No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 143 



by the citizens of this State, and others who applied for it, to such 

 an extent that our issue of twenty-five thousand was soon entirely 

 exhausted, and vet more calls for it continue to come at the rate of 

 several per day. No publication previously issued from this ofiico 

 has created such interest and met with such popular endorsement, 

 and none has been so much in demand. 



A most important series of articles was commenced in our Bulle- 

 rin for January last, as *'A General Systematic Study of Insects." 

 In this series of articles we take up the structural characters of the 

 different orders and families of insects, briefly describing their 

 special characteristics, and also discussing their effects, food plants 

 and remedies or preventives. Of the nineteen orders of insects 

 we published in the January Bulletin on the first to ninth inclusive, 

 and in the June Bulletin on a portion of the tenth or the Sub- 

 order Heteroptera of the Order Hemiptera. The second sub-order 

 of the Hemiptera or Bugs will be discussed in our August Bulletin 

 for the coming year. 



I earnestly recommend legislative authority to increase the 

 number of our Bulletins, for the reason that hundreds of persons 

 have applied for them who can not receive them when the number 

 is limited to twenty-five thousand, which is the legal limit and is 

 covered by our present mailing list. 



4. LECTURES. 



Our public lectures for the past year have been confined mostly 

 to Annual Meetings of Societies more or less connected with some 

 branch of Agriculture, and prominent meetings of Granges, the 

 State Farmers' Institute, State Horticultural Association, State Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, etc. We have had many requests to attend 

 agricultural meetings of various kinds and deliver lectures, but 

 could not find time to accept most of them. Our field demonstrators 

 in their demonstration meetings, have lectured upon the San Jos^ 

 Scale and similar pests, and have reached thousands of persons in 

 a practical way by so doing. 



INSPECTION OF NURSERIES AND ORCHARDS. 



The nurseries of this State were inspected in August and again 

 in February, to be sure that the San Jos^ Scale would not be dis- 

 seminated upon either the fall or spring shipments of trees. This 

 was the first time in this State that the winter or February inspec- 

 tion of nurseries had been made, and we find it to be fully justifiable. 

 Scale was found in a few nurseries where it had not been previously 

 located, and some premises on which it was supposed to have been 

 destroyed were found yet to be sli.'?;htly infested. By the aid of 

 this office the dissemination of the San Jos6 Scale on nursery stock 

 has been very materially decreased. The biennial inspection of 

 nurseries should continue, and according to our present plans will 

 be practiced during another year. The following nurseries have 

 been inspected and have complied with the requirements of the law 

 in this State. They are consequently given certificates for selling 

 their stock: 



