matfonal flurscr^pman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK 
The National Nurseryman Publishing Co., Incorporated 
Vol. XXXII_HATBORO, PENN A., MAY 1924_No. 5 
Federal Conference on Embargoes and Quarantines 
There is evidence we have reached a point where the 
Federal Horticultural Board and many of the State Ento¬ 
mologists are heginniog to realize there are too many 
Federal and State quarantines. They are beginning to 
eoidlict with each other and are producing such confu¬ 
sion as to seriously hamper interstate commerce. 
The conference now in session at Washington gives 
promise of itroducing very desirable results. 
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
FEDERAL HORTICULTURAL BOARD 
Washington, D. C. 
March 7, 1924. 
Dear Sir: 
Quarantine orders have been promulgated by a good many 
States restricting and, in many cases, embargoing the entry of 
plants and plant products from other States for the purpose of 
excluding dangerous plant diseases and insect pests. Frequently 
such restrictions and embargoes are made operative irrespective 
of whether the plants or plant products concerned in any ship¬ 
ment are determined by inspection or otherwise to actually con¬ 
vey either diseases or insect pests prejudical to the welfare of 
the State concerned. 
With the multiplication of such restrictions and embargoes 
we seem to be rapidly drifting into a condition where the inter¬ 
state movement of plants and plant food and other products 
may be obstructed as to cause very greaat harm both to the 
producing and consuming interests of practically every State 
in the Union. It would seem, therefore, that the time has per¬ 
haps arrived when Federal and State quarantine officers should 
endeavor to develop some basis of inspection and certification 
which would give such assurance of adequate safety as would 
check this growing tendency of promulgating embargoes. On 
the other hand, it is recognized that some subjects can not be 
adequately safeguarded other than by embargoes, but the num¬ 
ber of such subjects is limited and undoubtedly the justifica¬ 
tion for many of the exising embargoes is open to reasonable 
question. 
For each State this problem presents at least two serious 
aspects, namely, (1) that of the protection of its own products 
and (2) that of maintaining a broad market for such products. 
The first of these aspects is the only one usually considered and 
the restriction or embargo is made immediate and drastic. The 
second aspect is, however, also important inasmuch as one or 
more important products of most States may be open to the 
suspicion of being a means of spreading undesirable pests. For 
some States it may be the gipsy moth, the Japanese beetle, the 
alfalfa weevil, or potato wart, and for others, the Oriental fruit 
worm, the potato tuber moth, the citrus canker, the pine blister 
rust, or the take-all and the flag-smut diseases of wheat, and 
if all these and many others were made widely the subjects of 
State embargoes interstate traffic in many important products 
would practically cease and markets essential to the profitable 
handling of such products would be closed. 
This letter therefore, has for its purpose to suggest a general 
conference of the inspection officials of the several States, 
preferably in Washington, and at the earliest practicable date, 
for the discussion of the general problem of State and Federal 
quarantines. 
I shall be glad to have your judgment as to the desirability 
of holding such conference—say about the end of March or in 
April—and also any suggestions as to the general subject which 
you may care to make at this time. 
Yours very truly, 
C. L. MARLATT, 
Chairman of Board. 
The suggestion contained in this letter met with such 
general approval that the conference was called as 
follows: 
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
FEDERAL HORTICULTURAL BOARD 
Washington, D. C. 
PLANT QUARANTINE CONFERENCE, APRIL 28-30 
April 2, 1924. 
Dear Sir: 
Referring to the Board’s letter of March 7, 1924, suggesting 
a general conference of inspection officials of the several States 
to be held in Washington to discuss the problem of State and 
Federal quarantines, you are advised that the responses have 
indicated a hearty agreement on the desirability of such con¬ 
ference, and as nearly as can be interpreted from these re¬ 
sponses, sometime in April seems to be the most favorable 
period. The representatives of two or three States have sug¬ 
gested later dates and the representatives of some of the west¬ 
ern States have suggested holding the conference in coopera¬ 
tion with the meeting of the Western Plant Quarantine Board 
in Denver in May. The unlikelihood of any considerable num¬ 
ber of representatives of the eastern States attending the Den¬ 
ver meeting makes it desirable to carry out the plan of a con¬ 
ference in Washington. The results of such conference would 
then be available for consideration by the Western Plant Quar¬ 
antine Board. 
The date for the Washington conference has therefore been 
fixed for April 28, 29 and 30, or so much of that period as may 
be necessary. In view of the importance of the conference it is 
urged that each State be represented by at least one delegate 
and more if possible. 
One or two responses received have suggested the desira¬ 
bility of an advance announcement of a program for the con¬ 
sideration of the conference. The Board has felt that, other 
than as to the general statement of the problem as given in 
the letter of March 7, copy of which is attached, it was rather 
desirable to leave the determination as to scope of discussion 
to the conference itself. As partial response to this suggestion 
of a program and merely as indicating a tentative viewpoint 
of the Board, the following statement is submitted of subjects 
which may properly come before the conference both for general 
and committee discussion and possibly for provisional or final 
action. 
(1) As a basis for the discussion of both Federal and State 
plant quarantines the first essential would seem to be a clear 
understanding of the reasonable limitations on State and Fed¬ 
eral plant quarantine powers. This involves some presentation 
of the limitations of such powers under the Federal Constitu¬ 
tion as determined by available court decisions. Such deter¬ 
minations and decisions can be assembled and made available 
for the conference. 
(2) A second point of discussion would seem to be the deter¬ 
mination of the general principles which should govern the 
decision as to the necessity for an embargo—either State or 
Federal—as opposed to regulation under inspection and certi¬ 
fication, with the idea of limiting embargoes to the carrying 
articles, the interstate movement of which must be prohibited 
as the only means of preventing the dissemination of the pests 
or diseases in question. 
(3) With respect to subjects which are determined as pos¬ 
sible of being adequately safeguarded by inspection and certi¬ 
fication, it would seem desirable to develop the requirements 
from the viewpoint of the several States, which can be accepted 
as the basis of entry on the part of such States—in other words, 
to thus establish a basis for greater confidence in both Fed¬ 
eral and State certification. 
