EEPORT ON WORKING OF VEGETATION DISEASES ACT. 19 



appointed by the Governor in Council, and would 

 recommend that the Act be so amended as to provide 

 for this. We would further recommend that an amend- 

 ment be also made in the direction of compelling every 

 fruit-oTower in the colon v to reaister his name with 

 the returning officer for the district in which such fruit- 

 grower resides. This step would facilitate the work of 

 the inspectors in making their examinations of orchards 

 as thorough as possible. 



Appointment of Inspkctoes. 



The colony having been divided into ten (10) fruit- 

 growing districts, it was thought necessary by the Board 

 to appoint one inspector to each district ; and to make 

 the system of inspection as thorough as possible a staff 

 of at least twelve (12) inspectors would be required. 

 This course was recommended to the Minister of Agri- 

 culture. As a commencement two (2) were appointed, 

 the date of the first ajipointment being 19tli February, 

 1898. Since then the staff has been added to from time 

 to time until at the present time the number has been 

 increased to seven (7) fully qualified inspectors, with two 

 (2) temporary junior assistants for city work. The whole 

 of these, with the exception of the two juniors, were 

 appointed from other Departments of the Civil Service, 

 all being required to pass a competitive examination in 

 practical entomology and mycology, &c., &:c., the examiners 

 being Messrs. French and McAlpine The inspectoral 

 staff has been attached to the Entomolos-ical Branch of 

 the Department of Agriculture, with Mr. C. French as 

 Chief Inspector. 



Inspections. 

 Orchards^ Nurseries^ and Gardens. 



Upon examination, many of the orchards, &c., of the 

 colony" were found to be in a more unsatisfiictory state, 

 as far as diseases were concerned, than was expected. 



