82 STATE BOARD OP AGRICULTURE. 



Not only should every peach grower endeavor to familiarize himself, 

 but they should understand that unless prompt attention is paid to 

 the removal of infected trees all of the others in the orchard as well 

 as in the surrounding country will be doomed. On the other hand, 

 they should know that if trees in which yellows appears are removed 

 as soon as the characteristic symptoms are shown in the fruit, the 

 disease will be checked. It is not uncommon to find the loss reduced 

 to considerably less than one per cent annually when infected trees 

 are given attention immediately, while it is seldom more than three 

 or four years before it amounts to a hundred per cent if this is ne- 

 glected. 



Comparatively few reports of "little peach" have been received dur- 

 ing the year. In some sections where rigid steps have been taken to 

 destroy infected trees, the number of cases has undoubtedly been re- 

 duced, but from the insidious nature of the disease and the fact that 

 even those who are most familiar with it sometimes have difficulty 

 in detecting it in its early stages, it is probable that it is in orchards 

 where its presence is not suspected. 



The changes made in the nursery and orchard inspection law by the 

 legislatui-e of 1905 have been very helpful, as it is now possible to 

 secure the appointment of inspectors in cities as well as in the town- 

 ships. This is especially desirable as the San Jose scale seems to be 

 doing more harm in some of the cities and larger villages than in the 

 country, except perhaps in the fruit belt itself where -the orchards are 

 situated so close together that if the scale appears in one it will very cer- 

 tainly spread to a number of others in the vicinity. 



Aside from preventing the dissemination of the San Jose scale and 

 other injurious insects and diseases upon nursery stock the law has 

 been very helpful in sections where they have appeared in the orchards, 

 as we have in numerous cases found the San Jose scale in large, com- 

 mercial orchards where its presence was not suspected by the owner 

 and have thus enabled him to take the proper steps to control it before 

 any harm had been done. The law also makes it possible to compel 

 all persons to see that their trees have proper attention so that the 

 efforts of the fruit grower who takes pride in and looks after his trees 

 will not be set at naught by his shiftless neighbor who cares nothing 

 for his trees and would take no steps to save them no matter what dan- 

 ger threatened them. 



The principal need, so far as this department is concerned, is more 

 knowledge on the part of the public regarding the nature of and dan- 

 ger from these pests when allowed to go without attention, and a public 

 spirit that will insist upon the appointment of local inspectors where 

 these dangerous insects and diseases have made their appearance. 



The work of inspecting orchards and nurseries has been done for 

 the most part by the same deputies as last year. It has been thought 

 best to delay the inspection of the nurseries until as late a date as 

 possible and this has necessitated using a somewhat larger force. The 

 writer has attended to nearly all of the reports of infested orchards, 

 and has inspected the nurseries in the central, northern and eastern 

 portions of the state; Mr, T, A, Farrand and Mr. F. A. Wilken did 

 most of the work in Van Buren, Berrien and Kalamazoo counties; 



