166 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Ofe. Doc. 



Such a tree should be destroyed. No man has auy business to at- 

 tempt to grow an orchard in this State with worthless trees living 

 near it, which are lit only to propagate pests and cause trouble. It is 

 as unsanitary to the orchards to have dying trees and rotten fruits 

 lying neglected near their premises, as it is to live stock to have the 

 lemains of animals that have died of anthracnose, foot and mouth 

 disease, tuberculosis, hog cholera, etc., around the pasture fields, 

 where the animals feed and drink. 



The time has come when the horticultural interests of Pennsyl- 

 vania demand a Sanitary Plant Eegulation, intelligently made and 

 vigorously enforced. A wild or seeding apple tree is but a producer 

 of diseases and insects. The same can be said of all other kinds of 

 fruit trees when neglected. An old, dying and rotten tree may cause 

 an immense amount of loss and hard work by continuing to spread 

 its germs with every wind that blows through it or any bird that 

 alights upon it. It should be destroyed. 



The orchard infested with unchecked San Jos6 scale has no busi- 

 ness to exist. It will become more and more worthless, and the 

 sooner it is destroyed or properly treated the better. Osage Orange 

 hedge infested with San Jose scale should also be destroyed promptly. 

 Such a hedge is a nuisance, ^ven though not infested. It would be 

 to the benefit of the agricultural people of this State if local measures 

 or legal enactment were made to destroy at once every Osage Orange 

 plant that can be found. 



The slothful man who does not spray his apple, pear and quince 

 trees for Codling moth leaves a breeding place that may serve to 

 infest his neighbors' trees for quite a distance away. Should this 

 be permitted in the plant kingdom? We have taken the most 

 stringent and etfective means to prevent the spread, and, in fact, 

 eliminate certain livestock diseases in this State. The same sanitary 

 principles applied to the productions of plant life would be exceed- 

 ingly beneficial, especially in \iew of the wonderfully extensive 

 planting of orchards now being done. This is becoming more and 

 more important. We urge the enactment of legislation providing 

 for the destruction of all trees and other plants that are a menace 

 to others. This can be done with great profit to the tree-growers 

 by the appointment of enough competent cotintry inspectors, through 

 the Department of Agriculture, who should be stationed in each 

 county to render the service that is there needed. It should be made 

 his duty to see to it that land owners destroy or properly treat all 

 fruit trees and other trees, shrubs and bushes upon their premises 

 which contain pests that may spread. Such service properly ren- 

 dered, would return to the State more than an hundred fold. 



8. INSPECTION OP ORCHARDS 



The importance of the inspection work is indicated in the above 

 remarks. Legislation has provided for the inspection of premises 

 for certain pests, but we have not had enough funds to put out more 

 than one-half of the inspectors that are needed. In Pennsylvania 

 there are sixty-seven counties, in each of which the citizens are justly 

 calling for the aid which they now know with certainty our in- 

 spectors can give, and which will amount in many cases to hun- 

 dreds of dollars for each citizen. We have the funds to keep in the 



