STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 3/ 



legislature we have received the most courteous consideration. 

 It is one of the hopeful and promising signs for the future, use- 

 fulness of the Society, to say nothing about the past in which 

 we have been so long engaged in earning the reputation which 

 we have. I hope nothing may ever tarnish it. 



WHAT THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT HAS DONE, 

 AND THE PRESENT SITUATION. 

 Prof. E. F. HiTCHiNGS, State Entomologist. 

 Through the efforts of our State Pomological Society and the 

 commissioner of agriculture, our last State legislature passed 

 an act relative to the protection of trees, vines and shrubs from 

 the introduction and ravages of dangerous insects and plant 

 diseases. This act covered the inspection of all nurseries in the 

 State, or places where trees, shrubs, vines and plants are grown 

 or offered for sale ; also to make full investigation of any 

 locality when the presence of the brown-tail or gypsy moths or 

 other injurious insects or plant diseases may be suspected. As 

 soon as this act was approved, the commissioner of agriculture 

 appointed an entomologist to take charge of the work under his 

 supervision. Fifteen men were employed to do educational 

 work throughout the infested sections, assisted by the entomolo- 

 gist at the Experiment Station, in calling the attention of the 

 town and city officials to the fact of the existence of the evil and 

 the great importance of a speedy campaign against it. In all 

 cases their efforts were met more than half way, with the result 

 that in every town visited the work of extermination was at 

 once instituted and pushed with great vigor. In fact some of 

 the Massachusetts papers, in commenting on the work done 

 here, stated that if Massachusetts had shown half the wisdom 

 and spirit that Maine had the pests would have been driven from 

 her midst long ago. 



We have realized for years that one great need of our State 

 was a department of entomology at Augusta. The many 

 products of our farms and forests are of too great importance 

 to be neglected or left to the depredation of our insect enemies 

 and plant diseases. We, as farmers and orchardists of Maine, 

 have not as yet come to realize the importance of what seem to 

 be minor details in our farm, garden and orchard management. 



