MONTANA STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE 11 



Orchard Inspection 



Orchard inspection is maintained throughout the fruit-growing 

 sections, the purposes of which, are the following: 



It enables the inspection service to keep track of the pests and 

 diseases already present and to define their boundaries' and retard 

 theii spread to adjoining areas. 



It reveals the appearance of new pests and diseases and makes it 

 possible to eradicate them or to confine their activity to a restricted 

 locality. 



It affords information as to the methods' employed by the or- 

 chardist in caring for his crop so that individual advisory work can 

 be intelligently given. 



Diseases 



The following report on diseases and pests mentions only those 

 which are of greatest importance: 



Apple Scab: (Venturia pomi (Fr.) Wint.) This disease is prev- 

 alent throughout all the western portion of the state. It annually 

 causes thousands of dollars' worth of damage in misshapen and un- 

 / salable fruit. In 1917 it was much more severe than in 1918. In 

 1918 very little fruit was affected with it in the Bitter Root valley, 

 but in the Flathead Lake region it prevailed quite universally. It is 

 the worst disease in the state and requires thorough work with the 

 sprayer. It can be controlled. 



Blight, Fire Blight: (Bacillus' amylovorus (Burr.) De Toni.) 

 This is* the disease which has done so much damage to Montana orch- 

 ards in years past. During 1917 there was very little to be seen any- 

 where. In 1918 it appeared somewhat more in some of the old 

 Transcendent Crab and Alexander trees. It is not, however, doing 

 much serious damage at present to the fruit industry. There is no 

 remedy. Removing the affected part of the tree is the only thing 

 that can be done. 



Root Gall and Crown Gall: (Psexidonionas tumefaciens Erw. 

 Smith & Townsend.) This' disease is present to a more or less extent 

 in all orchards. The damage it is' doing cannot be estimated, but evi- 

 dently many trees are showing the effects of this disease by their 



