THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
467 
The Eighth Annual Meeting of the American As¬ 
sociation of Official Horticultural Inspectors 
George G. Atwood, N. Y. State Dept, of Agriculture. 
The Eighth Annual Meeting of the American Associa¬ 
tion of Official Horticultural Inspectors was held in Boston, 
December 27-29 last. 
The association is composed of persons having charge of 
the inspection of nurseries and orchards in the various states 
and Canada. The membership is potent in its influence 
over the regulations and even the laws governing horticul¬ 
tural inspection in this country. A committee was appoint¬ 
ed to draft a constitution and by-laws to perfect a permanent 
organization to be approved at the next annual meeting in 
Milwaukee, Wis. 
The President’s address contained “an appeal to the 
members of the Association to stand together as a unit in 
endeavoring to perfect inspection laws and other conditions 
of inspection which tend to promote the best interests of 
good horticulture in the United States.” 
INSPECTION OF IMPORT STOCK 
He further said that “An impetus to our work has arisen 
in the danger contained in imported stock and the additional 
work put upon the inspectors in the various states on this 
account is no mean factor. The indifference of florists and 
nurserymen in connection with this necessary inspection of 
foreign stock is to be deplored. While I believe we, as in¬ 
spectors are not all unanimous in desiring uniform inspection 
laws throughout the country, nevertheless, if it were possible 
to have federal laws supporting this body in its resolutions, 
and its members in the various states, I believe it would add 
dignity to the work, and relieve us of much embarrassment.” 
The legislative committee of the Eastern Nurserymen’s 
Association was at the Boston meeting to discuss certain 
provisions of a federal inspection bill recently introduced in 
Congress. (See Mr. Pitkin’s report in National Nursery¬ 
man, January). This bill provides for United States in¬ 
spection of all imported nursery stock at ports of entry to 
prevent further introduction into this country of all de¬ 
structive insect pests. A measure of this character re¬ 
ceives the unanimous support of all parties interested. 
The nurserymen object, however, to the clause of the bill 
providing for inspection at the port of entry. Their argu¬ 
ment that to wholly unpack at the wharves and thor¬ 
oughly inspect nursery seedlings would be expensive, injuri¬ 
ous to the stock and impracticable, was concurred in by 
the inspectors who passed a resolution, favoring a plan 
providing for inspection at ports of entry, of all small ship¬ 
ments from foreign countries and the inspection of large 
shipments at points of destination where the work can be 
done more carefully without damage to the stock in the 
cellars of the consignees. 
One high authority actually favors absolutely prohibiting 
the importation of seedlings from abroad, claiming that the 
situation demands strenuous measures if we are to keep 
certain destructive insects from becoming established in 
this country and that the nurserymen can and should grow 
their own seedlings. While the nurserymen do not under¬ 
rate the importance of the former claims, few can agree that 
seedlings and stocks can be grown in this country of as good 
quality or at as low a price as those usually imported. 
DEMONSTRATION O CHA : S 
Inspectors in many of the states are charged with the 
duty of caring for demonstration orchards where the whole 
subject of the proper care of orchards from planting to the 
harvesting of the fruit are practically shown. This is done 
at the expense of the state in Maryland, Ohio and Pennsyl¬ 
vania, on farms owned by the state and in each county. 
This line of work is proving very useful and popular. 
BROWN TAIL MOTH 
An inspector of the State Department of Agriculture of 
New York gave a detailed statement of the work involved 
in the inspections for brown tail moth in importations of 
stocks from France in the spring of 1909. About 5000 boxes 
were carefully inspected and over 7000 nests containing live 
caterpillars were found in 745 boxes. As a result of the 
most thorough inspection and the methods employed it is 
believed that none of the pests have become established in 
the state. Subsequent inspections of all stocks planted in 
the state have not revealed a single infestation. Brown 
tails -were first found in nursery stock from France in Janu¬ 
ary, 1909. On the discovery of this fact all the members of 
the Association were notified by the Department and sub¬ 
sequent notifications of shipments to many states and 
Canada were sent thus calling attention of the inspectors to 
the necessity of prompt action. Thirty-eight different State 
inspectors were thus notified of 529 shipments embracing 
some 7000 boxes and packages. In many of the shipments 
the insects were found and reported so the New York inspec¬ 
tors have primarily prevented the establishment of this 
serious pest in New York and in many other states as well 
where it is yet unknown. 
The programme for discussion was too long to be fully 
covered though several prolonged sessions were held. The 
coherence and the usefulness of the Association has again 
been shown and a full report of its proceedings will be 
published in the Journal of Economic Entomology. 
The courteous President, Prof. F. L. Washburn of Min¬ 
nesota, and the hustling secretary, Dr. T. B. Symons of 
Maryland were re-elected. 
The able editor of the National Nurseryman was un¬ 
able to be present and asked me for my notes on the meet¬ 
ing, as no notes were made I am pleased to submit my 
recollections. 
