DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 107 



Under these conditions even better results can be hoped for during 

 the coming year and the institutes should be even more helpful to the 

 farmers of Michigan. 



Respectfiillv submitted, 



L. R. TAFT, 

 Superintendent Michigan Farmers' Institutes. 



East Lansing, Michigan, July 1, 1908. 



REPORT OF STATE INSPECTOR OF ORCHARDS AND NUR- 

 SERIES. 



To the State Board of Agriculture: 



Gentlemen : — I herewith submit a report of my work for the past 

 year as State Inspector of Nurseries and Orchards. 



In accordance with the state law, the nurserymen and dealers in 

 Michigan and the nurserymen who are residents of other states but 

 who have agents within the State of Michigan, were early in July 

 reminded of the requirements so far as the taking out of a license and 

 inspection of stock were concerned. Most of them complied promptly 

 and the others did so later on. 



During August, September and October the stock growing in Michi- 

 gan nurseries was inspected and was found in unusually good con- 

 dition. Although the San Jose scale again appeared in a number of 

 nurseries, it was far less prevalent than in 1906, and in several in- 

 stances had entirely disappeared. This result was due largely to the 

 pains taken by the proprietors to destroy infested trees and to the 

 thorough spraying which the stock in infested nurseries received, al- 

 though the effect of the freeze of October, 1906, had much to do with 

 checking the spread of the scale in the nurseries as well as in the 

 orchards. The stock sold from infested nurseries was fumigated with 

 hvdrocvanic acid gas and we have vet to know of a case in which the 

 trees have been injured by this treatment, and the results have in 

 every case been all that could be asked, as although more or less fumi- 

 gation has been done for six or seven years, we have yet to find any 

 live scale upon nursery stock that has been fumigated except when they 

 were planted in the vicinity of infested trees. 



In addition to the regular inspection given at the close of the grow- 

 ing season, the practice of previous years of looking over the stock 

 of the more important nurseries in infested regions during the spring 

 months to see that, on the one hand, the stock that was being sent out 

 was in proper condition, and to note that the growing stock had 

 been sprayed and it was not endangered by the surroundings, was con- 

 tinued. 



INSPECTION OF ORCHARDS. 



During the year many calls have been received from parties having 

 orchard trees infested with scale. In mauy cases it was possible to 



