The Colorado statesman., 1917-02-17
Uncle Sam Spends Thousands of
Dollars to Keep Out One
Little Moth Egg.
QUARANTINE Is MAINTAINED
Bars Are Put UP Against Infested Cot.
ton From Egypt, Diseased Pota-
toes, Trees, Shrubs and
Other Plants.

spend thousands of dollars annually to
prevent one little moth egg that could
pass through the eye of a cambric
needle from entering the country, Uncle
Sam is employing the machinery of
the department of agriculture, state,
treasury and post office to keep out
that little pest, the pink cotton boil
worm.
The same agencies are united to ex-
clude by quarantine diseased potatoes,
trees, shrubs and plants, and in so do
ing are accomplishing far more than
one would think toward holding down
the cost of living.
The general STAIR which conducts
the defense against plant disease is
known as the federal horticultural
board and is composed of five high Off
cials of appropriate bureaus of the de-
partment of agriculture.
All along the fertile valley of the
Nile, where the luxuriant Egyptian cot
ton grows, planters are more worried
over the ruinous work of the pink boil
worm in their cotton fields than they
are over the greater devastation of the
European war.
The pink boll-worm was taken to
Egypt from India, where its wretched
family billions are still leaving their
baleful impress.
While the annual yield of American
Sea Island cotton, the best in the world,
is by no means enough to make all the
spool cotton, automobile tires and other
textiles requiring a grade better than
that of ordinary upland cotton, it is
somewhat surprising to learn that 300,-
900 bales of Egyptian cotton contain
mated by the pink boll-worm are i'm
ported with impunity to the United
States.
Every Bale Disinfected.
This was made possible by a sys-
TEN of fumigation originated by the
board and worked out on commercial
scale by its experts, by which every
bale is disinfected before distribution.
The cotton-a couple of hundred
bales at time-is placed in a great
horizontal cylinder of heavy structural
steel, Theoretically sealed and then the
air is pumped out until there is almost
a vacuum within. Hydrocyanic acid
gas is then admitted and although the
bales are compressed before shipment
until they are almost as hard as blocks
of wood, it penetrates the cotton so
that all animal life, including boil
worms in every stage, becomes extinct
in less than an hour and the cotton can
be sent without possibility of spreading
infection to any mill for manufacture.
There are only four of these fumi-
eating tanks in the country, one at
each of the four ports of entry for cot
ton-New York, Newark, N. j.; Boston
and San Francisco.
Although privately operated, these
tanks are under the closest of gov
| ernment inspection. The bales must
be left in the receiving chambers a
certain time; the poisonous gas must
be of a positive strength; the appli-
| ances and chemicals tested and every
precaution must be taken to evacuate
the gas without risk of life to the men
operating the plant.
One shipment of the infested cotton
scotland it is believed to be the only
one-is known to have entered this
country, and that was before the quar-
antine was established. This lot was
taken to Arizona, where a state quar-
| antine was in force; the infestation
was detected and the whole lot burned.
1t is believed that the pink pest has
not succeeded in running the blockade.
Guard Potato Crop.
One of the most pressing matters
now under the boards attention is the
oversight of potatoes coming into the
country to make up the 60,000,000-
bushel shortage in the American crop.
Naturally, our Canadian neighbor
wishes to share in the high prices, end
his crop is wanted here; but the board
says: mo diseased stock may be
entered"
Accordingly, this working plan has
been agreed upon between the two
countries; Canada may send potatoes
free from injurious disease and insect
pests to ports of entry designated by
this country. On arrival the tubers
are examined by federal inspectors, and
If found to be infected are returned to
the consignors at their expense. Po-
tatoes are coming into the country in
such quantities that, although in the
main they are all right carloads are
sent back almost every day.
Another thing which the board is
fighting is the importation of any
nursery stock which carries the white
pine blister rust, tree disease de-
structive of both ornamental and for
est pines.
Cotton seed, except from some parts
of Mexico; the seed of alligator pears
from Mexico and Central America, liv-
ing canes of sugar, all citrus nursery
stock, all Indian corn or maize from
oriental countries and some less i'm
portant plant products MAJ not be i'm
ported at all, because each is likely to