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Show IRISH POTATOES MAY BE BARRED Fear of Importation of Dangerous Dan-gerous Plant Diseases May-Stop May-Stop Admission. Washington, Dee. 18. Whether common Irish potatoes from Canada, New Foundland, Great Britain, Ireland Ire-land and continental Europe shall be barred from the United States because be-cause of the danger of Importation cf dangerous plant diseases, or shall 1 be admitted under the same restric- j tions as apply to nursery stock, was the subject of a hearing today before tbe federal horticultural board at the direction of Secretary' Houston. T P. Gill, secretary of agriculture for Ireland; Dr. H. T. Gussow. an expert of the Canadian department of agriculture, and G. F. O'llalloran. j deputy minister of agriculture of Canada, wore among those who spoke In favor of the admission of foreign 1 potatoes. Representations have been made to the American department of agriculture, agri-culture, that In view of the short domestic potato crop caused by last summer's drought, the exclusion of foreign potatoes would go far toward raising prlcpfi In the United States At tho oulspf. Secretary Houston said the question under consideration ae not the lifting of an embargo against diseased potatoes, but whoth or v quarantine should bo absolute, or administered in such a way as to admit the- ontry of potatoes prop erly passed on by government experts. ex-perts. Senators Protest. Senators anil representatives in congress from many states protested r gainst any policv whereby diseased potatoes might get into the country A few members, however, urged that il would be wise to permit the entry of lorclgn potatoes In the hope of i educing high prices of food. Dr Gussow, declared that United States exports had not made a sufficient suf-ficient investigation of tho potato oi op in his country on which to base . a recommendation that the wholo crop should be barred from this coun- j try because of disease He said American agents had gone into ( nn-ada nn-ada to investigate potato diseases without co-operating with him mong those who urged an unre-rtricted unre-rtricted quarantine to protect the American crop of potatoes, even 3'iould It result In higher prices to a few were Senator Brady, Idaho and Representatives Taylor and Seldom-ridge Seldom-ridge of Colorado i oo i |