PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING 159 



01' at least have every reason to believe it is ri,L;Iil, it Avill have aceoiu- 

 plished oue j;uud, because, as was sngi^ested hen; iu the paper read by 

 Mr. Filield, a person purchasing*- a half dozen trees and setting them in 

 this village, if you please, can infect or infest every other tree or shrub in 

 this city, and can eventually destroy evei'y deciduous shrub or tree, with 

 this same t>an Jost5 scale, unless the action of the law is lirm enough to 

 get in check the foe. There are places in Illinois and several states where 

 this insect, this particular one we are talking about, San Jos6 scale, has 

 a foothold, and gradually, perhaps almost imperceptibly for two or three 

 years, has been gaining until it starts out like a prairie tire, gradually at 

 first, but pretty soon it begins to sweep out and cover everything. In 

 one locality in Illinois, which Prof. Forbes told us about at the meeting 

 last year, it had existed about four years; at least, people had noticed 

 there was something wrong Avith pear trees they got down in New Jersey; 

 they leafed a year or so and then began to look as though they were 

 shriveling. A large orchard adjoining some of the pear trees began to 

 be the same way. They thought something had gone wrong with the 

 soil, but they could not see anything, because they were not looking 

 closely enough to see what the trouble was. This whole orchard went, 

 and the Osage orange hedges adjoining it. This was adjoining a village, 

 trees in which began to be infested; and when Prof. Forbes found it, 

 pretty widespread destruction was taking place, and it is probably going 

 on yet, because it is a pretty large thing to handle. In a search of seventy 

 localities known to have been furnished trees by a certain nursery, they 

 found fifteen of these colonies of greater or less size, all spreading rapidly, 

 and just as sure as fate destroying everything they touched. Todaj' we 

 have a few small colonies already located in this state by Prof. Taft and 

 Prof. Hedrick and their assistants, who are taking proper precautions 

 to stop them. Now, a careless purchaser could introduce this insect 

 into your village. Your ornamental trees are subject to its depredations 

 and the same destruction that our orchards are. The best informed 

 horticulturists in the state will probably now make no mistake, although 

 the very best informed among us were not aware how serious this matter 

 was until within a year or two. The scientists understood it, but it h:is 

 been a California pest. They did not suppose it was in this part of the 

 country, and today there is an open question with the scientists as to 

 whether it will survive this climate; but there is a locality near Dixon, 

 Illinois, that is colder than this. Perhaps humidity of the atmosphere 

 enters into the question. I believe they think it does. 



Prof. Hedrick: It has survived Michigan climate seven years. Some 

 orchards are full of it in Kalamazoo county or south of Kalamazoo 

 county. 



Prof. Taft: And eastern Ottawa, near Jamestown. 



Mr. Morrill: Well, you can see what this law means to the fruit inter- 

 ests and to the village and city interests in this state. It is a very im- 

 portant thing, and should be carefully studied, and perhaps the whole 

 system of selling stock carelessly will be headed off by this law. It is 

 intended that it shall be, and nothing but clean stock shall be sold to 

 any residents of the state of Michigan. But that requires co-operation on 

 the part of every individual that has anv occasion to buv anv shrub or 

 fruit tree. 



