64 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



parts of the State that could readily be looked after by these deputies 

 but which would otherwise have required a special trip on my part. Dur- 

 ing the fall, frequent complaints regarding the spread of "Little Peach" 

 in Allegan county were received and that the matter mipht receive 

 proper attention, H. G. Welch, of Douglas, was appointed a special deputy 

 for that section. During the fall and early winter, Messrs. Bennett and 

 Ayrs spent some two months each looking up reported cases of the scale at 

 Plymouth, Ypsilanti, Detroit, Mt. Clemens, Lansing and at other points 

 but Just before the holidays Mr. P>ennett resigned to accept a Dosition 

 ar the Connecticut Agricultural College and, soon afterwards, Mr. Ayrs 

 gave up his position for one with the Department of Agriculture at 

 AVashington. Mr. Farrand inspected a number of nurf^eries in the 

 vicinity of South Haven during the late fall and, during the winter 

 responded to a number of calls where San Jose scale was suspected in the 

 orchards in Van Buren and Berrien counties. Mr. Geismar has inspected 

 but a single nursery, requiring but one day and at a cost of one dollar for 

 traveling expenses, while it would have taken at least three days and an 

 expense for traveling of thirty to forty dollars had the writer gone from 

 Lansing for this purpose. Owing to the lateness of the season when Mr. 

 Welch's appointment was made, very little work with "Little Peach" was 

 done, but he has assisted by inspecting several nurseries and orchards, 

 for the San Jose scale and other pests. 



A large amount of work has been done by Mr. Farrand and myself in 

 the vicinity of Benton Harbor. Early in the fall reports reached me of 

 the presence of the scale and an endeavor was made to ascertain the 

 extent to which it had spread, x\. large number of orchards, some of 

 them covering considerable areas, were found to be infested and in 

 several of them the trees had been very badly injured. Little, if anything, 

 had been done to prevent the spread of the insects. In fact, very few of 

 the fruit growers were aware of their presence. After receiving official 

 notice many of the owners gave their orchards a thorough spraying with 

 sulphur, lime and salt mixture and there is every reason to expect that in 

 those cases the ravages of the scale will be checked, although it will 

 probably be difficult to exterminate it. In a considerable number of cases, 

 however, although the owners claim to have followed directions, there is 

 reason to suspect that work was not as thorough as it should have l^een. 

 and further attention will undoubtedly be necessary during the coming 

 Avinter. 



From the results in other states, where the California wash (sulphur, 

 lime and salt), or the Oregon wash (sulphur, lime and copper sulphate) 

 have been used, we have reason to expect that the thorough treatment of 

 the trees during the dormant period will make it possible to prevent 

 serious injury, but when the scale has become generally distributed in a 

 gection it is hardly probable that it can be exterminated. The materials 

 themselves are comparatively inexpensive and, as a spraying with either 

 wash will take the place of an application of Bordeaux mixture, it is 

 evident that as, at most, only one application per year will be required, 

 if the owner of an orchard infested with San Jose scale learns of the 

 presence of the insect before it has done much harm, it can be controlled 

 at a comparatively small expense. 



We append a list of the nurseries licensed to do business in Michigan, 



