The farmer and mechanic., 1915-03-09

worm into the cotton States indicate
that il will be necessary to adopt the |
restrictions which were proposed ana |
discussed at a public hearing held at
the Department Of Agriculture IN |
Washington on May 10, 1914. In |
brief the measures then proposed |
were G) An order placing similar re-
strictions on the importation of lint |
cotton to those which now apply to |
nursery stock, so that the entry Of
such cotton may be limited to the |
northern states. (2) A quarantine or
der regulating the movement of i'm |
ported lint cotton from the northern
to the cotton growing states. (3) A
quarantine order restricting the
movement Of Hawaiian cotton to GER
tain northern states.
After the hearing, action on these
proposed measures was postponed
until fuller information could be OBJ
tanned in regard to the utilization of
foreign lint cotton in southern mills.
1t was also desired to test the efficacy
in practice of burning each day the
picker waste from this cotton and to
make tests Of certain means of diSin-
fectng baled cotton which have been
suggested. From the reports received
by the Department of Agriculture
from its agents, however, it now ap-
pears that neither disinfection nor
burning can be relied upon to prevent
the introduction of the pest.
In the burning of picker waste con-
siderable laxity was found. In many
cases the enforcement of this re-
quirement was entrusted to Subor-
dinates who were either Indifferent to
or ignorant of the danger from negG
the second summer. The depart
ment, therefore, it is thoroughly un-
safe to rely upon the mill owners to
have such material destroyed. Even
II this were not the case, however
there would still be the danger that
the pink boil worm might escape from
seeds adhering to or near the surface
of the bales which are often kept in
storage for long time. There is an
even greater danger in cotton which
has been opened and put through
the bale breaker and then left to con-
dition for several days before being
cleaned.
Disinfection OF the bales of lint
was found to he equally unSatiSfacto- O.
~. Fumigation in fact had to be
abandoned on account Of the expense
involved and the possibility of iniur-
ing the fiber. 1t was found, more
over, that adequate disinfection OF
the center OF the very dense Egyptian
bales was a practical impossibility
The destruction of the insect by hear
Is not believed to be advisable on ac
count OF the increased danger of firt
In storeage warehouses.
1t seems therefore, that if the pinl
boil worm is to be excluded from tn,
United States the measures proposet
at the public hearing on May Is mus
now be adopted These measlIrue
Will place no serious handicap O.. tn
importation and utilization of foreign
cotton in manufacturing district
north of the cotton-groWing states
Ihe admission of foreign and Ha
waiian cotton under permit Will pro
ceed as at present, but will be linite
TO special ports Of entry. These wi
include New York Boston and Sa
Francisco, which receive PRACTICAL
all of the cotton that now reaches tn
United States
The purpose of the second measur,l
now proposed is to regulate the move
ment of the imported cotton into tn
cotton-growing states after it ha
been admitted into this country. Be
fore this cotton can be sent to soutl
ern mills it will be required TO /
stored in northern warehouses for 9
months a period which will make
absolutely certain that any insec
which may have been contained
The seeds have all perished Th
means, for example, that the Egyl
tan crop of 1914 would not be ava
able for southern mills until Octobe
1916
The necessity for this long peric
ot storage arises from the fact TIL
experiments have shown that not q
OF the larvae of the pink boil wor
transform during the first SUNNI
Following harvest. and a certain be
centage may continue as larvae in
the second summer. The depar
ment, moreover, is informed that fo
clgn cotton is frequently kept
storage in this country for I: cons;
eraole time, and II is, therefore DR.
oable that the few southern mi
winch are dependent on foreign &C
ton can secure supplies to meet II
new condition until they are able
make permanent arrangement for +
tuuture Furthermore. ii was broug
out at the May hearing that a SUI
cient quantity of long staple a
egyptian cotton is now produced
Arizona and elsewhere in the son
to meet any imperative and imme,
ate need.
For these reasons the deparm.