestern Okla- 
homa, whereas under the old permit system 3 or 4 inspectors would be 
required for that number of units. 
More than 2,700,000 bales of cotton were ginned under dealer-carrier 
permits in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. Nearly 
1,150,000 tons of seed were given one heat treatment, 73,600 tons were 
fiven a second heat treatment, 24,000 tons were fumigated with methyl 
romicle, and nearly 1,000,000 tons were received at oil mills. Nearly 
2,800,000 bales of lint and linters were compressed, and nearly 10,000 
bales of lint and linters from Mexico were vacuum-fumigated. 
At the three stations maintained to inspect highway traffic from the 
quarantined area in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, 477,850 cars and 
trucks were inspected and 4,659 found carrying contraband material. 
Cooperative work with Mexico 
The cooperation of cotton growers and owners of processing plants 
in Mexico has improved with respect to cultural controls in the fields 
and treatment procedures at processing plants. In the Laguna area 
growers used 35 airplanes to apply insecticides for control of pink 
bollworm and other insects, as compared with 1 plane 3 years ago. 
The cotton planted in the Matamoros area increased to more than 
600,000 acres in 1949. The presence of this large acreage adjacent 
to the Lower Rio Grande Valley requires joint effort of the two 
countries to control the pest. Established planting and stalk-destruc- 
tion dates in the Matamoros area parallel those applicable in the Rio 
Grande Valley of Texas. Enforcement is about equal in each country. 
By rendering technical assistance in Mexico on this common prob- 
lem, the cotton industry of the United States receives greater protec- 
tion than would be the case if all work against this insect were carried 
on solelv in the United States. 
