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JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 13 
west gave a broader viewpoint and indicated that there was every 
possibility that the insect was widely distributed throughout the east¬ 
ern half of the United States. Another important consideration was 
urged with respect to a federal quarantine, namely, that it would 
interfere with the necessary movement of food products. The abso¬ 
lute need in the case of several New England states of the food articles 
which would have to be controlled as to Massachusetts was clearly 
brought out at our hearings, and commissioners and other representa¬ 
tives of these states asked us not to place general quarantines because 
of these needs. The situation, therefore, is practically this: Are 
we justified, because we have been clothed by Congress with authority, 
in placing very hurtful restrictions on large areas of the country on 
account of what may perhaps be, after all, an unwarranted fear? 
Are we justified in taking such action, with the evidence indicating 
that the insect has been very widely distributed, before opportunity 
is offered for the determination of such distribution and with the area 
being constantly added to? 
If we expect to be listened to and have our requests granted, we 
have got to take a sane viewpoint of the situation and present such 
viewpoint. We cannot, in justice to ourselves, put our heads under 
the sand and say we won’t see these conditions, and go ahead with the 
idea that the corn crop of the country is doomed unless we begin at 
once to exterminate the insect. 
I asked Commissioner Wheeler at one of these hearings how he 
proposed to exterminate the borer. His answer was substantially 
“ Perfectly simple. Begin at the outer edge and push it into the sea.” 
That is the easiest thing in the world to say, but a very different thing 
to do. He tried pushing the insect into the sea with his own funds and, 
in spite of the fact that we have been told that that clean-up work 
resulted in a lot of good, I have here statements from competent 
observers that it was practically of no value. 
Mr. Caffrey at the Boston hearing in August, 1919, made the 
following statement: 
As a result of the clean-up work which was done last year we rather hoped that 
the degree of infestation would be reduced but we find that right within the area 
that was commonly supposed to be heavily infested that the plants are infested to a 
greater extent than they were last year. 
Mr. C. G. Woodbury, head of the Indiana Commission, in his 
report, says: 
Much clean-up work has been done at state and federal expense in this territory; 
the effectiveness of such work is questionable. There are fields which were not 
cleaned up last year but which nevertheless have a much smaller infestation of borers 
this year than last. On the other hand, there are certain fields in which as high as 
