No. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 85 



INSPECTION OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



The Federal Postal Regulations are that plants can not be sent 

 by mail without bearing; a certificate of inspection by a State of- 

 ficer, stating that they are free from injurious insect pests and plant 

 diseases. In this State there are large florists who ship not only 

 by freight and express, but also by parcel post. It is important 

 that their stock be inspected once or twice per year, and that any 

 pests found thereon be destroyed completely, and that the florists 

 be given certificates of inspection showing the freedom of their 

 stock from such pests, in order to permit the shipment of said stock 

 by mail when so desired. Proper attention is given to this service, 

 and greenhouses are inspected without charge to the owners, the 

 same as are nurseries. Of course, there are many greenhouses from 

 which shipments are not to be made by parcel post, and which, in- 

 deed, are not sending away their stock, but are selling it only locally, 

 and these are not regularly inspected, but the owners are given all 

 possible help in detecting and suppressing pests. It is probable 

 that a beneficial advance step in the suppression of the spread of 

 pests would be found in the requirement that all greenhouse stock 

 shall be inspected and certified to be clean before it can be offered 

 for sale at any time and place. This would at least help to keep 

 the pests off of house plants. 



ORCHARD INSPECTION 



One of the very important features of the work of the Bureau of 

 Zoology has been the continuation of the inspection of orchards in 

 the State of Pennsylvania. Tens of thousands of growers have had 

 pests that they did not recognize, and consequently that they could 

 not suppress. Many persons have produced such poor fruit that 

 they were discouraged, and thousands of orchards have been killed 

 by the San Jose scale or other insects or diseases. We gave a num- 

 ber of thoroughly practical men the special training necessary to 

 equip them for successful service in the orchard inspection work, 

 and sent them over the State of Pennsylvania with instructions to 

 inspect eveiy orchard with the greatest possible care, and to report 

 to the owners immediately and directly just what pests (both in- 

 sects and diseases) were to be found, and also to report the same 

 to this office. When such reports are received here they are syste- 

 matically filed for future reference, which at times proves to be 

 very important. The respective owners are also informed by letter 

 concerning the pests that were found, and are given detailed printed 

 instructions as to how and when to treat them for their suppression 

 or for the prevention of further damage. 



One can scarcely realize how tremendous was the task of inspect- 

 ing every fruit tree in every yard, garden, and orchard of the State 

 of Pennsylvania. It meant a personal visit by a competent inspec- 

 tor to two hundred and twenty-five thousand (225,000) farms, and 

 more than that many suburban boroughs and village premises, which 

 are not properly classed as "farms." It, therefore, meant the in- 

 spection of at least five hundred thousand (500,000) premises, con- 

 taining tens of millions of fruit trees. To pass by or slight a single 

 one might mean* to neglect an opportunity to discover the incipient 

 outbreak of some seriously destructive pest, like the San Jose scale, 



