No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 131 



every day all cages are studied and notes carefully kept of every 

 observation of importance, particularly of the dates of transforma- 

 tions. TTie number of breeding cages run by this office during the 

 year 1908 was . The information obtained by so doing was 



very considerable. However, one of our greatest needs in this 

 important regard is an insectary or room similar in construction to 

 a (jueen house, where we can control temperature and moisture 

 conditions, and keep insects alive to study them and their habits, 

 their enemies, diseases, etc., and also another room with outdoor 

 normal conditions where the stages and dates of their development 

 will be seen as they are in general in field and orchard, so that the 

 records there given will be natural records with which the import- 

 ant practical outdoor conditions can be compared, rather than 

 abnormal records such as we must obtain by at present keeping 

 our cages in a small overheated attic room in the State Capitol 

 Building. Almost every entomological investigator now finds an 

 insectary to be the preliminary feature of his equipment, and if the 

 fruit growers, farmers and truckers of this State are to receive 

 from this office the real practical service that is due them, and which 

 they so seriously need in this day of increasing loss by pests, the 

 sooner this office is equipped with at least a small two-room insect- 

 ary the sooner will it be prepared more adequately and satis- 

 factorily to render that service. 



5. INSECTS IN PENNSYLVANIA. 



For a report on the insect conditions in Pennsylvania during 1908, 

 see our Report as Entomologist of the State Board of Agriculture, 

 published in another portion of this Report. This reference is here 

 given in order to avoid duplication in printing. 



6. BIRD LIFE IN PENNSYLVANIA, 



For a reporton the birds of Pennsylvania for 1908, see our Report 

 as Ornithologist of the State Board of Agriculture, published in 

 another portion of this Report. 



7. NURSERY INSPECTION IN PENNSYLVANIA 



The following is our Report upon this important feature of the 

 work for 1908: 



During the past year the inspection of nurseries has been pushed 

 with more than usual vigor, during both the summer season and the 

 winter. This is the second year that we have inspected nurseries 

 during the winter time, and the results are found to be so beneficial 

 that it is determined to continue this feature of the inspection. The 

 summer inspection commences the first of August and is continued 

 until all the nurseries of the State are thoroughly inspected, which 

 is generally until about the middle of September. However careful 

 and conscientious the Inspector may be at the time of inspection, it 

 is impossible to find all the scale insects that may be concealed 

 beneath green leaves and buds during the summer inspection, and 

 also there is great danger that the scale may spread after this in- 

 spection is finished and infest nursery stock which was clean at the 

 time it was inspected. 



In order to be certain to find the San Jos^ Scale and other tree 

 pest& the February inspection is made when the trees are not in 

 leaf, and there is a better opportunity to inspect them thoroughly 



