B. E. P. Q. 558, Revised Effective June 11, 1948 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY AND PLANT QUARANTINE PINK BOLLWORM QUARANTINE; ADIvUNISTRATIVE INSTRUCTIONS: AUTHORIZING ADDITIONAL METHODS OF TREATING COTTONSEED Pursuant to the authority conferred upon the Chief of the Bureau of Ento- mology and Plant Quarantine by the second proviso of Pink Bollworm Quarantine No. 52 (7 CFR, 19^7 Supp., 301.52), and having determined that facts exist as to the pest risk involved which make it safe to modify, by making les3 stringent, the requirements contained in § 301.52-4 (c), (1) and (2) of the regulations, the following revision of administrative instructions authorizing additional methods of treating cottonseed (B. E. P, Q. 558; 7 CFR, 1946 Supp., 301.52-4d) is hereby adopted: s 301.52-4d Administrative instructions authori z ing additional methods of treating cottonseed , (a) Cottonseed from lightly infested area . --In lieu of the heat treatment upon arrival at designated oil mills or other treating plant3 prescribed in § 301.52-4 (c) (l) as a condition of certification for interstate movement, to any destination, of cottonseed originating in the counties of Andrews, Bailey, Baylor, Borden, Brown, Callahan, Childress, Cochran, Coke. Coleman, Collingsworth, Concho, Cottle, Crane, Crosby, Dawson, Dickens, Donley, Ector, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Gaines, Garza, Glasscock, Gray, Hale, Hall, Eardeman, Haskell, Hockley, Howard, Irion, Jones, Kent ; King, Knox, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Martin, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Midland, Mitchell, Motley, Nolan, Reagan, Runnels, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Sterling, Stonewall, Taylor, Terry, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Upton, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, and Yoakum, in Tex as, the counties of Beckham, Caddo, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa, Tillman, and Washita, in Oklahoma , and the counties of Lea and Roosevelt, in New Mexico , such cottonseed may be certified after methyl bromide fumigation under the supervision of an in- spector in the following manner: (l) Equipment . --The fumigation chamber shall be cylindrical in shape, with walls and top made of sheet steel. All Joints or seams must be gastight. It shall have a foundation and base of concrete. The chamber shall have a false floor raised at least 12" above the concrete bottom perforated by l/4" holes 4 inches apart in each direction. The floor Joists shall be 3taggsred so that free circulation of air beneath the floor can be obtained. It will be permissible to install a screw conveyor beneath the floor, protected by an inverted V shaped tunnel, to remove cottonseed from the chamber. All entrances to the chamber, except the exit conveyor channel, must be provided with covers that can be clamped in place against sponge rubber gaskets, or be sealed in some manner, to provide a gastight closure. Each chamber must be provided with a circulatory system which can draw air from beneath the false floor and return it to the top of the chamber above the load line. This system can be contained entirely within the tank by boxing in the motor and blower on the floor near one wall, and running the return duct up the inside of the wall. If the blower and return duct are outside of the chamber, the blower housing and all ducts must be gastight. The blower intake shall be connected to two lateral ducts, one across the center of each half of the botton - 2 - of the charter, These ducts shall have four or five openings spaced equidistant along their length, and adjusted eo' as to take in approximately equal portions of air at each opening. The duct may be burled in the concrete floor with only * the risers opening above the level of the concrete, or it can be laid directly on the concrete surface. The blower shall have sufficient capacity to establish air circulation through a full load of cottonseed within 10 minutes, (This fact will be de- termined by pressure readings above and below the load of cottonseed.) Note : In experimental tests, a blower with a blade whe^l Uo" In diameter, run at 1800 r.p.ra., established air circulation in 8 minutes In a 5^,580 cu. ft. chamber through seed UO' deep. As near as can be determined, this blower had a rating of 6000 to 8000 c.f .m. at a static pressure of 10". The return duct shall bo arranged so that the discharge can be diverted to the open air In crder that the f umigant can be evacuated at the end of the ex- posure period. (2) A pproval . - -Any person contemplating the erection of equipment for use under these instructions should submit plans of the proposed structure to the Bureau of Entcmology and Plant Quarantine for approval. After construction, the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine will require such performance tests of the loaded chamber as It shall deem necessary, before final approval is granted. (3) Dosage . --The dosage of methyl bromide shall be as follows: At average seed temperatures of oC° F, or above, the dosage rate shall be h lb. of methyl bromide per 1C00 cu, ft. of chamber space. At average seed temperatures be?.ov 60° F,, the dosage rate shall be 5 lb. of methyl bromide per 1000 cu. ft. of chamber space. The exposure period shall be of 2k hours duration. The dosege shall be introduced as a spray into the return duct at some point teyond the blower. The circulatory system shall be operated at the beginning for a period to be designated by the inspector in charge . (b) Co ttonseed f rom hee^il y infes ted area . — Cottonseed located within heavily infested areas, as defined In g 301.52-2, which has been treated as pro- vided in § 301.52-4. (c) (I) as a part of the continuous process of ginning and subsequently protected from contamination and in addition has been given, within the heavily Infested area, any one of the following additional treatments In ap- proved equipment under the supervision of an inspector and in a manner approved by him, may be certified for movement interstate to any destination. (l) Additiona l heat treatm ent . - -A second heat treatment shall be given with steam as the heating" medium in an apparatus separate and apart from the gin or gins which applied the Initial heat treatment. The mass temperature of the seed' must be raised to at least 155° F. during an exposure period of 2 minutes. The exposure period is the length of time required for the seed to travel from point of entrance into the heater to the point where the temperature reading of the seed Is taken beyond the exit of the heater. The heating apparatus must be \ t * _ so constructed as to apply an adequate amount of live steam to the seed promptly upon entrance into tlie apparatus, and radiated heat for the full length of the heating unit. The apparatus shall oe constructed so as to assure a constant and uniform flow of cottonseed through the machine vhen In operation and equipped with devices which will stir the seed so as to e;q>ose oach seed to bcth the introduced steam and radiated heat during the entire exposure period. (2) Methyl "bromide fumigation of sa cked cottonseed . --The seed shall be treated in an approved fumigation chamber with methyl bromide at a c.osege of 3 pounds per 1000 cubic feet for an exposure period of 2h hours. The seed shall be sacked and stacked on a floor rack which will allow circulation beneath the seed. The bulk temperature of the seed at the beginning of the fumigation 3hall be 60° F. or above. A circulating fan shall be operated for a period of 30 minutes after the introduction of fumiganu. An approved fumigation chamber shall be one lined with 3heet metal, with all openings fitted tightly against a double row of molded sponge fub^er gasket- ing. Chambers with more than 100 cubic feet capacity shall have a combination circulating and venting system. Chambers of less than 100 cubic feet shall have a circulating fan. All chambers must pas3 a pressure te3t whereby the time lapse is more than 22 seconds for an internal pressure of 50 mm. on a kerosene - fitted open arm manometer to recede to 5 mm . pressure. (3) Methyl brom ide fumigation of bulk cott onseed. --As an alternative treatment, the type of metliyl bromide fumigation authorized in paragraph (a) of this section hereof for certain counties in the lightly infested area may be employed as the additional treatment. The Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine has made tests which 3how that methyl bromide fumigation of cottonseed does not affact its germination or processing qualities. It has not, however, had an opportunity to test seed under all conditions or from all areas. Those who elect to use this method of treatment are, therefore, hereby notified that no liability shall be attached to the Department of Agriculture or any of ItE employees for damage to seed that might result from application of the treatment of cottonseed with methyl bromide. (Sec. 8, 37 Stat. 318, as amended; 7 U. S. C. l6l; 7 CFR, 19^7 Supp., 301-52-4.) These instructions shall become effective June 11, 1943, when they shall supersede B. E. P. Q r 558, effective October 28, 19^6 (7 CFR, 19^6 Supp., 301.52- ld). These administrative Instructions supplement a revision of the pink tollworm quarantine and regulations to becoma effective June 11, 19^8. It is, theiefore, necessary that they al3o become effective on the same date. Furthermore, they relieve restrictions in that they authorize chemical treatments not heretofore available to shippers. For the reasons stated, it is found upon good cause, pursuant to the provisions of section h of the Admlnisiracive Procedure Act (60 Stat. 238), that notice and public procedure on these administrative instructions - h - ere unrecees'iry, Impracticable, and contrary to the public Interest, and good cause Is found for making tLem effective less than thirty days after their publication in The Federal Register, uA Done at Washington, D. C., this l8th day of May 19^8. Chief , Bu reau of "Entom ol ogy and Plant Quarantine