N«. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 181 



ri:port on nursery inspection 



During the year the work of the inspection of nurseries of this 

 State has passed through this office, as in previous years. The 

 inspection has been made by the State Nursery Inspector, Mr. Enos 

 B. Engle, assisted during the month of August by Prof. W. A. Buck- 

 hout and Prof. Geo. C. Butz, both of the Pennsylvania State Col- 

 lege. For this inspection the State was divided into three sections, 

 Prof. Butz taking the eastern section, Prof. Buckhout the central 

 and southern section and Mr. Engle the western and northern sec- 

 tion. The total number of nurseries inspected was 167. 



The law requires that when the San Jos6 Scale is found in a 

 nursery the trees containing that pest must be destroyed, and all 

 other nursery stock upon those premises must be fumigated, ac- 

 cording to methods approved by this Department, before the stock 

 can be sold. All nursery stock grown in the State of Pennsylvania 

 must bear our certificate of inspection, which becomes a license 

 permitting the growers to sell their trees. This certificate is neces- 

 sary in order to have the trees carried by the transportation com- 

 panies in our own State, and it is also necessary in order that they 

 may be shipped into other states. Some states further require 

 not only the certificate of inspection, but a certificate showing 

 that the stock has been fumigated, whether the scale had been 

 originally found upon it or not. When nursery stock is not found 

 infested a certificate is granted directly without further require- 

 ments, but if it be found infested, then the owners are required not 

 only to destroy all visibly infested stock, but also to construct 

 a fumigating house, that must be inspected and approved by the 

 State Nursery Inspector. They must further make affidavit before 

 selling that they will fumigate all the stock, which is subject to in- 

 festation by the San Jos^ Scale, and which is grown upon their 

 premises. This fumigation must be done with hydrocyanic acid gas, 

 and the formula that we require is as follows: For every 100 cubic 

 feet of space use one ounce of cyanide of potassium (98 per cent, 

 pure, by weight), two ounces of sulphuric acid (1.83 specific gravity, 

 by measure), and 4 ounces of water. The plants must be subjected 

 to these fumes for not less than forty minutes in an air-tight room 

 or box. 



Fumigation can be made successful, and it is safe to plant in^ 

 fested trees that have been fumigated, if the work be properly done, 



