78 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



REPOET OF STATE INSPECTOR OF ORCHARDS AND NURSER- 

 IES. 



Hon C. J. Monroe, President State Board of Agriculture: 



Sir — As in previous 3^ears, the work of ttiis department has consisted 

 of inspecting all of the nurseries in Michigan during the months of 

 August and September and investigating outbreaks of San Jose scale 

 as they are reported from time to time. There has been a slight in- 

 crease in the number of nurseries, as well as in that of nurseries in 

 other states who have agents in Michigan, and of residents of the state 

 who sell nursery stock on their own account but purchase their supply 

 from other parties. All of these parties are required to pay the license 

 fee and file a bond before receiving a license entitling them to sell 

 nursery stock within the state. 



There was little change in the condition of nursery stock as com- 

 pared with previous years. The San Jose scale was found in small 

 numbers in all of the nurseries that were infested in 1904-5, but in 

 most of them the extent of the infestation was reduced and there is 

 every reason to expect that, with proper care, it can be eradicated 

 within a year or two except where the nursery blocks are in close 

 proximity to infested- orchards. In such cases in order to keep down 

 the scale it may be necessary to make use of summer as well as winter 

 applications upon the infested orchards. 



With one exception, the nurseries found to be infested were located 

 in infested regions and, in this case, about a dozen trees were found 

 in a nursery that was closing out its business. The trees in the in- 

 fested blocks were four years old but careful examination failed to 

 reveal the presence of the scale in the orchard trees in the vicinity and 

 the San Jose scale is not known to be found within a dozen miles. 



The infested nurseries were inspected a second time just before the 

 trees were dug and all upon which the scale could be found were taken 

 out and destroyed. As is required by the state law, the proprietors of 

 infested nurseries and also those having nursery • stock within a half 

 mile of where the scale was known to exist were required to fumigate 

 it witli hydrocyanic acid gas before selling the trees. Several nurseries 

 that do not come under the requirement of the law have also erected 

 and made use of fumigating houses in order to give their customers as 

 much protection as possible. 



Some nurserymen and fruit growers have expressed themselves as 

 opposed to the fumigating of nursery stock, believing that it injures 

 the trees. That this is not tlie case when the work is properly done has 

 been conclusively shown by experiments that have been conducted in 

 a number of states. These have demonstrated that no injury is done to 

 nursery stock by fumigation unless at least twice the amount of chemi- 

 cals usually recommended are used and the gas is confined for a long 

 period. While it is barely possible that the injury attributed to the 

 fumigation was actually caused by using the gas in an improper man- 



