BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY AND PLAXT QUARANTINE 71 
a permanent legend and contains information helpful in checking 
the plants while in detention. 
On the Mexican border more than 12,400,000 vehicles from Mexico 
were inspected. This was approximately 2 million more than entered 
during the preceding fiscal year, which in itself was a record year. 
This traffic is particularly hazardous because it could be the means 
of bringing in the citrus blaekfly, a pest which was taken from 
vehicular and pedestrian traffic on several occasions during the year. 
Maritime traffic was also at a high level. Interceptions of the golden 
nematode from ships' -tores and baggage were made so frequently 
as to be commonplace. 
Plant quarantine protection service was strengthened at a few 
of the more strategic ports by adding a limited number of inspectors. 
Steps were taken to improve and strengthen cooperative work con- 
ducted in Mexico to prevent the movement of pests of the mainland 
of that country to the peninsula of Lower California, where they 
would be within easy reach of California. 
Inspection of plant material imported for or under the sponsor- 
ship of the United States Department of Agriculture resulted in 
the interception of weevils imported with chestnuts from Japan, a 
whitefly on Anthurium from Colombia, smuts on sorghum from 
Nigeria and on wheat and barley from Afghanistan, and scale insects 
and seed weevils on many occasions from a variety of host material-. 
Aditional shipments of returned military equipment were found 
to harbor the giant African snail. This equipment was cleaned or 
treated to rid it of these pests. 
Australia- and New Zealand-Bound Planes Given 
Predeparture Clearance at Hawaii 
At the request of the Governments of Australia and Xew Zealand, 
financial and other arrangements were made whereby plant quaran- 
tine clearance is given planes leaving Hawaii for these two countries 
in order to remove hosts of the oriental fruit fly and destroy any 
adults that might gain entry into such planes. 
Point-of-Ori*in Inspection of Holland-Grown Bulbs Inaugurated 
A team of selected plant quarantine inspector- was sent to The 
Netherlands during the year to inspect bulbs prior to shipment to the 
United States. All travel and subsistence co ts were paid by the 
Holland bulb industry. This procedure afforded a far more efficient 
examination of the bulbs at a considerable saving in funds and man- 
power. The savings in time and other cost> to the industry offset the 
expenditures made by the exporters. This preinspection also permit- 
ted prompt release <>f shipments upon arrival in this country insofar 
as plant quarantine requirements were concerned. Since the inspec- 
tors worked side by side with representatives of the Netherlands Phy- 
Topathological Service in examining the bulbs, that Service had an 
excellent opportunity to learn our plant quarantine requirements for 
imported plant material. Furthermore, the inspection at source 
prevented the arrival of any shipment- that had to be refused entry 
for pest reasons, thus removing the risk of pests escaping while the 
material was in port. It also prevented loss to United States im- 
