E-l|6l 1 IBRA^"^ qO December, 1933 
STA'^^^^'*^^^^^ Department of Agriculture 
Bureau of Entcmologj'- and Plant .quarantine 
THE PLANT ^UJ^RAFTIFE j^CT AI^D wUAIvAi Tlir.: I'O. 57 * 
By Lee A» Strong, Chief of Bureau 
Over a period of some 20 years thera has been so :nu3h prorainence 
jiven to Quarantine 37 that the fact is almost always completely 
disregarded that the plant quarantines placed by the united States 
Depart.aent of A^^riculture must be placed under authority of the Plant 
i^uarantine Aot passed by Congress mor*^ than 26 years apo. he!: any 
chanre is made or su^-gested in nursery stoc.'c import requirerjents there 
invariably comes a flood of telegrams anc' petitions, all saying the same 
thing in just about the sairie words: "Maintain 'o.uarantine I'o. 57 ^s is." 
In general, these demands come Irom certain f:roups interested in some 
one class of nurs ry ?tock. They could not come fron pe.^ple j. amiliar 
vdth ^.uarantine 37 because such people v;ould not Avant Quarantine 37 
maintained as is. 11 they v/ere really interr'sted in keepin.-; the 
country free of ffes'cs they v/ould want Qua~--£.ntine 37 chanr-.ed. iiot 
only that, they <;ould \-ant the Plant 'Ai.arantine Act so changed as to 
insure as nearly as such things can be that plcjnt pests bo kept out. 
Section 1 of the Plant -quarantine Act provides "that it shall be 
unlawful for any person to off^r for entry into the United States any 
nursery stock unless and until a permit shall have been irsued thereior 
by the Secretary of ^gr'iculture \-nder such conditions r.nd rogaL&ttons as 
the said Secretary of /agriculture may prescribe.'' Please note that 
this applies only to nursery itock. 
Section 6 provides "that for the purpose of this act the term 
'nursery stock' shall incluce all field-grovm florists' stock, trees, 
shrubs, vines, cuttings, grafts, scions, buds, frxiit nits, and other 
seeds of fruit and ornaiaental trees or shrubs, and other plants pnd 
plsjit products for propagation, except field, vegetable and flov;er 
seeds, bedding plajits, and other herbaceous plants, bulbs, and roots." 
Hcv/ever, ther j is another section v/hich authorizes the Secretary by 
promulgation to brin-- other plants and plr-nt products for propagation 
under the term "nursery stock." 
Sectiorx 7 provides "that v/henever, in order to prei'-ent the 
introduction into the United States of- any tree, plant, or fruit 
disease or of any injurious insect, new to or not theretofore tf/idely 
prevalent or distributed within ejid throughout the United States, 
Address given before Section of Plant quarantine and Inspection, 
American Association of l-conomic Entomologists, meeting at Richmond, 
Va., December 29, 193 B. 
