JON: TRACE THIS GUY's IP ADDRESS AND COMPARE IT TO CURRENT USERS. THIS HAS GOT TO BE A REGULAR MEMBER TRYING TO START TROUBLE. PLEASE OUT THEM

Robert,

I don't post much on this forum anymore, but you've brought me out of retirement....

Who the hell do you think you are? You sound like a bitter old woman. You are the reason sites like this need a ban button. Your grammar sucks and your opinions stink.

robert.. i wouldn't assume that bass imports illegally. until yout have the facts, i would keep it down. for example, jon and other members in this forum imports figs from oversea with all the proper permits spending ton of money so they can introduce new figs to this community. i know of few others who are not in business of "selling" the cuttings that does import figs and once quarantine is over shares with others.

this issue comes up occationally on this forum. i see you joined few days ago. there are good number of listing on the ebay which are not legal offering and some just being offered from oversea without phyto certs. those people, sure bad mouth them if you want. but when you are going after respected member of the community, check the facts and make sure you are not just blowing steam.

Harvey:I Grew Ronde De Bordeaux,since 2008,in ground in my Backyard,and it produced fruits in 2011,but they were mediocre quality ,and ugly looking due to 70 inches of rain we had in 2011.
Just rethink about it,is not a typo mistake,It was ,70 inches of rain.In August it rained 20 inches.
So I Took only one pix of ripe fruits in 2011,but in 2008, the tree got ripe fruits again,despite very bad climatic condition,rain and cold nights.
So in the Fall of 2012,i sold a couple of rooted plants,and a few cuttings,after I had ,a tree and pixies of ripe fruits to show,that indeed is ,a genuine cultivar and indeed did ripe fruits here.
And By the way:My specimen does not come from the source you think it was coming,but yes ,it is identical.
Here are pixies of Ronde de Bordeaux,ripe fruits taken in 2011 and 2012,in my garden,from my in ground tree:

This cultivar is a success story so do not compare it to the many many others ,that produced nothing here but frustration,after  growing them for about 4 years ,usually,before discarding.

Edit note:Ronde de Bordeaux is proven,once it produced the ripe fruits you can see,in the difficult climatic conditions we had in the past years,then it is more than proven as a successful cultivar.
And ,it existed in this country for a looooong time,it was just that it was very rare,but the computer era will change that.
Ronde deserves a good price ,because it is a superior cultivar,yet,it will become affordable very soon as ,it become abundant in the USA.

Herman, my point is that you acquired RdB before it was a proven variety.  Was the risk of uncertainty worth it (regardless of whether you paid for your cutting or received it in trade, etc.)?  Yes.  Have you taken chances on others that were not worth the time to grow?  I'm sure the answer to that is yes as well.  I'm sure you would still give them a try but you are warning others not to do the same.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/plant_health/2011/fs_imp_food_ppq.pdf

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/online_manuals.shtml

For those wanting the true facts behind importing agricultural products, the links are above.

Some of the comments here are crossing the line of respectful, leave the job of law enforcement and judgment to those who are accredited to do so.

I am the one who imported this fig 2 yeas ago and shared the cuttings with bass. I had a valid import license at the time and was told by the USDA Bethlehem office 3 months to hold dormant scion so I am not sure what the problem is here? If you want look it up. No citrus so it's all clear.
I was just thinking though that maybe you rob are one of the 12 people who got busted trying to import Spanish figs this season?

so this clears up the issue regarding bass's listing on the ebay. i wouldn't assume things regarding other members on this forum until the facts are all them.

thanks celt. and welcome back :)

My point exactly,  False accusations without any valid legal proof against Bass. Robert68: Leave the valid proof to law enforcement, not what you think is proof via blog and eBay listing comments. If anyone has a problem with a seller of agricultural products, contact  US Customs and USDA, be forewarned, you are wasting our time and our trust venting here. You are also wasting tax payers dollars making false claims to USDA.

And notice Herman2 still does not dispute my comments.

Only other people dispute, not the one who started this thread,
he says nothing, THAT SAYS IT ALL.

Thank you Herman2 for pointing this out to our group,
we are taking care of the issue.

As I pointed out to another member on this forum recently, fig cuttings imported from Canada are not subject to a post-entry quarantine.  I have seen many of the European figs sold by Adriano's which end up here.  They still require an import permit and phyto, but that is the end of it.  Way too many assumptions being made here...

7 cfr 319.40. PPQ 585
Is the permit and the location was Jamaica ny
Bethlehem is where you validate your permit still not sure what your trying to prove here.

Robert68, you're not as smart as you think.  Read better and learn.  I have done nothing to condone any illegal importing.  You are assuming cuttings sold by some people have been imported illegally.  I've seen nothing to back up your claims.  Regarding importation of Ficus from Canada, here is a copy of a portion of the large PDF quarantine manual I have.

I have an import permit but have not imported any figs...yet.  I may import some pomegranates from Iran if I can find someone there able to get a phyto but then I will also need to deal with a trade embargo.  A bit more difficult than stuff from Europe!

Did the cuttings in question come from Canada?

Robert68: show me where in the regulations that you believe says that you cannot import from an individual.  Any individual can get a phyto.  For certain species (i.e., those subject to quarantine orders), it will certainly be more difficult, but it is done all the time.  I know of many individuals who have done it.

Look at the permit I had its for lumber. 3 months.
And yes you drive to ny pick up your load and bring it home.
How hard is it to get a phyto? I get one every time I send stuff overseas. Cost 30 for the inspector to come.
And 2211 Mack blvd is where you go in pa to get verified in pa. So this tells me your as special as your mommy said you were while you were licking windows with your helmet.
Your erroneous accusations are causing undesired problems to arise even terror. Hope you like http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guantanamo_Bay_detention_camp#mw-mf-search

This was a helpful thread when it started. Herman had a very good point. If you don't have any experience with the plants you are selling; if you don't have your own pictures; if you are using other people's pictures (and/or pictures that are obviously of something other than what you are selling); then people should be more hesitant to trust your product: a bit of a call to "buyer be ware".  See http://www.lavernenursery.com/products/subtropicals.html and check out the picture of the Black Jack Fig. It is my picture of a Black Madeira. And the picture on the linked page, while actually of a Black Jack fig, is also my picture. This behavior is from a large "respected" nursery, not some "shyster Ebay seller". I wrote them months ago about the issue. Never heard from them. That is one of the reason why I do not purchase or sell their products.

If I am not mistaken, there are no F. carica native to the US, so, as HarveyC indicates, they have all been imported at one time or another, some legally, some not. What was a legal method of importation 50 years ago or 25 years ago is not the same as today. Importing cuttings from the EU today is not the same as it was 24 months ago. I know, because I have been working on it. Have invested more than a couple bucks on the project, and have nothing to show for it, at this point. Maybe should have played the lottery with HarveyC. Results are the same.

Without condoning illegal importation, when you have been through all of the hoops and regulations, and paperwork, and expense, and time, and effort, and etc. to import legally, it is really, really easy to see why it isn't done very often and why "suitcase importation" is often practiced. Again, HarveyC is correct: figs are a low risk item, unlike citrus which is a very, very high risk item. Read about Haung Long Bing, and some of the other new pests and diseases that are threatening to wipe out whole industries. Again, not condoning, but observing the relative "scariness" of fig cuttings, and why they are not as much on the radar as other things.

If I have cuttings from someone who, at some point in time, however long ago, imported them "illegally", does that make my cuttings illegal? Does that make me an illegal importer? What if I received them from someone who received them from someone who illegally imported them? I am now an illegal importer. I have many hundreds of varieties, from probably a couple hundred sources. Do I need to have a confirmed provenance for all of them all the way back to the country or origin, however many years ago? I can't do that. In some cases I can't even tell you who I received them from: they were "unknowns" picked up at a scion exchange.

So, I am going to lock this thread, for now.  I think we have wandered from Herman's original point, and need to move on to other things. Perhaps March Madness affects more than basketball fans.