DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 65 



RErOKT OF THE STATE INSPECTOR OF NURSERIES. 



To the State Board of Agriculture: 



Hox. T. F. Marstox, President — 



As State Inspector of Nurseries and Orchards, I make the following 

 report of the amount and condition of San Jose scale and other injurious 

 insects and diseases found in the orchards of Michigan, and of the work 

 done for the year ending June 30, 1900, in compliance with act 137, laws 

 of 1807. 



Another year's work with the San Jose scale still keeps it confined 

 to fiye small colonies, situated in as many different counties. Here it 

 has been kept from spreading, but has not been exterminated, owing to 

 the lack of necessary materials for fighting it. 



One of the fiye colonies reported last year has been taken off the list, 

 but another found this year takes its place. 



The scale was not found in any of the nurseries of the State, and 

 there has been no complaint from dealers receiying infested stock from 

 outside growers. Lafet year there were seyeral such reports* 



Another yery injurious scale, determined by Prof. R. H. Pettit to be 

 Aspediotus ostraeformis (European Fruit Scale), has been found in many 

 places in the West Shore Fruit Belt. The extent of damage done in 

 each of the cases has not been carefully worked up yet, but will be the 

 coming year. A number of colonies haye been sprayed and results are 

 being carefully watched for. 



One hundred and twenty-fiye orchards haye been examined and not 

 one case of scale found. The colony mentioned before was located by 

 specimens being sent to Prof. L. R. Taft. 



The "Canker Worm" is very bad and increasing rapidly, doing a great 

 amount of damage. My efforts to get men to spray, and in getting com- 

 missioners api)ointed to assist in forcing others to spray, haye only 

 been partially successful. Howeyer, some good has resulted from the 

 labor done, for the orchards sprayed haye been a good object lesson to 

 those who would not spray, and consequently haye had their orchards 

 bare of foliage, thereby losing all their apples. Next year I hope to 

 report more progress in stopping the rayages of this pest. The past 

 season has forced many to see that something must be done and that 

 quickly. 



During the yeai- I inspected fifty-fiye nurseries, the stock of twenty-fiye 

 fruit growers, and the premises of fiye dealers. 



The number of licenses issued are the same as last year, but a number 

 of new names appear on the list, others going out of the business. Many 

 of the dealers haye to be forced to get their licenses. 



The nurseries of the State still fail to show any indication of the 

 presence of San Jose scale, or the new fruit scale determined by Prof. 

 Pettit. Black aphis on the roots of the peach was found in seyeral large 

 blocks of trees. These trees were thoroughly fumigated. Woolly aphis 

 on the stem and roots of the apple was found in small quantities in 

 several places; this stock was also fumigated. One small block of 

 9 



