No. 123.1 PLANT PEST CONTROL. 75 



CUKRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES (RiBEs). 



The Department is very glad to issue permits to nurserymen 

 for the importation of Ribes from other States, providing they 

 co-operate as far as possible in ascertaining that the Ribes are 

 not destined to towns where we are trying, in connection with 

 the white pine blister rust work, to eradicate all currants and 

 gooseberries. At present we prohibit the shipping of Ribes into 

 the towns of Hanover, Marshfield, Duxbury, Pembroke, Han- 

 son, Halifax, Topsfield, Ipswich, Lee, Lenox, Stockbridge, 

 Warwick, Orange, Athol, Petersham, Phillipston, Barre, Dana, 

 North Andover and Newburyport. 



Certificates and Licenses. 



One hundred and fifty-four nurseries have been inspected 

 and one hundred and forty-five certificates granted, a few 

 certificates being withheld until the gypsy egg masses have 

 been cleaned up. Agents' licenses were issued upon filing at 

 this office the names and addresses of the firms from whom the 

 agent would purchase his stock. 



European Corn Borer. 



The European corn borer work has been carried on in co- 

 operation with the L^nited States government. Experiments 

 showed the insect to be present in a large number of new host 

 plants, and under certain conditions, especially where the 

 plants were grown near corn or badly infested weeds, it was al- 

 most certain that they would be infested. As these conditions 

 could not always be corrected, it was thought advisable to 

 supplement the quarantine of last year, which prohibited the 

 movement of corn, so as to include other commonly infested 

 plants, allowing them, however, to move out of the infested 

 area, providing they passed inspection. This inspection is 

 made either in the field or shed, usually depending on the de- 

 gree of infestation present, and applies to the following plants: 

 celery, green beans in the pod, beets with tops, spinach, rhu- 

 barb, oat and rye straw^ as such or when used for packing, cut 

 flowers or entire plants of chrysanthemum, aster, cosmos. 



