INTRODUCTORY. 29 



From past experience I have concluded that it is an impos- 

 sibility to secure any general law that will be acceptable to 

 the fruit growers, nurserymen and speculators combined. It 

 is, unfortunately, an established fact that a majority of fruit 

 growers, or persons growing fruit, prefer taking the chances of 

 allowing pests to spread rather than to disinfect their packages 

 when returned from market. The proof of this is beyond 

 question. At this date I do not know of twenty persons in 

 this State who are taking this precaution. Nursery stock 

 infested by the scale insect and woolly aphis is sent broadcast 

 through the State, and what are the results? 



A planted tAvo thousand Bartlett pear trees in 1880; in the 

 Fall of 1881 he discovered that they were infested by the San 

 Jose scale ; in the Spring of 1882 he cut them otf at the ground 

 as a sure prevention of their spread on the 10,000 trees adjoin- 

 ing, and grafted them. By thorough application of remedies 

 he has the trees cleaned, but lost two years use of his ground. 



B bought, in 1882, Bartlett pear trees for two acres ; in the 

 Spring of 1883 he discovered that they w^ere infested by the 

 San Jose scale. For the protection of the balance of his 

 orchard propert}^, the trees, after being planted one year, were 

 dug out and burned. 



C, in 1881, sent to a distant portion of the State for pear 

 trees, to escape any chances of getting infested trees ; unfor- 

 tunatel}^ the nursery-man had purchased the trees in an 

 infested district. In 1883, the trees planted two years ago are 

 found to be seriously infested by the so-called San Jose scale 

 [A ■perniciosus). 



D, E and F have had the same experience in buying and 

 planting young apple trees, the roots of which were infested 

 by the woolly aphis. 



The true remedy of these evils is, let every owner of fruit 

 trees, etc., liable to be infested by insect pests, make himself or 

 herself thoroughly acquainted with the appearance and natural 

 history of injurious insects ; then constitute a home quaran- 

 tine board, of one or more, for the purpose of preventing the 

 importation of insect pests on the premises. 



