Without the legislation here proposed, however, the Secretary does not have the authority to conduct long-time campaigns against the pests named in this bill nor to carry on any operations in Mexico other than a limited amount of research.

CITRUS BLACKFLY

The citrus blackfly is a destructive insect pest which does not now exist in the United States. It became established on the island of Key West in 1934 but was eradicated by control measures which continued to June 1937. The treatment used for its eradication there (frequent spraying of oil on the trees affected) cannot be used when the insect attacks citrus because the treatment will kill citrus trees. In 1935 this pest became established on the west coast of Mexico and has since spread generally in the western part of Mexico and across to the eastern section of that country. It is now known to be only about 250 to 300 miles from important citrus regions of the United States, and may be even closer-since surveys have not been adequate to locate it definitely.

The blackfly is extremely destructive of citrus. It covers the trees with a sooty mold and its feeding apparently produces some toxic reaction which prevents the trees from setting fruit. A serious attack will put an orchard entirely out of production in one season and unless the insect is brought under control the trees themselves will be killed. The insect has been found to feed on some 120 different plants in Mexico and to develop successfully on at least 75 plants.

Thus far no completely effective control measures have been found that are not also destructive of the citrus trees. A small wasp parasite which has been used successfully in Cuba has been found unadapted to the less humid climate found in Mexico and southern United States. A search is in progress for other possible parasites that may be used successfully in those areas.

The Urgent Deficiency Appropriation Act of 1948 (Public Law 430, 80th Cong.) provided an appropriation of $100,000 to carry out laboratory and field experimentation and research on methods of combating this pest. The Mexican Government is attacking the pest vigorously and is allocating tax revenues estimated at about $750,000 annually to this purpose.

This bill adds the citrus blackfly to those plant pests which the Secretary is authorized to eradicate and control in the United States and also includes it among the pests against which operations in cooperation with the Mexican Government are authorized.

The Secretary of Agriculture estimates that additional appropriations of about $150,000 annually will be requested to carry on the campaign against the citrus blackfly authorized by this bill.'

WHITE-FRINGED BEETLE AND HALL SCALE

Hall scale is an insect which attacks deciduous fruits. It is a native of Asia but has become established in some parts of California. The white-fringed beetle is a soil-dwelling insect originally from South America which was discovered in our Southern States a few years ago. For the past several years the Department of Agriculture has been carrying on prevention and control measures against these insects under its authority to combat incipient or emergency outbreaks of

CITRUS BLACKFLY, WHITE-FRINGED BEETLE AND HALL SCALE 3

plant insects and diseases. This bill recognizes the fact that the control and eradication efforts against these pests are no longer on a temporary or emergency basis and should be authorized as yearround programs of the same type as those directed against the other pests named in section 102.

DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION

Enactment of legislation such as H. R. 4263 was recommended by the Secretary of Agriculture in an executive communication dated April 18, 1949. Following is the Secretary's letter:

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

The SPEAKER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY,
Washington, April 18, 1949.

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: There is transmitted herewith, for the consideration of the Congress, proposed legislation which would amend the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944 so as to include the citrus blackfly, the white-fringed beetle, and the Hall scale.

Section 102 of the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944 (7 U. S. C. 147a) authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out independently or on a cooperative basis operations or measures to eradicate, suppress, control, or to prevent or retard the spread of specified insect pests and plant diseases known to be destructive to our agriculture. The various pests enumerated in the act are species that were recognized to be of special importance and for which Congress had provided funds to enable the Department to carry on control programs for several years prior to the enactment of this act.

These three additional destructive insect pests threaten our agriculture and are of such potential importance that operations to combat them should be authorized and provided for in similar manner. To do this it is recommended that section 102 of the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944 be amended to include specific reference to these pests. Prompt consideration of such proposed legislation is recommended for the reasons given below.

The citrus blackfly does not now occur within the United States. In 1934 this insect gained limited establishment on the island of Key West, Fla., but after an intensive suppression program, carried out by the State of Florida in general cooperation with the Department extending to June 1937, the infestation was eradicated In 1935 this very destructive pest became established in one locality on the west coast of Mexico. It has now spread generally in the western part of Mexico and across to the eastern section of the country. The known infestations in Mexico are from approximately 250 and 300 miles from important citrusproducing sections of our country in Arizona and Texas, respectively. The pest is now rapidly increasing in destructiveness in Mexico, and a recent report indicates it has been found in two additional localities.

The Urgent Deficiency Appropriation Act of 1948 (Public Law 430, 80th Cong.) provided an appropriation of $100,000 for the fiscal years 1948 and 1949 to enable the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine to carry out research to develop information on how to combat this pest by the use of insecticides, to import natural enemies and in cooperation with the Mexican Government colonize them in infested sections, and to cooperate with the Mexican Government in carrying out field tests and demonstrations to appraise the effectiveness of control measures. Considerable progress has been made in connection with these investigations, and much additional information has been secured on the behavior of the insect in Mexico.

It is now well established that the pest causes serious losses to citrus and that it is increasing in abundance and virulence in many sections of Mexico. The destructiveness of the pest is illustrated by observations made in a limited area in Mexico where about 4,000 citrus trees are grown. The production of fruit from these trees in the 1946-47 season was about 7,500 boxes, but during the 1947-48 season the same trees produced only about 15 boxes. The insect covers the trees with a sooty mold, and through its feeding apparently causes some toxic reaction which prevents the trees from setting fruit.

In addition to attacking citrus, the insect feeds on some 120 plants and is known to successfully develop on some 75 plants in Mexico. Many of these

host plants are important economically; some of the others are native wild plants. The life cycle is short, and the insect reproduces rapidly, and its range may be extending much more rapidly than we now know through development on the wide variety of plants on which it can live. Exact information is not available concerning its distribution in Mexico, and it may now be established much nearer to our country than the present known infestations.

The Mexican Government is very much concerned regarding the destructiveness of this insect and has recently taken steps to greatly expand a suppressive program. We are informally advised that they have provided a great increase in the funds to be used for this purpose to combat the pest, and they have informally solicited our counsel and advice in procedures to be followed. We have reasonable assurance they would welcome our close participation in a program to develop more facts and to technically aid in surveys and control measures.

The potential importance of this pest to our agriculture emphasizes the need for cooperating with Mexico in such ways as we can to combat and retard the spread of the pest. It is likewise important that we should work with that country in developing accurate information on the occurrence of the pest in Mexico. The situation in reference to this pest is, therefore, quite comparable to that of two other pests well established in Mexico, against which we have been carrying on control operations for a number of years. These pests, the Mexican fruitfly and the pink bollworm, are established in limited parts of the United States.

Section 102 of the Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944 authorizes the Department 66* * to cooperate with the Government of Mexico or local Mexican authorities in carrying out necessary surveys and control operations in Mexico in connection with the eradication, suppression, control, and preven tion, or retardation of the spread of Mexican fruitflies, and pink bollworm and thurberia weevil." It is believed that this authority should be extended to enable the Department to carry out similar cooperative activities in connection with the citrus blackfly. The proposed amendment could provide such authority by the insertion of the words "citrus blackfly" in the existing language. If such authorization is provided, the Department would propose to cooperate with Mexico in carrying out surveys to determine the occurrence of the pest, to cooperate with appropriate officials in an advisory manner in reference to technical problems associated with the enforcement of quarantines which they have promulgated to prevent the spread of the citrus blackfly, and to counsel and advise with them in carrying out control operations to suppress and control it. These activities are similar to those now effectively and satisfactorily carried out in connection with the program to combat the pink bollworm. They would be in addition to those of a research nature which are being carried on under the appropriation referred to above and for which there is general authorizing authority.

If the much-needed authority requested in the proposed amendment is provided, the Department would prepare for consideration estimates of funds that might be required to carry out such activities. Detailed estimates have not been prepared, but at the present it would appear that the additional funds that may be required for such activities, which are in addition to research, would be approximately $150,000 annually for the next few years. It is not contemplated that we would provide facilities and means for carrying out control operations or that our participation in programs to control and prevent the spread of the pest would be in a manner different from that outlined above.

The need for authorizing legislation to carry on cooperative work with Mexico with respect to the citrus blackfly is urgent and is in the public interest.

Two of the three additional pests, the white-fringed beetle and the Hall scale are now established in limited areas of the United States and the Department has been cooperating with States to control and prevent their spread. These activities have been provided for by annual appropriations and conducted under arthority included in legislation (7 U. S. C. 148-148e) which provides for carrying out cooperative control measures against incipient or emergency outbreaks of insect pests and plant diseases. It now appears that operations to suppress, control, and prevent the spread of these insects will need to be carried on for some years to come and that these programs will be of the same general type as those conducted against several of the pests enumerated in section 102 of the organic act of 1944. Programs of this character continue throughout the year and, except in unusual cases, estimates of the funds required can be determined in advance for budgetary purposes. In this respect the work conducted against these two pests differs from other operations now provided for by appropriations made to combat incipient and emergency outbreaks of insects and plant diseases.

For several years Congress has provided appropriations to combat incipient and emergency outbreaks of insects and plant diseases. In providing funds for the current fiscal year, the Congress indicated that it preferred to provide a token appropriation to combat incipient and emergency outbreaks of insect pests and plant diseases and defer final action until later in the fiscal year when more complete information would be available as to the needs of the various programs. To carry out this plan as to emergency-type programs, it is believed that the more stable activities relative to white-fringed beetles and the Hall scale should be provided for under an annual appropriation on a full-year basis, as is done with the Japanese beetle, sweet potato weevil, and the pink bollworm.

A companion letter and enclosure are being forwarded to the President of the Senate.

The Bureau of the Budget advises that, from the standpoint of the President's program, there is no objection to the submission of this proposed legislation and explanatory letter to the Congress for its consideration.

Sincerely,

CHARLES F. BRANNAN, Secretary.

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 2a of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, changes made by the bill are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in brackets, new matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman):

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ORGANIC ACT OF 1944

SEC. 102. (a) The Secretary of Agriculture either independently or in cooperation with States or political subdivisions thereof, farmers' associations, and similar organizations, and individuals, is authorized to carry out operations or measures to eradicate, suppress, control, or to prevent or retard the spread of Japanese beetle, sweetpotato weevil, Mexican fruitflies, citrus canker, gypsy and brown-tail moth, Dutch elm disease, phony peach and peach mosaic, cereal rusts, corn borer, [and] pink bollworm and thurberia weevil, citrus blackfly, white-fringed beetle, and Hall scale: Provided, That the Secretary of Agriculture is further authorized to cooperate with the Government of Mexico or local Mexican authorities in carrying out necessary surveys and control operations in Mexico in connection with the eradication, suppression, control, and prevention or retardation of the spread of Mexican fruit flies, citrus blackfly and pink bollworm and thurberia weevil. In performing the operations or measures herein authorized, the cooperating foreign country, State, or local agency shall be responsible for the authority necessary to carry out the operations or measures on all lands and properties within the foreign country or State other than those owned or controlled by the Federal Government and for such other facilities and means as in the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture are necessary. As used in this section, the term "State" includes the District of Columbia and the Territories and possessions of the United States.

(b) The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed to promulgate such rules and regulations and use such means as he may deem necessary to provide for the inspection of domestic plants and plant products offered for export and to certify to shippers and interested parties as to the freedom of such products from injurious insect pests and plant diseases according to the sanitary requirements of the foreign countries to which such products may be exported.

(c) There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as the Congress may from time to time determine to be necessary to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out the provisions of this section. Unless otherwise specifically authorized, or provided for in appropriations, no part of such sums shall be used to pay the cost or value of property injured or destroyed.