40 
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 16 
five years ago. At this earlier period there were a few standard insecti¬ 
cides which were somewhat generally recommended and if the results 
were not satisfactory, it was an unfortunate condition which might be 
remedied in the future. There had not been at that time many ex¬ 
haustive studies so characteristic of the investigations of the past twenty 
years, and advances in relation to insecticides were largely the result of 
incidental work in connection with other problems, as for example the 
development of arsenate of lead in the Gipsy Moth control work. Large 
expenditures by the Federal Government for quarantine and for the 
control of serious regional pests were in the future. 
Early in the calendar year Professor C. R. Crosby of Cornell Universi¬ 
ty obtained the cost of the inspection and quarantine services of many 
of the States and has kindly allowed the writer to use these data. It 
has been found that the State officials of this country are expending 
over one and one half million dollars annually and officials of 28 Cali¬ 
fornian Counties nearly one third of a million dollars annually in this 
work. These figures do not include the cost of the Federal quarantine 
service, $185,310.00, nor comprehend in more than a very limited degree, 
the large sums, totaling over $1,500,000.00 appropriated by the general 
Government for the control of serious regional pests and allied purposes. 
Furthermore, in the western States, particularly California, large sums 
are spent for weed and rodent control or eradication and the standard¬ 
ization of fruits. These latter in a broad sense might be classed as 
expenditures for inspection and quarantine, though they are not so 
considered in this paper. 
These are vast sums and one may reasonably inquire as to the results 
which have accrued from the expenditures. There is no question but 
what there has been a marked raising of Horticultural standards and 
that under present conditions, it is very difficult to sell trees badly in¬ 
fested with a number of dangerously injurious insects or infected by 
certain plant diseases. Furthermore, the higher standard for fruits, 
both in the east as well as in the west, have bettered conditions and made 
satisfactory returns more probable. The same considerations apply 
in a general way at least to importations from other countries. 
It must be admitted that quarantines are human and in the long run 
some pests escape inspectors in spite of repeated examinations. It 
may be possible to improve the inspection service even if there be no 
other gain than a reduction in cost without affecting the degree of pro¬ 
tection. It is well known, for example, that nursery stock is inspected 
at the point of origin in some States, and reinspected at destination 
