128 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



It is also worthy of note that the farmer is begiuuiug to appreciate 

 the value and benefit of the weather forecast and, at critical times, 

 to regulate his outdoor oi)erations accordingly. There is perhaps no 

 other ])rofossion of civilization 1hat is so vitally interested not only in 

 actual weather condilions, but in coming weather conditions, as the 

 farmer. He meets the weather every day and all of the day. 



In addition to this, the modern ])rogressive farmer is also using our 

 statistics in getting a bettor nncb^'stauding of what crops to grow and 

 of when to ])lant them. Twenty-live years' record of the last killing 

 frost in fall is of untold benefit to the corn grower, because the average 

 date is the safe date, although there may be years that are not average. 

 Nevertheless, as in any oilier business, it is the average condition not 

 for one year, but for many years, that sjiells success or failure. 



All of the principal telephone companies of the state now distribute 

 promptly and regularly the Weather Bureau forecast and the informa- 

 tion that thev have at their various "centrals'' can be secured bv anv 



■ CI. 



one having a telephone simplv for the asking. 



C. F. SCHNEIDER, 



Director. 



Grand Rapids, Mich., June 30, 1913. 



REPORT OF STATE INSPECTOR OF NURSERIES AND 



ORCHARDS. 



To Ihe State P>oard of Agriculture: 



Gentlemen — For a number of years there has been an increase in the 

 amount of work this department has been called upon to do. This has 

 been due in ])art to the marked interest being taken in fruit growing in 

 all ]iarts of the state. This has led to numerous calls for assistance in 

 con I rolling outbreaks of dangerous insecis and diseases. 



The San Jose scale gave less trouble than in former years, which may 

 have been partly due to the cold, wet snnnuer. but it was imdonbtedly 

 the long continued and extremely cold ])oriods during the winter of 

 1011-12 that had most to do in lessening the numbers, as when the spring 

 opened a very large per cent of the scales on the trees -w^re dead. 



While a large ])art of the S]»raying done in the state last year was 

 very imperfect, in a considerable ]>ro])ortion of the orchards most excel- 

 lent work was done and as a result it was practically impossible to 

 find any live scales on the trees, even though they had been badly in- 

 fested in previous years. 



NURSERY INSPECTION. 



There has been very little change in the number of nurseries and the 

 amount of nursery stock to be inspected. As a result of the elTorts 

 that have been made to cleanup the old blocks and to remove thorn 

 and seedling a])i)les and jdums from the fence rows the stock in most 

 of the nurseries was in unusually good shape and. as most of the stock 

 was sprayed several times during the season, the trees were very gen- 

 erally free from dangerously infectious diseases and insects. 



