The Bulletin. 27 



bered, however, that nearly half of the time is given to the nursery in- 

 spection and work connected with it, and the orchard inspection work 

 here reported upon represents a little more than half of the work of the 

 inspector. 



Object and Methods of Work.— The object of this work is to assist our 

 fruit growers to discover serious insect pests, if they are present, and to 

 give timely suggestions for treatment of trees before the trees are fatally 



injured. . 



The Inspector carries a blank book, in which a separate sheet is tilled 

 out for each orchard inspected. These are sent in to the office, and when 

 San Jose Scale is found full information and suggestions are sent to the 

 owner of the orchard. The Inspector does not examine every tree, but 

 the orchard is walked through in several directions, a few limbs being 

 examined here and there throughout. Both the fruit grower and the 

 Inspector ask and answer questions freely. Suggestions are given as to 

 spraying, mixtures to be used, etc. If San Jose Scale is found, the 

 grower is taught to know it, and the methods of combating it are ex- 

 plained. While it may happen that the scale is present and overlooked, 

 yet the owner may know that if it were at all widespread and doing dam- 

 age it would likely be found, and he is therefore relieved of present 

 anxiety if it is not found. 



R esu |ts. — We have been able to see some very decided and beneficial 

 results from this work. In very many cases we have been able to find 

 the San Jose Scale in time to give the owner opportunity to treat it 

 before serious injury is done. A letter from western Catawba County, 

 where Mr. Clapp spent several days inspecting, says: "There will be 

 fourteen new sprayers put into use in this section this year that I know 

 of." A letter received from Mount Airy, where we have done consid- 

 erable inspection work, says : "There is much more spraying being done 

 than formerly — fully ten times as much as in any previous year." This 

 is the sort of evidence that counts for something, and must mean much, 

 to our fruit industry if the spraying is properly done, at the right time, 

 with the right materials. 



"Commercial Orchards" and "Small Orchards."— In this inspection 

 work we find it necessary to set some limit for what we consider "com- 

 mercial orchards" as contrasted with what we would call "smaller fam- 

 ily orchards." For this limit we have chosen 100 trees of a kind (not 

 variety) as the limit — thus, if a man has 100 apple trees we consider 

 that he has a commercial apple orchard; but if he has only 60 or 75 

 apple trees we consider it as a "small or family orchard." The same 

 rule is followed for the other fruits. Of course we understand that 

 some orchards of over 100 apple trees are not used as market orchards, 

 while some other orchards with less than 100 apple trees are used as 

 market orchards, but the figure given nevertheless indicates fairly well 

 the line of difference between the two classes of orchards. 



We Want Names of Growers. — We want to get the name and address 

 and information as to number, kind, variety and age of trees, etc., of 

 every fruit grower in the State who has 100 or more trees of a kind (not 

 variety). We want this in order that we may send these men such publi- 

 cations as are of use to them, and in order that we may inspect their 

 orchards when practicable. Readers of this Bulletin who are inter- 



