Commissioner of Agriculture 183 



trees was found than in 1008. Of 501 orchards inspected, com- 

 prising 407,374 trees, 0,247 were diseased with yellows and little 

 peach. 



BLACK KNOT 



Black knot of the plum is quite general over the state and in 

 areas where plum culture is still carried on much work has been 

 done towards controlling this fungous disease. 



PEAR BLIGHT 



We are trying to see what can be done in a pear orchard of 

 about 1,500 trees, by cutting out every evidence of pear blight 

 once in 10 days during the growing season, as it is believed that 

 this treatment may be successful in controlling this destructive 

 disease. The result of inspections this summer shows less and 

 less disease to remove from the trees as the season progresses. 



BLISTER BUST OF PINES AND EUROPEAN CURRANT RUST 



In the month of June there was a conference called in the city 

 of New York to discuss the importation of white pine seedlings 

 which were infected with the blister rust (Pcridermium strobi). 

 For information as to what was done at that conference and for a 

 description of the disease, reference is made to Horticultural Bul- 

 letin jSTo. 2, accompanying this report. The total number of trees 

 imported by the Forest, Fish and Game Commission was 

 1,430,700. Of this number, 558,700 were planted in 83 different 

 portions of the state on private grounds. The balance of the 

 number was planted by the Forest, Fish and Game Commission in 

 the state nurseries. Of the 83 plantings above referred to, the 

 Department of Agriculture assumed the inspection of 40, con- 

 taining 205,600 trees and of 3 other plantings containing 66,000 

 trees imported directly. 



The cultivated and wild ribes within plantings or within 100 

 yards of same were destroyed. Upon 30 of these plantings ribes 

 were found in numbers varying from 1 plant to as high as 3,500 

 within the boundaries of an individual planting. Total number 

 of ribes found within boundaries of the 43 plantings, 149 culti- 

 vated ribes and 12,171 wild ribes. 



