1929] SERVICE AND REGULATORY ANNOUNCEMENTS 103 
of quarantine officials concerned in the cotton States from Texas eastward, and 
at tins conference, held on May 15, plans were made for Federal cooperation in 
clean-up and control work in most of these States. 
COTTON BELT STATES MOBILIZED 
In many of the States mentioned in the previous paragraph work of inspec- 
tion and control had already been organized as fully as State funds and person- 
nel permitted. It is recognized, however, that the time factor just now is the im- 
portant one. In other words in the case of fruit in the hands of dealers the 
maggots will probably emerge in a week or 10 days and may go to ripening 
fruit in the neighborhood, peach or other — the peach being one of the most 
favored host fruits. In cold storage the larvae will be held in whatever sta'_ r e 
they have reached to complete their development as soon as the fruit is placd 
in a condition of normal temperature. The necessity of having such fruit 
examined and of destroying all infested fruit within the shortest possible time 
led to the request at Atlanta that an effort be made to secure the mobilization 
of the State extension service in the Cotton Belt States from Texas and 
Oklahoma eastward, to aid in the effort to locate and inspect all such fruits and 
particularly grapefruit. Such mobilization of the State and Federal extension 
service in the work of inspection during the next two weeks would seem to be 
fully warranted because of the impossibility of getting any sufficient number 
of persons with the general training of such extension agents to meet the 
immediate necessity, and such aid has been approved by the Director of Ex- 
tension Work of the Department of Agriculture. Proper notification will be 
transmitted to the appropriate State and district leaders. 
HOUSEKEEPERS AXD OTHER PERSONS TO BE INSPECTORS 
Every housekeeper in these States can render an important local and public 
service, and the home demonstration agents of the extension service are being 
lequested to aid in giving wide-spread publicity to this possibility. Most such 
Florida fruit will ultimately go into homes for consumption and housewives 
or other persons concerned in the preparation of fruit for the table as well as 
the ultimate consumer of such fruit are the most important and wide-spread 
elements for the discovery of infested fruit. A special effort should be made 
therefore to bring to the attention of all housekeepers and other persons the 
ssity of giving particular examination to such fruit and also to carry out 
the precautions hereinafter noted with respect to the disposition of any fruit 
which is found to contain worms or maggots at any time. To reach such house- 
keepers and others, a campaign of publicity should be maintained not only 
for the short period during which Florida fruit will be under inspection, but 
also throughout the season with respect to any form of maggots or infestation 
in peach or other fruits — locally grown or otherwise — which is not easily 
identifiable as pertaining to older and known fruit pests. 
INDICATIONS OF INFESTATION IN FRUIT 
The indications of infestation particularly of grapefruit will be a softening 
of the fruit as a whole or in particular spots, such softness being readily deter- 
mined by the pressure of the fingers at different points of the Burface. A 
more pronounced infestation will be characterized by the bleeding of the fruit 
under Blight pressure at exit holes which are made through the rind by the 
maturing maggots. Sometimes an Indication will he a slight hardening and 
browning of the skin at the place covering the point in the orange where the 
maggots are working. This discoloration m:iy be found even when there has 
been no noticeable softening at sneh point No household fruit, under any 
suspicion whatever, should he thrown out into the garbage or otherwise, hut 
should be kept in tightly covered metal or idass containers to be turned over 
promptly to the proper State plant Inspector or i<>eai officer designated bj the 
State. In a very slightly Infested fruit infestation may be difficult to find 
inasmuch as the maggots are very active and are apt to wriggle out of feiglil 
into more or less linn tissue, hut in all cases Of advanced infestation or where 
the maggots have reached nearly full growth their finding Is not difficult. 
