Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-09-20
Enforcement of Federal Plant Quar-
antine Law,

antine Law.
By an act OF congress approved
by the president on August 20, 1912,
entitled IAN act to regulate the im-
portation of nursery stock and other
plants and plant products etc, the
secretary of agriculture is authorized
and directed to quarantine any state,
territory or district OF the United
States, or any portion thereof, when
he shall determine the fact that a
dangerous plant disease or insect in
festation new or not heretofore
widely prevalent in the United States,
exists in such state, territory or dis
trict Before promulgating his de-
termination that it is necessary to
institute such quarantine, he shall
give public hearings at which any
interested party may appear and be
heard either in person or by attorney.
The secretary of agriculture is fur
ther directed to prohibit the importa-
into the United States of any tree,
class of nursery stock, fruits, vegeta
bles, roots, etc, whenever he shall
determine that such prohibition is
necessary to prevent the introduction
into the Unitel States OF any tree.
plant or fruit disease, or insect in
festation, new or not widely prevail
ent within the United States. Before
issuing his proclamation to this effect,
he is directed, as in the case of quar-
antine against state, to give pub
lie hearing to any interested parties
who may wish to appear i'll person or
by attorney.
There is imminent danger OF the
introduction into the United States
at the present time OF two dangerous
plant diseases and one insect known
to cause great damage in other
countries. One fungus disease the
white pine blister rust Injuries four
important species of pine in practi
cally all European countries. 1t is
a fungus disease and would be most
undesirable importation into the
United States if it be brought here,
as it is liable to be on imported
nursery stock. 1t would cause
enormous damage to coniferous for
ests.
Another fungus disease which is a
menace to American agriculture is
the potato disease known as potato
wart, potato canker, black scab, etc,
caused by fungus which, in adj
vanced stages of the disease, utilizes
every particle of food in the tuber
and reduces it to a brownish black
soft mass of very unpleasant putri-
factive odor. The disease occurs in
many parts of Europe and in several
islands not far from the Atlantic
coast of the United States.
The menacing insect pest is the
Mediterranean fruit fly, an insect
which is tolerably well described by
its name. and which is now known to
be established in the Hawaiian Is
lands. Its introduction into the
United States from the territory OF
Hawaii would be a calamity of the
first importance to fruit growers.
The state of California. because of
this insect, now quarantines against
a long list OF fruits and vegetables
from Hawaii. including oranges. Chi
nese. plums: prickley pears. Damson
plum.s, peaches, figs, tomatoes, grapes.
well known fruits and vegetables.
Other Pacific coast states however,
have no such quarantine. and the in
PRODUCTION OF the insect through ports
in those states is possible and per
haps imminent. 1t is also found in
Queensland. New South Wales and
West Australia.
To prevent these undesirable i'm
migrants from entering the United
States, the. secretary of agriculture
proposes to exercise the power vest
ed in him by the new law and de
clare quarantine against the terri
tory OF Hawaii in the case of the
Mediterranean fruit fly. and also to
prohibit the importation from Great
Britain, France. Belgium. Holland,
Denmark, Norway. Sweden. Russia.
Germany, Austria, Switzerland and
italy of four species of pines and
their horticultural forms liable to in
'roduce the white pine blister rust
namely. white pine (Pinus strobus
Linnaeus), western white pine (Pinus
monticola Douglass, sugar pine
(Pinus lambertiana Douglass. and
stone or cembrian pine (Pinus GEM
bra Linnaeus). The Importation OF
potatoes that may bring the potato
wart disease from Newfoundland and
the islands of St. Pierre and Mique-
lon. and from Great Britain. includ-
ing England. Scotland, Wales and
Ireland. and from Germany and Aus
tria- Hungary will also be prohibited.
Photographs illustrating the three
dangers above mentioned can be OBJ
Gained upon application to the chief
of the Division of Publications. De-
partment of Agriculture, Washington,
D. c.