Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1924-01-11
STATE NOT INCLUDED
In GUARANTEED AREA
Delaware Delegation Succeeded In
Fight To Keep Government From
Quarantining This State. ~
FIGHT BEETLE WITH ENEMIES
Insects That Feed Upon The Pest In
Japan Will Be Imported To Aid
In Its determination.

The State Board of Agriculture
started this week on a systematic and
far-reaching educational campaign to
arouse the farmers of Delaware to the
menace of the Japanese beetle.
At the conference held at Washing
ton last Friday between members of
the board and important interests of
the State involved, the horticultural
Board of the Department of Agricul-
ture there was no action taken that
would include Delaware among the
quarantined districts against the bee
tie. But there is no assurance that
such a step may not be authorized by
the Federal authorities.
In the meantime, however, the State
Board of Agriculture hopes to so
awaken the farmers of this State to
the necessity for watching for any in
roads of the beetle here, that the Gov
eminent authorities will be content to
permit the farmers to raise and ship
their produce and fruit unrestricted
from any quarantine regulations.
Through cards, pamphlets, newspa-
per articles and in every known pos
sible way to reach the farmers, the
State Board will endeaVOr to bring
home the danger from this pest, which
up to this time and, since 1916, when
it first made its appearance here, has
been unchecked. The infected zone
now covers $500 square miles and is
confined chiefly to New Jersey and
Pennsylvania.
The officials of the Delaware Agri- |
cultural Board were informed that the |
Government is having assembled in
Japan those insects that feed on the |
Japanese beetle and which are in suf-
fciently large numbers in the Orient
TO successfully combat the beetle. The
chief difficulty up to this time has Y
been to obtain these enemies of the |,
beetle. With their importation to this /
country, some hope may be held out
for the determination of the beetle,
but not until that time. So far, all
spraying solutions have failed to meet
the need and the beetles have propa- ]
gated and fOurished. {
Delaware was not the only State {
whose representatives made a fight
against being placed n the quarantine \
area Representative of Illinois, Wis I
consin and Florida, put up similar s
protests and the Federal Horticultural S
Board learned of the strong opposition 2
to quarantining those states where the
beetle had not made its appearance. 1t
was time enough when the beetle APP
Deared, it was asserted, to bar the
produce from any State.
Delaware was well represented and
'eally made the most aggressive fight
against the quarantine. Senators Bay n
lrd and Ball, Congressman Boyce and
of the State Board express
ID the sentiments of the farming in
erests. Municipal Court Judge Daniel
}. Hastings, of Wilmington. was the
Ormal spokesman for Delaware and
resented the natter both from a leg q,
! and Oratorical standpoint. ~ ~
1t was pointed out that it was ale ~
lost impossible to have strict quar- u
ntine. To do so, every ear of coin ~
hipped out of the State would have S Ie
} be examined separately, and even "
hen the inspector could not guaran- sH
se that there were no beetles in the VI
ar, but could only give it as his Opin- ~
N fro ma cursory examination. -,
In addition to those mentioned, ~ ~
hers attending the conference from ~ ~
elaWare were Dean McCue of the I tI'
of Delaware; Robert P. ~ ~
president of the State "
range; Colonel George A. Elliott, R Rl
the Delaware State Fair, 49,, -
Id W. T. DericksOn of the Bureau Of ~
arkets of the State. nc
The conference was presided over 49, w.
2 DR.. Mardatt, chairman of the Fed o-l'
al Horticultural Board. On