186 
THE NATIONAL NURSERY^IAN 
SHALL TllL UMTLI) STATES PROHIBIT THE 
IMPOBTATIOA OE SEEDS. PLANTS. BULBS. AM) 
NUBSEBY STOCK? 
A^ain Ihe j)ropositi()n to prohibit the importation of 
s(‘ 0 (ls. l)ulbs. and nurs(My stork has come to the front, 
the Federal Hortieiiltural Board having railed for a 
puhlie hearing on the (|uestion. and whieh was held in 
Washington on May 28th. 
It hroiifrht together many prominent Entomologists, 
Foresters, and the Legislative Committc'e from the So- 
eiety of Ameriean Florists. Wm. Gmle. Chairman, and 
the Ameriean Assoeiation of Nurserymen. William Pit¬ 
kin. (diairman aeeompanied by John 11. Dayton. James 
M. Pitkin. Thomas B. ^leehan. and Curtis Nye Smith. 
(a)imsel of the Assoeiation. and a large number of rep- 
res(Mitatives from bodies direetly or indireetly interest<‘d 
ill the suhjeet. 
Mr. (L L. Marlatt. Chairman of the Fediu'al Horlieul- 
tural Board opened the meeting with an outline of its ob- 
jeets. whieb had previously been distributed in eireulars 
inuh'r date of Mareh 28th. and May 8th. in ])art as fol¬ 
lows : 
"The following statement has been prepared for the informa¬ 
tion of persons interested in the public hearing called for May 28, 
1918, on the proposed restrictions or prohibitions with respect to 
the importation of plants and seeds from foreign countries. It 
includes a tentative outline of the subjects to be given special 
consideration at the hearing without, however, limiting to such 
outline the scope of the discussion. 
“The need of additional restrictions or prohibitions, par¬ 
ticularly with respect to the entry of certain classes of nursery 
stock and other plants and seeds on account of exceptional risks 
involved, has been under consideration by the Federal Horticul¬ 
tural Board for some time. This consideration has had relation 
particularly to (1) plants imported with earth about the roots or 
“balled” plants and (2') plants and seeds of all kinds for propa¬ 
gation from little-known or little-explored countries. The large 
risk from importations of these two classes of plants comes from 
the impossibility of properly inspecting plants with earth or of 
disinfecting the attached earth; and from the dangers which can 
not be forseen with respect to plants coming from regions where 
plant enemies—insect and disease—have been studied very 
meagerly or not at all. Inspection of such material is necessarily 
in the blind, and the discovery of infesting insects, iiarticularly 
if hidden in bark or wood, or of evidences of disease is largely a 
matter of chance. The inspection and disinfection of both of 
these classes of plants as a condition of entry, therefore, is a 
very imperfect safeguard. It should be noted that the seeds 
referred to above have special relation to the seeds from little- 
known or little explored countries, and it is not proposed to 
restrict at this time the importation of vegetable, flower and 
field seeds, normally the subjects of commercial importations. 
“The discussion of these and other phases of the plant-import 
problem by the various committees representing the Association 
of the Horticultural Inspectors of the United States and other as¬ 
sociations and societies interested in plant protection has 
developed a strong sentiment for greater restrictions on the 
entry, particularly of the classes of plants just described. This 
sentiment took definite form in a series of resolutions adopted by 
the Section of Horticultural Inspection of the American Associa¬ 
tion of Economic Entomologists at its Pittsburgh meeting Jan¬ 
uary 1, 1918. These resolutions were the result of a general con¬ 
ference participated in by representatives of the American Phy- 
topathological Society and entomological and pathological inspec¬ 
tors of the Federal Horticultural Board. This action was taken 
in response to a request by the Board that a conference on this 
general subject should be called to include all the interests 
affected and that as a result of such conference definite recom¬ 
mendations should be presented to this Board. These recommen¬ 
dations are as follows: 
"Whereas our country is now and has for many years suffered 
serious financial loss from the depredations of insects and plant 
diseases that have come to us from abroad,—the annual damage 
by a single insect in some cases being greater than the total 
value of all nursery stock imported in the course of a year; and 
"Whereas the means of communication between the countries 
of the world have developed to a point that all regions are now 
reached through the regular channels of commerce in a portion of 
the time formerly required; and 
“Whereas by reason of this great improvement in transporta¬ 
tion, species of injurious insects now confined to foreign 
countries, are certain soon to be introduced into our country 
through the importation of foreign plants; Be it resolved: 
“1. That the importation of all ‘nursery stock’ as designated 
in the Federal Plant Quarantine Act of August 20, 1912, should 
be prohibited except as brought in under carefully guarded quar¬ 
antine regulations of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 
“2. That an absolute embargo against nurisery stock coming 
in with soil about the roots should be placed at once. 
“3. That the prohibition against all other kinds should be 
placed with due regard to the time necessary to enable the busi¬ 
nesses affected to adjust themselves to the change, after which 
absolute prohibition should obtain. 
THOMAS J. HEADHEE, 
GEO. A. DEAX, 
E. D. BALL. 
Special Committee.” 
The above resolutions were submitted by the Board to the 
Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture with 
the request that the experts of that Bureau prepare a general 
recommendation on the subject of the exclusion of nursery stock. 
In that connection, consideration was also given to a bill which 
had been introduced in the Senate, providing for the prohibition 
of the importation of nursery stock, effective July 1, 1918. As a 
result of this request the following memorandum was prepared 
about the end of January for use in answering various letters of 
inquiry received by the Department on the subject of exclusion of 
foreign nursery stock. 
Numerous inquiries have been received by the Department 
regarding the prohibition, in order to prevent ihe introduction of 
insect pests and plant diseases, of the importation of nursery 
stock into the United States, except for experimental or scientific 
purposes by the United States Department of Agriculture, effect¬ 
ive July 1, 1918. 
The experts of the Department have given careful consider¬ 
ation to this matter and also to the proposal regarding the 
immediate exclusion of certain classes of nursery stock and the 
exclusion of other classes after the expiration of a reasonable 
period to permit adjustment of the interests affected. 
As to the need of additional Federal plant quarantine powers, 
it may be pointed out that tlie Federal Plant Quarantine Act of 
1912. as amended, gives authority to enforce any prohibitions or 
other restrictions on the importation of nursery stock or other 
plants and plant products necessary to prevent the introduction 
of insect pests and plant diseases. Under this Act there are now 
in force 11 foreign quarantines prohibiting, and eight orders reg¬ 
ulating. the entry of plants and plant products. This Act in¬ 
cludes not only the plants actually described as “nursery stock,” 
but also any other class of plants or plant products the entry of 
which it may be desirable to restrict or prohibit. Furthermore, 
wherever the necessity therefor arises. In order to prevent the 
introduction of dangerous diseases or insects, the importation of 
whole classes of plants, or those coming from specified world 
regions, can be prohibited or regulated. 
As a result of the consideration which the experts of the De¬ 
partment have given the matter, it appears very doubtful whether 
the horticultural development of this country has reached the 
point where the complete exclusion of foreign nursery stock in 
order to prevent the introduction of diseases and insects could 
have other than harmful effect. Precipitate action at this time 
would give no opportunity for readjustment to those phases of 
the industry which would be most seriously affected and would 
greatly handicap plant propagators of the United States and 
work financial injury to many branches of horticulture. At the 
present time there is no available supply of stocks in this coun¬ 
try for the production of many kinds of fruits and ornamentals, 
nor is it possble now to obtain from domestic sources seeds from 
which several of these stocks can be grown. 
The situation, therefore, calls for constructive action, before 
any general program of exclusion, if such should be necessary to 
protect this country against insects and plant diseases, could be 
intelligently considered, more information is needed concerning 
the importations now being made, necessity therefor, as well as 
the existence and geographical distribution of foreign plant 
parasites likely to be introduced with such importations. This 
information is now being accumulated by the branches of the De¬ 
partment dealing with such matters. The Bureau of Plant Indus¬ 
try is extending its studies of nursery problems to secure definite 
information regarding the kinds and quantities of plant material 
grown abroad and introduced as seeds and stocks or materials for 
forcing; the practicability of growing these seeds and stocks and 
