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a Vb NEWS LETTER
| *~ JAN 19 1931 + I
PLANT QUARANTINE AND CONTROL ADMINISTRATIONS Bos aeat «
. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
famber 1 (NOT FOR PUBLICATION) January, 1931.

FOREWORD

There is inaugurated with this number The Néws Letter of the Plant
Quarantine and Control Administration. It is intended to bring into closer
contact all the members of the Administration. If this is accomplished, it
Will give all of us a broader vision. We shall be better able to see the
other fellow's problem and better understand his viewooint. We shall be more
f tolerant of the attitude and position of the person whose vroduct or property

is being placed under regulation. We shall then be better able to represent

the Department to the citizens of the country with whom we come in contact.
' The News Letter is intended to be helpful. It will be, if everyone helps to
Birciice it so. Suggestions for improvement and appropriate notes for publica-—

tion will always be welcome.

LEE A. STRONG.

319235
ADMINISTRATIVE

Prior to the convening of Congress, hearings were held by the subcom-
mittee of the House Comnittee on Anorooriations to consider the estimates of
funds required for work done by the Department for the fiscal year 193e.
Those dealing with the work of the Administration vere held on December 1.
fhe bill making appropriations for the Department for the fiscal year 193e
was reported to the House at noon, December 16. The anount estimated for
under average salary adjustments was omitted throughout the bill. Omitting
the estimate for under average salaries, the amounts approved by the Budget
for the various items of the Administration were included in the bill as re-
ported to the House with the exception of the item "Control and Prevention
of Spread of the European Corn Forer." ‘Yor this item the committee made a
reduction in the Budzet estimate of $210,000, and in its report included the

\llowing statement: "There is a further reduction of €210,000, nade by the
yanittee, in view of the committee's conviction that the quarantine and road
atrol measures in the eastern boundary of the regulated area can safely be
isoensed with." The bill passed the House on the afternoon of December 19.
‘rior to passage the corn borer item was discussed on the floor, and the lim
sations included in the committee's revort as to the use of funds was with-
-awmn. The bill is now before the Senate subcommittee and it is anticipated
‘sat this committee will hold its hearings early in January.

It is anticivated that the First Deficiency bill for the fiscal year
1931 will be revorted to the Youse early in January. It is exvected thet this
bill will include an item for compensation to farmers for actual and necessary
losses sustained because of the enforced nonproduction of cotton in Arizona
for the crop season 1930. An estimate of funds has been submitted and this
item has been defended before the committee on aoprovriations.

On December 15, 1930, Mr. L. H. Worthley, who is the administrator in
the field in the enforcement of the quarantine on account of the European corn
borer, took over the field work of administering the Japanese beetle quarantir,
of which Mr. C. H. Hadley has been in charge for two and a half years. Mr. Had-
ley has been transferred to the Bureau of Entomology, to take field charge of
the research work on Javanese beetle and Asiatic beetle, with headquarters at
Mocrestowrn, N. J. The combining under one head of the field administration of
the gqguarantines on account of the Eurooean corn borer and the Javanese beetle,
should effect economies and accomplish sreater uniformity in the work incident
to the enforcement of plant quarantines in the eastern part of the United States.
This consolidation will permit uniform supervision of road inspection and scout —
ing work. It will also do away--at least in certain market centers--vith duvli-
cation of inspection of field and farm products regulated on account of both of
these pests and will thus serve to sneed un these operations.

TECHNOLOGICAL

This organization is concerned with the commercial application of the
findings of the research bureaus of the Devartment to the disinfection and
sterilization of plants and plant products moving under the various foreign

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and domestic quarentines and imoroving and standardizing methods now followed

by the Administration in the sterilization and disinfection of these products.
The work is necessarily cooperative with the other divisions of this Adminis-

tration and with the research bureaus.

Work in testing the commercial application of the heat method of steril-—
ization as develoved for the sterilization of citrus fruits and avocados for
the Mediterranean fruit fly is being carried on in Florida by Messrs. A. G. Gal
loway and J. M. Luckie, in an endeavor to determine the products to which this
method could be applied if it were necessary at any time to sterilize them.

At the present time the method is being tested with chestnuts and fil-
berts as a possible substitute for the hot water treatment of imported nuts
which when found infested at the port of entry are now immersed in hot water

On L : Ye .
at lee F.,for a period of 45 minutes.

To determine the reaction of grapefruit and oranges grown in the lower
Rio Grande Valley of Texas to this method of heat sterilization, tests are
being made at Brownsville, Tex., in a room installed in one of the citrus
packing houses. Mr. M. B. Parker, who is carrying on this work, reports excel-
lent results with oranges and with some of the varieties of grapefruit.

r er ovide the movement of cottonsee m the reg te
In order to pr de for th e t of tto d from the regulated
areas to regions not infested with pink bollworm, rcrk vas started this fall
at El Paso, Tex., in cooperation with the Bureau of Entomology and with the
pink bollworm project in the fumigation of cottonseed with hydrocyanic acid.
The work is proceeding as rapiciy as covld be expected, and surficient data
may be available soon to warxant recommendation as to treatment necessary to

insure the extermination of all live pink bollworms from infested seed.

S = sik

Mr. A. C. Johnson is carrying on this rork.

QUARANTINES

SOME RECENT INTERCEPTIONS ON IMPORTED PLANTS AND PLANT PRODUCTS
Entomological

Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) was intercepted at
Boston in a decayed lemon in the mail from Italy. This is the first intercep—
tion of this fruit fly in lemon by inspectors of the Plant Quarantine and Con-—
trol Administration. This fruit fly was also found at Philadelphia in an orenge

in ships! stores from Spain.

The

The West Indian fruit fly (Anastrepha fraterculus) was taken at New Yak
in guava in baggage from Porto Rico; at New York in mango in baggage from the
Bahamas, Jamaica (4 times), and Porto Rico; at New Orleans in mango in crews!
quarters from Honduras (twice), and at Philadelphia from Jamaica; and at New
York in soursop in baggage from Jamaica.

The Mexican fruit fly (Anastrepha ludens) has been intercepted from

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Mexico in bagzage as follows: In mango at Erownsville, Bagle Pass, and El

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Paso (4 times); in orange at Hidalgo, Laredo, and Roma; and in pear at Hidalgo
and Laredo. It ras also taken at Laredo in quince in the mail from Mexico.
The Mexican fruit fly wes found near Monterny, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, in pistache
nuts (Pistacia vera). This represents our first record of this fruit fly in-
festing pistache nuts.

Psylliodes chrysocephala (Chrysomelidae) was intercepted twice at Phila-
delphia in turnips in ships! stores from England. This beetle mines inside the
stem and root of turnio in Europe, where it does much damage.

Thrips tabaci pullus, a variety of the onion thrips not know to occur
in this country, was found at Philadelphia on flowers of Ornithogalum thyrsoi-
des in the mail from South Africa. While there are interception records of
this thrivs on other hosts from Europe, Algeria, and Egypt, this is the first
interception of this insect on any host from South Africa.

Brachycerus albidentatus (Brachyceridae) was found at New York in cipol-
lino (Muscari comosum) in cargo from Morocco. This beetle, not recorded from
the United States, breeds in the roots of garlic and shallot in Europe.

The West Indian sweetootato weevil (Euscepes batatae) arrived at Phila-
delphia in yams from Jamaica. The yans were taken from the crew. This weevil,
which is found in the West Indies and Hawaii, also attacks the sweetpotato by
boring in the tuber.

The larvae of Baris laticollis (Curculionidae) were taken at New York
in turnips in ships! stores from France. This weevil, which is not recorded
from this country, has also been found in turnips from Portugal.

The pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) was intercepted at Presidio
in cottonseed in baggage from Mexico (4 times); at Washington, D. C., in Gossy-
pium sp. (seed) in the mail from China, and from Manchuria; and at El Paso
(twice) and at Presidio in seed cotton in baggage from Mexico.

Laspeyresia splendana reaumurana (Olethreutidae) was taken at Philadel-
phia in chestnuts in the mail from Italy, and at New York in chestnuts in cargo
from Portugal. This insect infests the fruits of chestnut and oak in southern
Europe and has not been reported from the United States.

Pathological

Forty-four intercevtions of Elsinoe canavaliae have been made at New
York on Lima beans arriving from Cuba (in cargo) since the shipping season for
this commodity began on November 1. Other interceptions on these beans include
six of anthracnose (Colletotrichun lindemuthianun), forty-six of bacterial
blight (Bacterium phaseoli), and three of pod-blight (Phoma subcircinata, the
conidial stage of Diaporthe phaseolorum).

The boxwood rust, Puccinia buxi, was found at Philadelphia on boxwood

-5-

cuttings from Ireland (in mail). This rust has teen intercevted several times
in the past and it is not revorted as occurring in the United States.

Puccinia ornithogali-thyrsoides has been taken eight times at New York ,

a times at Philadelphia, and once at Chicago on shipments of Ornithogalum

thyrsoides flowers from South Africa (in mail). In several instances both the
stems and flowers were found to be severely infected. Heterosporium ornithogali
has been found rather commonly on this same material, having been determined five
times on interceptions from New York and twice on interceptions from Philadelphia
Sne of the New York interceptions had the smut, Ustilago ornithogali in anata
to the rust. So far as it is known the rust and smut do not occur in North Amer-
ica, but the Heterosporium has been reported from Washington on Ornithogalum sp.,
and has been collected in Pennsylvania on 90. umbellatum.

The stem canker of roses, Coniothyrium fuckelii, was found at Philadelnvhia
in recent shipments of manetti stock (in cargo) from England (twice), and from
ee (once).

Several interesting nematode intercentions have been made recently. Tylen-
chus dipsaci was found at Charleston in potatoes (in ships! stores) from Holland.
An unpublished nema was found at Philadelphia in a potato from Sweden (fn shins
stores). This interception constitutes an interesting record in that the nema
Was previously kmown in this country only and in an altogether different host.
Tylenchus pratensis was found twice at New York in lily—of—the-valley pips from
Germany (in cargo). This nema is considered a destructive plant parasite and has
been reported in several hosts from the United States. fTylenchus tritici was
found at Weshington, D. C., in Triticum vulgare from Yugoslavia (in baggage).

Sphaeropsis malorum was found or Cotoneaster Franchetti cinerascens imoor-
ted from England under special permit and grown in New Jersey. This is the first
report of this fungus on Cotoneaster although it is well known on fruit trees and
several other hosts. The specimen was collected during a field inspection of
special permit material.

OMESTIC PLANT QUARANTINES
TRANSIT INSPECTION

The examination of express, parcel post, and freight for the purpose of
checking on compliance with domestic plant quarantines is now being carried out
at more than half the immortant distribution points in the United States. At
the more important locations, continuous inspection is being made throughout the
winter, while at others the work is confined to the spring and fall nursery stock
shipping seasons.

In the Pacific Northwest, nursery shipments through Seattle and Portland
continue throughout the winter and inspection is therefore maintained in those
cities continuously. The work at Svokane, Wash., and Ogden, Utah, was discon-
tinued in November and the anvointments of the insvectors assigned to those
points were terminated until the svring shipping season opens in February. Tran-
sit inspection for this entire northvestern area is under the direction of

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Mr. C. R. Stillinger, whose office is in the Federal Building at Spokane.

In the Central States, transit inssection was temporarily carried out
during the fall at Omaha, Council Bluffs, and Cincinnati, but was terminated at
those points at different times during the latter part of November and December
depending on the number of shipments of quarantined articles in transit. At St.
Pauli and Minneapolis, the work ras continued until the midwinter holidays owing
to the extensive movement of Christmas trees and greenery through these cities
A number of violations of the white pine blister rust quarantine vere interceptal
in connection rith such Christmas movement. ;

Mr. Geo. T. Gaylord, of the Minnesota Forest Service, who is making ob-
servations on the movement of Christmas trees for that service, recently reported
a truck carrying uncertified white vine from Wisconsin to Minnesota. The mes—
sage was relayed by State Forester Grover Conzet to the Administration inspecta
at St. Paul, Mr. Geo. W. Nelson, and resulted in the intercevtion and confisca~
tion of the white pine. Indirectly, it led to the interception of two other vio-
lations of Quarantine No. 63. Mr. Nelson also reports the hearty cooperation of
the hundred or more officials of various transportation agencies in Minneapolis
and St. Paul.

Failure of a nurseryman to defoliate gooseberry vlants resulted in the
turning back of a freight shioment of 5000 young bushes consigned at Bangor, Mich
to another nurseryman at Shenandoah, Iowa. The shipment was intercepted at Omma
on November 1, by Mr. R. E. Wheeler, transit inspector at that station. Goose-
berry foliage is especially likely to carry blister rust infection in the summer
and fall,

Inspection is being continued throughout the winter at Chicago, St. Paul,
Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Kansas City. The headquarters for the Central States
are in the Manhattan Building at Chicago. Two inspectors from the Hurovean corn
borer force are working in collaboration with the transit insvection emoloyees
and devoting their orimary attention to the enforcement of corn borer regulations
at the Chicago Stock Yards and at elevators and freight stations. The primary
duty of the inspector at the Stock Yards is the examination of railway cars and
trucks arriving from the eorn borer regulated areas to determine whether stalks
and cobs which might carry the corn borer have been used for bedding of live stoc
Several violations of this nature have been discovered.

Mr. J. M. Corliss, in charge of transit inspection in the Middle West, in
a talk to the members of the Botany Club of tke University of Chicago on Decem—
ber 1, discussed transit inspection activities.

Assistant Secretary of Agriculture R. W. Dunlao visited the transit in-
spection office at Chicago on November 14, and made an inspection tour of the
work in mail and express terminals. Mr. Dunlap witnessed the correlated activi-
ties of the postal employees and the transit insvectors. He was especially in-
terested in the manner in which compliance with quarantines is carefully checked
by inspectors, and inspections so timed as to avoid delaying the mail.

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Transit inspection and the enforcement of foreign plant quarantines are
being combined at St. Louis, and Mr. Oliver J. Yoder has recently been appoin-
ted as Junior Plant Quarantine Insnecter to carry out this work. His duties
involve the checking of all incoming and outgoing foreign and domestic exoress
parcel vost, and freight to determine compliance with the foreign and domestic
querantines. He is especially busy on citrus shipments from the West Indies
during the early fall and on interstate nursery stocx shipments in the svring.

Mr, R. A. Sheals, field suvervisor of transit insvection, is making a
survey of the freight junction voints in the Northeastern States to determine
those through which nursery stock passes in largest amounts. This will furnish
information on which we can base future plans for checking freight. Freight
movement is very difficult to cover on account of diverse and complicated rout
ings and the number of transfer points around each of the large cities.

Inspectors enforcing the European corn borer and Japanese beetle quar-
antine regulations are working in collaboration with transit inspectors at New
York City. The combined schedules vrovide for inspection at 10 exoress ter-
minals, 2 freight terminals, and 3 main vost offices throughout such periods
of the day and night as the reilway and mail schedules necessitate. The co-
operation of transvortation officials and emoloyees in holding out parcels for
insvection at the terminals now makes possible the inspection of nearly all
plant material in transit through New Yorx City and Jersey City. Mr. C. B.
Beamer is in charge of the station.

The transit insvection work which is being carried on systematically

at Boston for the first time this season has resulted in the interception of

a considerable number of shinments consigned from the two-generation area in
violation of the Evropean corn borer quarantine. The Boston inspectors inter-
ceoted over 90 uncertified chrysanthemum shipments up to December 15, in addi-
tion to other restricted articles. Forty-three gipsy—moth quarantine viola-
tions have been revorted from early in September to the time of the preparatim
of this note. Mr. E. J. McNerney is in charge of the station.

Transit inspection in the Southeastern States is carried out under the
direction of Mr. G. W.-R. Davidson, with headquarters at Atlanta, Ga. Mr. Dav-
idson is also in charge of the enforcement of the phony peach disease quarantine

regulations.

With the revocation of the Mediterranean fruit fly quarantine, transit
inspection activities at Nashville, Tenn., were discontinued on November 18.

A detailed study sf nursery stock shipments passing through Memphis,
Tenn., was made by the Administration inspector at that vlace, Mr. H. J. Conkle,
over a period of 19 days closing with November 430. The study showed a total of
900 shipments of nursery stock seen in transit, consigned from 27 States to
voints in 18 different States. The shipments were analyzed as follows:

Express /03
Mail 172
Freight 25

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Number of infringements of State regulations, 2/7. Of these e7 shipments,
15 did not bear valid certificates, and l2 were lacking in the permit required
by the State of destination. These infringements were reported to the officials
of the States to which the shipments were consigned.

WHITE-PINE BLISTER RUST

Dr. S. B. Fracker made a visit to a nursery at Newark, N. Y., on October
30, to review with Mr. George Paige, of the New York Conservation Department,
the latter's Ribes eradication work in the environs of the nursery during the
past summer. Five hundred wounds of white-pine seeds were sown in this nursery
in the spring of 1929 for the production of pines under the sanitation condi-
tions prescribed in Regulation 2(d) of the blister rust quarantine, and several
hundred white-pine seedlings secured in recent years from other permittses are
also grown on the premises.

A serious new blister rust outbreak on white pine has been discovered
in Douglas County, Wis., according to the Office of Blister Rust Control, Bu-
reau of Plant Industry. Douglas County is in the extreme northwestern corner
of the State and contains considerable white pine. It is reported that although
the trees were heavily infected, the infection center is small and the spread of
the rust may be retarded somewhat by removing the heavily infected trees along
with the Ribes.

PHONY PEACH DISEASE

A public hearing to consider the advisability of extending the quaran-
tine on account of the phony peach disease to the States of Texas, Arkansas,
Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Mississippi, was
held at Washington on November 14, As an alternative to such extension, the
question of the vossible discontinuance of the quarantine was discussed. No
decision as to quarantine action has yet been reached as a result of this hear-
ing, and it is anticipated that no change will be made in the present regula-—
tions until after another conference on the subject has been held.

Messrs. M. E. Connolly and H. J. Conkle, who have been engaged at Cin-
cinnati, Ohio, and at Memphia, Tenn., respectively, in aiding in the enforce-
ment of the Mediterranean fruit fly quarantine regulations, were assigned to
phony peach disease quarantine activities on December 16. Mr. Connolly will
be headquartered at Concord, Ga., and will supervise the issuance of vermits
to peach-growing nurseries in that vicinity. Mr. Conkle is continuing at his
headquarters at Memphis for the immediate present, giving primary attention
to the movement of peach nursery stock from the regulated area.

DATE SCALE

During the month of November careful inspection in the infested area
of the Coachella Valley was continued. Out of a tetal of 19,443 date palms

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inspected, only 24 were found infested, and in no case was the infestation
severe enouzh to endanger the adjoinia: palms. Zight of the infested pairs
were in commercial gardens, and 16 were in seedling plantings of no. commercial
value. The 16 seedling palms were dug out and destroyed. Seven of the stan-
dard variety palms were defoliated and torched and the remaining 1 severely
pruned.

The Johnson property, on which the 16 infested seedlings were found,
was one of the few seedling jungles in the infested area remaining after the
clean-up work of 1929. Thirteen rows of date seed had been planted on this
place about 15 years ago, when the planting of seed was advocated, with the
idea of spacing the palms later by removal of the males and thinning. Before
this was done the date idea was abandoned and the growing palms were so thick
in the rows that the foliage intermingled end in many cases the trunks touched
each other. To complicate matters further, as far as inspection was concerned,
mesquite and other desert brush grew up between rows so that it was impossible
to reach some of the palms. Because of these conditions the inspectors were
unable to locate the infestation before it had developed to a point where the

calé had spread generally throughout the pBlanting.

When the infestation was first found in May, 1930, 16 infested palms
were located. The absentee landlord was under the impression that when he
Ootained the property he had a date garden and did not want the entire plant-—
ing destroyed. We obtained permission,howevér,to thin the planting, spacing
and pruning the remaining palms as is the custom in the commercial gardens.
This removed 1,454 palms, 10 recorded as infested, leaving 296. The remaining
6 infested palms were defoliated and torched. With the planting in its pres-—
ent condition, careful inspection will locate the infested palms before there
is any spread end eventually clean up the infestation.

In the Imperial Valley 20 infested palms were found during the month,
all on one preperty, a new infestation. This planting consisted of 29 seed-
ling palms about 16 feet high. One leaf on one of the palms was very heavily
infested. The infestations on the other 19 palms listed were light. This
condition seems to be typical of the spread of the scele. The young scale is
evidently carried from a heavy infestation to other plantings in the vicinity
by wind, birds, or otner means, but a very small percentage of the transported
Scale lives. When it does survive on a palm, the scale breeds up in the imme-
diate locality where it survives, and for a time there is little spread on the
Palm, and less from paim to palm. The spread is quite rapid, however, after
one leaf becomes heavily infested.

The owner of this property gave us permission to destroy 14 of the in-
fested palms and 7 which did not show scale, leaving 6 infested palms and 2
which did not show scale, which were defoliated and torched.

Inspection in the infested areas in Arizona was continued during the
month and some scouting done outside tne regular inspection districts. No
scale was found during the month.

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EUROPEAN CORN BORER

An exhitit was placed at the International Livestock Show in Cnicago,
which was handled cooperatively with the Buresu of Public Roads and the Plant
Quarantine and Control Administration. The exhibit attracted more attention
this year than ever before, anda great deal of interest was shown in both
the mechanical devices and the general exhibit.

Very good progress is deing made on the new building which will pro-
vide additional quarters at the Norwalk, Conn., Station, and it will undoubt-
edly be completed and ready for occupancy by January 1.

At the Berkley, Mass., Demonstration Farm all fall work has been
practically completed and all fields are thoroughly cleaned and plowed.

Work is practically completed on the Demonstration Farm at Toledo,
Ohio, and preparations are being made for the moving of the Toledo headquar-
ters to some point in southeastern Ohio.

Clean-up work in Massachusetts and Rhode Island under compulsory clean-
up laws, which is supposed to be complsted by property owners on December 1,
has progressed very well, and in a tour of inspection of some of the most heav-
ily infested counties in southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, very good re-
sults were found to have been odtained, apparently better than in former years.
There has been very little rain during the fall season, consequently the prop-
erty owners have had very good opportunity to comply with the regulations,
which call for deep fall plowing.

GIPSY MOTH AND BROWN-TAIL MOTH

Late in the summer a report was received from Lacon, J1l., that a male
gipsy moth had been collected near a light in that towm. An attempt was made
to secure the pinned specimen for examination, but although it was forwarded,
the package was lost in transit. Foe State Imspector of Tilineis, Mr. PB. A.
Glenn, was novified and requested to make an investigation. This was done,
but no evidence could be found that the gipsy moth occurred in that locality.
Early in December, Mr. I. L. Bailey, one of the Assistants of this Division,
visited Lacon with Mr. Glenn and one of his inspectors, and made an examina-
tion of the location where the moth was captured and the surrounding terri-
tory. No indication of the presence of the gipsy moth could be found, and
it seems probable that the insect reported had been wrongly identified. While
at Lacon, Mr. Bailey furnished the Illinois inspectors with information rela-
tive to the methods of scouting for gipsy moth infestation, and demonstrated
how this work was done. The locality will be kept under observation for the
next few years by the State Plant Inspection Office.

The inspection of Christmas trees and Christmas greens shipped from
areas in the New England States that have been quarantined on account of the
gipsy moth has been in operation during November and December. The volume of

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shipping has been slightly less than daring previous years, but it is estimated
that approximately 900 carloads will have been inspected and forwarded by rail
prior to the Christmas holidays. These shipments are widely distributed, par-
ticularly in territory east of the Mississippi River, although a considerable
number of carloads go to more distant points. <A tree by tree inspection of
this material is reouired, and upward of 100 men are used on this activity in
November and December. They are transferred temporarily from the Scouting and
Extermination project.

Twenty-two thousand feet of one-inch high pressure spray hose was deliv-—
ered during the month of December, and couplings are being attached prior to
final acceptance test. This hose will supplement that already instock for use
during the spraying season in June and early July. It is of special construc-
tion capable of withstanding 1,000 pounds working pressure, as it is used on
spray lines that are frequently extended a mile or more in length in woodland
areas where infestations must be sprayed.

Approximately 25 of the most experienced and expert employees of the
scouting and Extermination project have been making an intensive examination
of the tree grovth in Dukes Park, Somerville, N. J., where the gipsy moth was
discovered in 1920. Much of the growth examined consists of Koster blue spruce
trees, many of which are of large size. On account of their dense foliage
these trees are very difficult to examine. No infestation has been found this
year in the area examined in Dukes Park up to the time of this report.

JAPANESE BEETLE

Newly promulgated Japanese beetle quarantine regulations effective Nov-
ember 10, 1930, involved only minor additions to the generally infested areas.
The lightly infested areas, however, were increased to include the entire State
of Rhode Island, and small sections in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. An isolated generally infested area was
created to include the District of Columbia and immediately adjacent territory
in Virginia. Heretofore all shipments of restricted articles have required
certification for movement from the generally infested area to Washington, D.C.,
which was previously included within the lightly infested area. Under the new
regulations, shipments of uncertified nursery and ornamental stock, sand, soil,
€arth, peat, compost, and manure may be transported by a common carrier on a
through bill of lading between generally infested areas separated by lightly
infested territory. This will permit this type of movement of uncertified arti-
cles to the District of Columbia. Provisions are also made inthe regulations
for the movement between generally infested areas without certification of the
articles mentioned when transported in sealed road vehicles, the seals to be
affixed by an inspector in one generally infested area and examined by an in-
spector in the separate generally infested area after the transportation through
the lightly infested area has been accomplished. Similar privileges are not ex-
tended to the movement of farm products, since the unrestricted movement of the
latter is permitted from the District of Columbia and the generally infested
area of Virginia. Another requirement introduced with the recent revision is the

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necessity for the certification of all nursery stock intended to be moved
within the lightly infested area from an establishment designated as Class III
under the regulations or from known infested premises. This will serve to pro-
tect uninfested territory in the lightly infested area from the spread of in-
festation from within, and supplements the requirement that all restricted art-
icles moving from the generally infested area to the lightly infested area or
unregulated zones be certified.

In order to protect trucks and other motor equipment while not in use,
it has been necessary to secure an additional 12,000 square feet of ground
space. This has been rented immediately adjacent to the Camden headquarters
office. The space has been fenced, and filled with cinders obtained from the
Frankford, Penna., Arsenal. Sheds are now being erected in the form of a
quadrangle.

The spread of the beetle to more northerly and southerly latitudes has
required the collection of additional climatical data upon which to predict
emergence dates and also to base chemical treatments. Accordingly, soil ther-
mographs have been placed at Taunton, Mass., and Norfolk, Va., to record the
soil temperatures at six-inch depths. Cooperative arrangements have been made
with Mr. R. H. Allen, of the Massachusetts State Department of Agriculture, and
Mr. T. C. Johnson, Director of the Virginia Truck Experiment Station, for the
care of the instruments furnished by this project.

The extension of the lightly infested area to include Rhode Island and
adjacent territory in Massachusetts has led to the creation of a new suboffice
of the project. Mr. T. C. F. Cronin, formerly connected with the treating
division of the project, has been placed in charge of the field inspection
work in these two States. Through the courtesy of the Rhode Island State De-
partment of Agriculture, temporary quarters have been secured in the State
House at Providence.

MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY

Lifting of the Federal quarantine on Florida products, announced on the
Ilth-and effective with the 15th, was by far the most important event of Novem-—
ber_in the Mediterranean fruit fly work.

Removal of all the restrictions on interstate shipments provided for in
the-regulations for enforcement of the quarantine necessarily was followed by a
complete reorganization of the project and a corresponding reduction in person-
1

While modification after modification of the regulations had been made,
and the last of the major restrictions withdrawn on October 15, when the re-
guirement of sterilization on shipments into the south and west was canceled,
and~the lifting of the quarantine came as a surprise to most growers and
shippers.

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Decision to take the step was reached only after a personal survey of.
the situation by Mr. Strong. Accompanied by Doctor Marlatt, the Chief of Ad-
Ministration spent several days in Florida during the early part of November,
While on this trip, Mr. Strong attended a meeting of the State Plant Board, at
which resolutions were adopted requesting the Department to remove tne quaran-
tine.

In announcing that Secretary Hyde had signed the order releasing Florida
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from the quarantine regulations in régpect to the Mediterranean fruit fly, it
was stated that field insp pection wor ald be continued indefinitely, with a reduced
“force. Any infestations which may be discovered are to be referred to the State

Plant Board, which body, it is believed, will immediately institute eradication
measures as an alternative to renewal of the Federal regulations.

Thoughtful consideration was given to the working out of plans und
which the field inspection was continued after November 15th. ‘The 26 dis
into which the regulated area of the State previously had been subdivided
inspection purposes were combined into 12. At the Orlando offices, departm
of the work dealing exclusively with packing and shipping matters were discon-

tinued and in others the number of employees was reduced to a minimum.

Records of the project show that the highest number of personnel engaged
during the current campaign was 1,161, at which time 6641 men were on field in-
Spection. At the peak of the 1929 eradication campaign, the aggregate number
of employees was more than 6,000. By November 15, 1940, the force had been
lessened to 609--H17 of these employees working in field inspection and 52 per-
forming duties at the headquarters in Orlando. As of November 30, 1930, the
field inspection force was 240; that of the Orlando office consisted of 40 em-
ployees, with 15 men engaged in miscellaneous activities, including garage and
warehouse work,

A delegation from Louisiana, headed by Commissioner of Agriculture Wil-
son and State Entomologist Anderson, and another from Alabama, headed by State
Entomologist Livingston, spent some days in Florida during the first half of
November. At fruit fly headouarters in Orlando both groups were supplied com-
prehensive information concerning the manner in which work has been conducted.

Later in the month advices were received that these States had withdrawn their
quarantines on Florida fruit.

Survey to determine what proportion of growers were observing the regu-
lations requiring picking up and disposal of drops, concluded on November 4,
Showed that of 40,884 commercial properties, 37,943, or 92.8 per cent, were
found in satisfactory condition. A few days later, it is believed, the percen-
tage would have been considerably higher. Only 31 cases of refusal to comply
With the requirement were encountered in the entire regulated area

second inspection of property of Mrs. L. C. Furey, at Lake Como, under
court order, was accomplished on November 4. Legal proceedings have been in-
Stituted in no other instance during the present campaign, the number of refus-
als to permit inspection having been reduced to less than a dozen through the
persistent efforts of the field men.

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Monthly report of the identification division, headed by Mr. Benjamin,
disclosed that during November 53,332 specimens were examined. of these,
45,327 were submitted from the Mediterranean fruit fly project, 7,962 from the
Mexican fruit worm project, and i/78 from other sources.

MEXICAN FRUIT WORM

Bach bearing grove of citrus trees in the area quarantined on account
of the Mexican fruit worm is inspected at least once each 30 days. This in-
spection is made for a two-fold purpose--to discover any infestation that might
exist, and to see that the grove is kept free of drop fruit and excessive growth
of weeds. The third round of inspection was completed during the month with
negative results. All larvae likely to be mistaken for the Mexican fruit worm
are submitted for determination; 727 collections were made during November, with

total of 7,055 individual svecimens.

On November 4, one adult Anastrepha ludens was caught in a trap in Mata-
moros, Mexico, just across the river from Brownsville. About 100 traps, baited
with orange extract, are kept in the citrus trees srowing in the patios in Mata
Moros. Inspection of the imported fruit in the public markets in Matamoros re-
sulted in the finding of 4S larvae of the Mexican fruit vorn.

The work of spraying the trees in Matamoros, which is carried on in co-
Operation with the Mexican Government, was continued thr ey the month. ‘This
work was hampered by the excessive rainfall during Novembe

The shipment of fruit by rail was sluggish throughout November due to a
weak market. Heavy rains he Talley made it impossible to get in the groves
to harvest the fruit during a lar art of the month. About 1,400 carloads
have been shipped by rail Sia truck to date, waich is approximately 40 ver cent
of this season's crop. The heavy rains also retarded the ripening of the fruit,
Some of the Marsh Seedless not being able to pass the State Maturity Test at the
end of the month.

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Additional sterilization tests were carried out in the experimental ster-
ilization room in Brownsville. The packers are teks considerable interest in

this work, which has already resulted in the insta lling of air conditioning mach-
ines in six coloring rooms in the Texas Citrus Fruit Growers Exchsenge plant at Val
Verde. Valley fruit stands up well under sterilization. About 5O per cent of
those who have compared the taste of sterilized and unsterilized truit pre
sterilized, Claiming that it has more of a tree— ripened taste than the uns

Hight peach and plum trees were found and destroyed during the month of
Novenbver.

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PINK BOLLWORM AND THURBERIA WEEVIL
Organization

The pink bollworm and Thurberia weevil projects are divided into four
general heads:

1) Scouting work.
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(2) The Salt River Valley Eradication Project, which includes
Maricopa and Pinal Counties, Ariz.

(3) The Western Quarantined Area, which consists of that area
of Arizona east of Maricopa and Pinal Counties, southern
New Mexico to the eastern boundary of Otero County, and the
El Paso Valley of Texas.

(4) The Eastern Quarantined Area, which consists of southeastern
New Mexico, and all of western Texas under quarantine except
the El Paso Valley.

The present personnel of the organization is 161, of which 100 are per-
manent and 61 temporary. The permanent force remains rather stationary, while
the temporary force varies considerably throughout the year. The field head-
quarters are located in San Antonio, Tex.

escription and Damage

The pink bollworm was first discovered in the United States in a cotton
field near Hearne, Tex., on September 10, 191/.

The adult resembles somewhat the common clothes moth of this country.
It is of a dark brown color, the extended wings measuring from three-fifths to
four-fifths of an inch from tip to tip. The pupa is about two-fifths of an
inch in length and of a reddish brown color. The full-grown larva is about
half an inch in length, cylindrical, white, with the dorsal side strongly
colored with pink.

The pink bollworm damages cotton dy destroying a certain number of bolls
or portions of bolls, in which case the lint produced is short and kinky. This
causes a corresponding reduction in the seed, and those produced are of light
weight and poor grade; also, the percentage of germination is considerably lower
ed. It has been found that the oil content is lowered about 20 per cent, and the
oil secured is of dark color and of comparatively low value.

The Thurberia weevil is closely related to the common boll weevil and
damages cotton in very much the same manner. At present it is known to exist
only in certain areas in southern Arizona. Scouting to determine the spread
of the weevil is assumed by the Bureau of Entomology in connection with its
research work on the insect, the quarantine being in full charge of the Plant
Quarantine and Control Administration.

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Locating Infestations
One method of locating an infestation is br £
fields to make an examination of the cotton. This examination may ve of bloom
Squares, or bolls, depending upon the stage of growth. Usually, infestations
ean be found easier after the cotton starts opening, since bolls attacked by this
insect either fail to open or open only partially.

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Another method, developed this season, is tne examination of trash from
gins with a mechanical device known as a gin trash machine. [In ginning, the seed
cotton passes through a "first cleaner", the function of which is to remove parti-
eles of dirt and trash. One bale may contain from a peck to several bushels of
such material. Many insects are discharged with this trash. The gin trasn mach-
ine has been designed to take this larze volume of trash and reduce it to a small
amount, pink bollworms and insects of the same size being discharged with the
small amount of trash. One gin trash macnine can handle trash from a number of
gins, thus making possible the examination of material from a much greater area
than is possible by field inspection.

Infested Area

Pink bollworm infestations have been found in this year's crop in the
following counties: Arizona - Greham, Pinal, Maricopa, and Pima; New Mexico -
Chaves, Eddy, Otero, Dona Ana, anc Luna; Texas - Presidio, Brewster, Reeves, Ward,
Hudspeth, Hl Paso, Andrews, Ector, and Midiand.

The infestations in Andrews and Ector Counties were found by field inspec-—
tions, the others having been found by the use of the gin trash machines. Speci-
mens were also found, with the machine, in trash from all seven gins in the Juarez
Valley in Mexico, which is just across the Rio Grande opposite the Hl Paso Valley.

Tre infestation in the Salt River Valley of Arizona is now known to exist
in the following general localities: South and southwest of Tempe, south and east
Of Chandler, the vicinity of Coolidge, the Lehi section, near Laveen, near Glen-
dale, and a few miles west of Avondale, which is about 25 miles west of Phoenix.
These infestations are so light that it is only with great difficulty that speci-
mens can be found by field inspection.

Changes in Quarantine Regulations

Changes have recently been made in the quarantine regulations. The most
important was the releasing of several counties in west Texas from the quarantined
area. The territory affected includes all of Martin and Glasscock Counties, and
those parts of Dawson, Howard, and Borden Counties which have previously been un-
der restrictions, and a small section of Midland County. The released area con-
tained approximately 337,500 acres of cotton. No pink bollworm infestation has
been found in any part of this released area since the crop season of 1927.

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Another change was the replacing of tie fumization requirenent for the
movesient of lint out of the quarantined area fro. Chaves, Eddy, and Otero Coun-
ties, New Mexico. ‘The change was dve to the discovery of living pink bollworms
in the present crop in the above counties. This requirement had been lifted
June 1, 1950, because no infestation had been found in or within five miles of
these counties during that or the two preceding crop seasons.

The regulated area now embraces the following counties: Arizona - Cocnise,
Greenlee, Graham, Pinal, and Maricopa; New Mexico - Chaves, Eddy, Otero, Dona Ana,
Luna, Grant, and Hidalgo; Texas - Terrell, Presidio, Brewster, Pecos, Jeff Davis,
Reeves, Ward, Loving, Culberson, Hudspeth, Hl Paso, Winkler, Ector, Andrews, Crane,
Upton, and Midland, except the northeastern corner. Pima County, Arizona, is un-
der regulations similsr to those enforced against the pink bollworm, on account of
the Thurberia weevil.

Resulatory Work

The main phases of our regulatory work consist of Supervision of gins, oil
mills, compresses, and fumigation plants. There are 144 gins, 22 oil mills, and
10 compresses and fumigation plants in the regulated area. There were 35 gins and
3 oil mills in that part of Texas recently released. ‘The gins are all equipped
with seed sterilizers, through which the seed passes as a continuous process of
ginning, and must be heated to a temperature above 145°R. Practically all oil mill
are now equipped with special rollers through which the linters are passed, thus
eliminating the necessity of compression and fumigation; otherwise they must be com
pressed and fumigated. All lint produced in the regulated area requires compressio:
and fumigation before being shipped out of such area.

Roed Stations

We now have three roed traffic inspection stations in operation, located at
Alpine, Ft. Davis, and Valentine, all in Texas. These stations are for the purpose
of preventing material likely to carry the pink bollworm from leaving the heavily
infested Biz Bend area. On November 1/7, A. P. Prude, at the Ft. Davis station,
took a pillow made of seed cotton fron a truck en route from Presidio to Barstow.
About one-fourth pound of seed cotton was also found in cracks in the bed of the
truck. This material contained 16 living specimens of the pink bollworm. On Decex-
Berd? Dp. H. Hunter, at the Valentine station, found one-half pound of seed cotton
in a truck en route from Presidio. This cotton was taken from various parts of the
truck and contained 1 living pink bollworm. In all, four confiscations of infested
Material have been made this season, from which were taken 23 living and 34 dead
Specimens of the pink bollworn.

Laboratory

A laboratory has recently been opened in San Antonio for use in connection
with the inspection of green bolls, previously collected throughout the Cotton
States. Quite a bit of machinery has been installed, end the Operations at this
time consist in testing and perfecting the different processes to be used. Present
Plans call for the laboratory to be in full operation about the first of the year,
at which tine we will give more details of this phase of the work.

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