116 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
Conference on Plant Quarantine 
A conference is called by the Federal Horticultural 
Board at the United States Department of Agriculture, 
Washington, 1). C., May 15. 1922, at 10 o’clock a. m., for 
the purpose of considering the advisability of any modi¬ 
fications—additions to or deductions from—of the class¬ 
es of plants permitted entry under permit for immediate 
sale under Regulation 3 of Quarantine 37. Such confer¬ 
ence will afford opportunity for a full and free discuss¬ 
ion of the whole subject of the classes of plants involved 
and the restrictions enforced under this regulation. 
Regulation 3 now provides for the entry of certain 
classes of bulbs, representing 80 to 90 per cent of the im¬ 
portations into the United States prior to the quarantine, 
and also of stocks, cuttings, and scions of fruit, rose 
stocks, and seeds of fruit, forest, ornamental and shade 
trees and hardy shrubs. The purpose of the conference, 
therefore, is to consider the desirability of any restrict¬ 
ions in this list of plants or additions to it. Under this 
regulation open continuing permits are issued for the 
plants listed. In other words, there is no limitation on the 
number of plants which may be imported under such 
permits. 
Recent correspondence indicates that the call for a 
conference April 19, later postponed to May 15, 1922, 
to discuss the classes of plants to be admitted under the 
limitations established in Regulation 3 of Quarantine 37, 
is not clearly understood. 
Since the establishment of Quarantine 37, the classes 
of plants included under Regulation 3 have been criti¬ 
cised as either including too much or not enough; in 
other words, the criticisms have been of such contradict¬ 
ory character as not to warrant making any changes in 
the operation of the quarantine. 
The Board has, however, repeatedly announced that it 
was ready at any time to confer with propagators and 
also importers to consider any additions to the classes of 
plants included under Reguation 3 which could be 
shown to be justified and reasonably safe. The Board has 
given hearings also to two foreign delegations; one from 
Belgium last May and the other from Holland last June, 
and promised them that a conference on the general sub¬ 
ject of Regulation 3 would be held some time during the 
present year. The call for the conference recently issued 
is, therefore, in response to individual requests and car¬ 
ries out the promise to these foreign delegates. 
As representing another phase of the subject, during 
the past season the infestation of fruit and rose stocks 
has been unusually heavy with larval nests of the brown 
tail moth and also with similar but much smaller larval 
nests of an insect new to the United States which might 
very possibly prove to be a serious enemy to the horticul¬ 
ture of this country. In spite of repeated warnings to 
European shippers, the condition in this respect of im¬ 
ported stocks does not appear to be improving and it be¬ 
comes necessary to consider what further steps should 
be taken to protect the country from the entry of these 
and other pests in connection with the importation of 
such stocks. 
The Board does not feel that at the present time it has 
sufficient information to warrant making any changes in 
the classes of plants included in Regulation 3, but hopes 
to secure from this conference information that will 
clearly justify action on one or more of the following 
propositions: (1) the continuation of the classes now in 
Regulation 3, (2) the need, if any, for restricting the 
classes of plants now included in this regulation, and 
.(3) the need, if any, of adding to the classes of bulbs of 
plants under this regulation. 
Except as outlined above, the Board has no program, 
drastic or otherwise, of changes in Regulation 3 in mind, 
and has merely opened the subject, in response to re¬ 
quests, for free and full discussion. There is no thought 
of weakening in any material way the protection which 
the quarantine now gives, but it is possible that some 
minor amendments can be made without risk. 
G. L. MARLATT, 
Chairman, Federal Horticultural Board. 
The conference on plant quarantine, originally called 
to meet here March 15 was postponed, at the request of 
the Society of American Florists and Ornamental Horti¬ 
culturists, to April 19. has been again postponed until 
May 15. The second postponement is made at the re¬ 
quest of the President of the American Association of 
Nurserymen, who represents that the month of April is 
the one season of the year when the nurseryman must 
be on his job to get out his orders and do his planting. 
The new date has been referred to the President of the 
Society of American Florists and Ornamental Horticul¬ 
turists, and has been approved by him. 
IS QUARANTINE 37 A PLANT EMBARGO? 
In view of the belief, which seems to have gained considerable 
acceptance, that Quarantine 37 amounts to an embargo against 
foreign plants, the record of permits issued for the importation 
of the so-called “prohibited plants” and the importations made 
thereunder should be of interest. 
The risk of entry of new plant pests goes with every importa¬ 
tion of plants, even those now permitted, and to reduce this 
risk as much as possible and yet provide for the horticultural 
development and progress of the country, the importation under 
Regulation 14 of this Quarantine of the so-called “prohibited 
plants” is limited to new varieties and such other plants as are 
believed to be unavailable in the United States for necessary 
propagating purposes. 
The table given below is a record of such importations front 
the effective date of the quarantine, June 1, 1919, to February 
15, 1922: in other words, a period of a little over two years and 
eight months. 
SPECIAL PERMIT IMPORTATIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEARS 
1920, 1921, 1922 
(Up 
to 
and including 
February 
15th, 1922) 
Classes of No. of 
Quantity 
Quantity 
No. 
of Varieties 
Plants Permits Authorized 
Imported 
Req’ted 
App’d 
% Ap' 
Gladiolus . .. 
320 
17,042,476 
6,460,341 
626 
494 
79 
Dahlia . 
117 
10,061 
4,840 
1,078 
1,007 
93 
Iris . 
245 
7,363,564 
4,690,367 
1,114 
1,074 
96 
Peony . 
Other bulbs, 
168 
295,525 
86,584 
1,222 
925 
76 
roots, etc.. 
167 
2,789,881 
1,164,475 
609 
587 
96 
Ornamentals. 
179 
995,545 
285,190 
1,770 
1,494 
84 
Roses . 
148 
54,742 
41,211 
1,373 
1,162 
85 
Orchids . 
Herbaceous 
103 
35,825 
13,492 
1,168 
1,098 
94 
plants .... 
140 
756,839 
198,453 
1,289 
1,180 
92 
Small fruits.. 
22 
3,151 
253 
23 
23 
100 
Totals . 
. .29,347,609 
12,945,206 
10,272 
9,044 
88 
