32 The Bulletin. 



cate to do business. Sometimes the entire nursery becomes so badly 

 infested, through accident, carelessness or mismanagement, that it is not 

 certified at all under any circumstances, and the nurseryman suffers a 

 complete loss. But when a man is conducting an honest nursery busi- 

 ness, is exercising every possible precaution, and is really doing a good 

 work for the fruit-growing industry, then we do not believe it to be fair 

 to him, or needful for the public good, to put him out of business by 

 withholding his certificate when a very, very small proportion of his 

 trees have the San Jose Scale. It is a pest which each individual pur- 

 chaser of fruit trees should watch for, and if he will use the precautions 

 here suggested he will greatly reduce the chances of getting the Scale 

 from the nursery. Of course, it might later spread in from neighboring 

 orchards or trees. 



Shipments Not Accompanied by Certificate. — If stock is sent to any 

 person in this State which does not have a certificate attached, it is in 

 violation of law, and the purchaser should at once notify the Entomolo- 

 gist at Raleigh, and tell him the name and address of the nursery from 

 which the shipment was received. But before you take this step be sure 

 that there is no certificate. It is usually plainly attached on the outside 

 of the package, bundle or box, and is a card or shipping tag bearing the 

 wording of the certificate. If there is no certificate, the trees should be 

 simply bedded in, and not set out until the Entomologist is heard from. 

 Uncertified stock is more likely to be infested than certified stock. Some- 

 times a duly certified nursery fails to attach the certificate through over- 

 sight, but if the trees are from a nursery which does not have a certificate 

 and which is carrying on an illegal business, then the trees should not 

 be planted in any case, as they are very likely to be infested, or there 

 may be something doubtful or dishonorable in the dealings of the con- 

 cern. We think this should make it clear that it is the duty of every 

 purchaser to see that no uncertified stock is sent him. 



See that the Certificate is Valid. — Every certificate bears a statement 

 showing at what time it becomes invalid or useless. See that the certifi- 

 cate on your stock is good at the time the stock is delivered to you. 



Demand that Stock be Fumigated. — All the nurseries in this State are 

 required by law to fumigate all stock of certain kinds that they send out. 

 The fumigation is done with a very poisonous gas (hydrocyanic acid 

 gas) and is required on all stock of apple, apricot, cherry, peach, pear, 

 plum and quince, as they are the kinds most likely to be infested with 

 San Jose Scale. This is required of all nurseries in the State, whether 

 or not the Scale has ever been found in them. Some States besides 

 Xorth Carolina have a similar law, but some others do not. When pure 

 chemicals are used, and the box or room used is air-tight, the fumigation 

 is very effective against Scale, it being only in exceptional cases that any 

 will escape destruction. It is the part of wisdom, therefore, for every 

 purchaser to require of the nursery a positive guarantee that his stock 

 will he fumigated with hydrocyanic acid gas — he should secure this 

 promise before he gives his order, and it goes almost without saying that 

 he should deal only with a nurseryman on whose word he can depend. 



Don't Buy Because Stock is Cheap. — We do not say that you should 

 refuse trees because they are cheap ; we simply say that they should not 

 be bought because they are cheap. There are some nurserymen who 



