PROCEEDINGS OF THE SUMMER MEETING -"^l 



A jxai' a^o this luoiilli, ai llic lutil iciilluial luccliii^- licld in St. Josopb, 

 there ^vas sonic tlisrnssion as ht I lie iincstion of Icj^ishilion to jircvcnt 

 inti-odnction of diseased trees and \ ines. At llial time President Morrill 

 was authorized, by a vote of the society, lo a|)iioint a committee to look 

 this mattei' n]) and to diaft ;i hill if they <-onsidered it lU'cessar}-. The 

 committee was ai»]»ointed, and met sonu' time last January, and after 

 spendinji consideraljU' time in the i)re]»aration of a bill, this is practically 

 the result of their labor; and w iili your indulgence T will read the law as 

 it now stands. 



Section 1. TJie People of the State of Mlch'ujan enact. That it shall lie the duty 

 of the State Board of Agricultin-e, immediately upon the taking effect of this act, 

 to appoint some competent person who sliall be known as state inspector of 

 nurseries and orchards, who shall hold otiice during the pleasure of said board, 

 whose duty shall be to inspect any and all. nurseries in the state of Micliigan. as 

 to whether they are infested by the San Jose scale or other injurious or destructive 

 insects or infected with infectious or contagious diseases, and if upon such inspec- 

 tion he find no such dangerous insects or diseases, he shall upon payment of the per 

 diem fee hereinafter provided, give to the owner of such nurseries a certificate 

 to that effect, and shall tile a duplicate certificate with the State Board of Agri- 

 culture; and in case he shall find present in any such nursery any of said dangerous 

 insects or diseases, he shall notify the owner thereof in writing, and shall direct 

 him within five days to use such means as will exterminate such dangerous dis- 

 eases or insects, and the owner of such nursery shall not ship nor deliver any 

 such trees, vines, shrubs or plants affected by such dangerous insects or diseases 

 until he shall have secured from said inspector a certificate as aforesaid. 



Sec 2. The owner of such nursery, trees, vines, shrubs or plants shall, within 

 the time specified in such notice, take such steps for the destruction of such insects 

 or diseases as will exterminate the same, and be shall not ship nor deliever any 

 such trees, vines, shrubs nor plants affected with such dangerous diseases or insects 

 under the penalty of a fine of one dollar for every tree, vine, plant or shrub so 

 affected, when shipped or delivered from such nursery, which fine shall be col- 

 lected by suit by the prosecuting attorney of the county in which said nursery 

 is located. 



This requires, as you see, every nurseryman, before he sells his trees 

 or offers them for sale, to have secured from the board of agriculture 

 or the inspector a certificate as to the health of his stock. That provides 

 for our own nurserymen. 



Sec. 3. ^yhenever it shall happen that the state inspector of nurseries and 

 orchards shall give the notice heretofore required to the owner of a nursery, for 

 the destruction of the insects or diseases mentioned, and said owner shall fail or 

 neglect to take the measures necessary for the destruction thereof, within the 

 time mentioned in the notice given him, it shall be the duty of the state inspector 

 of nurseries and orchards to have the proper remedies applied to such nursery 

 for the destruction of such diseases or insects, and shall employ all necessary 

 assistance and may enter the premises of said owner of such nursery for the 

 purpose of treating and exterminating such insects or diseases, and the said 

 owner of such nursery shall be liable for the costs of such proceeding, for the 

 services of the inspector at a rate per diem to be fixed by the State Board of 

 Agriculture, not to exceed three dollars per day, and for such number of days 

 as said board shall determine, which said charge must be paid before delivery of 

 the certificate in section one of this act. 



The bill as drawn bv the committee and reported by the house com- 

 mitte allowed five dollars per day for these services, which should have 

 passed, but the economical streak had taken hold of the house members 

 and they cut it down to three dollars, which is not. in mv opinion, a 

 sufficient amount to pay for this class of work. 



