86 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
/- 
INSPECTION OF NURSERY STOCK AT 
PORTS OF ENTRY. 
Important Bill Before Congress. 
House Bill 27,367. 
An act providing for the “inspection of nursery stock at 
ports of entry of the United States, to authorize the secre¬ 
tary of agriculture to establish a quarantine against impor¬ 
tation and against the transportation in interstate commerce 
of diseased nursery stock or nursery stock infested with 
injurious insects and making an appropriation to carry the 
same into effect,’’ was read before the United States Senate 
on February 17th, and referred to the committee on agricul¬ 
ture and forestry. This act will, if passed, give the secretary 
of Agriculture power to inspect all types of nursery stock at 
ports of entry or dispense with such inspection if such be 
deemed wise; it will prevent transportation companies from 
receiving stock not accompanied by a certificate of inspec¬ 
tion; it requires transportation companies to notify the 
office of Secretary of Agriculture of the arrival of consign¬ 
ments; for the disinfection of infested stock at the expense 
of the owner or agent; for the prohibition of stock infested 
with new diseases or insects; for quarantine of stock when 
necessary, and for the shipment of quarantined stock by 
parcels post. These are the main features of the act which 
is to go into force if passed in June, 1909. 
The following letter describes its present status. 
BILL TO BE HELD UP FOR THE PRESENT. 
Ed. National Nurseryman: 
This bill was prepared and introduced by the officials of 
the Entomological Department as Washington, and ap¬ 
parently without consultation with the representatives of 
the nursery interests. . 
We knew nothing of the matter until a few days ago, 
when we found that it had passed the House, and had gone 
to the Senate, had 'been favorably reported by the Senate 
Committee on Agriculture, and was then in a fair way for 
passage by the Senate. Fortunately, we were able to get 
the bill sent back to the Senate Committee for a hearing, and 
this hearing was given us on Wednesday of this week. 
The main purpose of the bill was to provide for the 
examination, inspection and treatment when necessary of 
imported French seedlings at such ports of entry as might 
be designated by the Secretary of Agriculture. 
Our committee took the position that we welcomed all 
reasonable examination and inspection, but that we felt that 
this examination should take place at the final destination, 
and in the warehouses or storage houses of the owner, as it 
is done in New York and other states, and argued that if the 
states could so handle it there was no reason why the De¬ 
partment at Washington could not do so. 
We were accorded every opportunity to present our 
views by Senator Long of Kansas, chairman of the Sub- 
Committee of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, and by 
Mr. Scott of Kansas, Chairman of the House Committee on 
Agriculture, and we also had an extended interview with 
Dr. Howard and other officials of his department. 
Finally, at the suggestion of Representative Scott, it was 
agreed that the present bill should be held up for this 
session, and that before the next session of Congress the 
representatives of the nursery interests and the officials of 
the Department of Agriculture would get together and 
endeavor in good faith to prepare a bill for introduction 
next winter. 
This, we regarded as a very happy solution of the present 
question, and nothing will be done with the bill at this ses¬ 
sion, and this Legislative Committee, or a committee that 
may be appointed at the June Convention, will no doubt 
take the matter up with the Department at Washington, 
and endeavor to formulate a bill that will be satisfactory all 
around. 
The members of the Legislative Committee who were in 
Washington besides myself, were Irving Rouse, of Rochester 
N. Y.; James M. Pitkin, of Newark, N. Y.; J. H. Dayton, of 
Painesville, O.; Thomas B. Meehan, Dresher, Pa.; Abner 
Hoopes, West Chester, Pa., and Wm. H. Moon, Morrisville, 
Pa. 
Yours truly, 
Wm. Pitkin, 
Chairman of Legislative Committee. • 
SPRAYING FOR PLUM CURCULIO. 
In some parts of the country, the plum curculio is 
inclined to be rather cosmopolitan in its habits; in other 
words, it is quite as likely to attack the apple as it is the 
plum. This is the case in Minnesota, and the Minnesota 
Experiment Station has published a bulletin on spraying- 
apple and plum trees for this enemy. The following sum¬ 
mary of their results is given: 
“Spraying plum trees with Arsenate of Lead and Bordeaux 
Mixture (3-4-50) two or three times at beginning of Curculio season, 
at intervals of a week or ten days will prevent at least 50% loss of 
fruit from Curculio injury, to which must be added whatever injury 
from fungi is saved by the use of Bordeaux mixture. 
“Spraying apple trees at the same time will, as our experiments 
and the experiments of others show, control not only the Curculio 
on the apple, but the Codling Moth as well. 
“The spraying before the blossoms open gives a result decidedly 
in favor of such spraying. If, however, only two sprayings can be 
given, the second (May 27th in 1908) and third (June 4th in 1908) 
are the most effective. 
“Cultivation during July and August, or turning hogs in to 
gather up wind falls is an effective method of control.” 
Peaceful, patient persevering pressure produces prosperity. 
Advertising is the modern method of doing business. 
No business, no matter what, can. progress without it. 
