Excerpt from Nursery Inspection: The Importance of Legislation Against Crop Pests The gypsy moth, liberated in Massachusetts in 1868, cost the state over one million dollars in appropriations between 1890 and 1899 and is not yet under perfect control. In addition to the destructiveness of introduced insects and diseases to orchards and forests, their establishment and spread in suburban residential districts means a depreciation in property value. The fact that introduced pests do not' develop immediately in the sections where infested shipments are received is no indi cation that such pests have not been introduced and that they will not '\eventually become established. When in small num bers, they are easily overlooked, but it is only a question of time before they develop headway at different points and by the time the public recognizes them for what they are, considerable damage has taken place. Even the health of the public is in danger by the introduction of insects which might carry disease. If this process of distribution were allowed to go on unchecked by properly enforced legislation, every injurious insect and fun 'gous disease would be as widely distributed upon the earth as climate would permit. The need of inspection, therefore, is apparent. The inspection service constitutes a barrier to the spread of pests. The foundation of this barrier is sound legis lation against insects, and its effectiveness depends on the proper enforcement of the laws. This has been recognized by practically all of the European powers, which have very stringent plant inspection laws, and absolutely prohibit the entrance of nursery stock from the United States. American fruits are admitted only after a rigid inspection showing freedom from pests. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.