REPORT OF STATE HORTICULTURIST. 43 



San Jose Scale. The infestations of this insect have not 

 materially increased during the last two years, and, with the 

 exception of the southern part of York county, the greater part 

 of the state is at the present time quite free from this most 

 dreaded orchard pest. One important case was discovered 

 during the early part of the summer, in a small orchard be- 

 longing to Don Sitz at Norway. This infestation was brought 

 to the orchard a few years ago on apple tree scions which were 

 grafted into young trees on the farm. The insects spread rap- 

 idly until the time of our inspection. Several of the trees 

 were found to have been killed outright and others were so 

 badly covered with the scale as to make it necessary to cut and 

 burn them. With the kind assistance of Mr. Sitz, the most 

 badly infested trees were cut and burned and the remainder 

 sprayed with a strong solution of lime-sulphur. If this prac- 

 tice is continued and a sharp lookout kept for infestations in 

 the neighboring orchards, this case can be kept under control. 



Another small infestation of San Jose scale has been reported 

 recently in the vicinity of Turner, but at the time of this writ- 

 ing, has not been located. This inspection should be continued 

 very thoroughly in order that this insect be kept in control as 

 well as it has been in the past. 



White Pine Blister Rust. 



Several days have been spent the past season in White Pine 

 Blister Rust inspection and both Mr. Eaton and myself have 

 accompanied the Government Inspector, Mr. Posey, on one or 

 more of his inspection trips, and in every case infections have 

 been found, either on currants and gooseberries or on neigh- 

 boring pines. In many cases the disease was found upon both 

 of these hosts. 



It has been known for several years that this dangerous dis- 

 ease was threatening the valuable timber-lands of this state 

 and early in the summer of 1916, Mr. Posey was sent as a 

 Government Inspector to make a tour of this state and ascer- 

 tain whether the disease had been introduced here. It took only 

 a few days' work on the part of the inspector, however, to find 

 that our fears were well founded, for the fungus was found 

 in both of its forms in almost the first locality inspected. This 

 was in the southern part of York county, around Kittery and 



