STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 39 



this line. In a number of them I have discovered conditions 

 that were not safe to continue, and it has been a great source of 

 gratification to me to see such a willingness on the part of the 

 owners to have all objectionable conditions removed at once. 

 Such men are outspoken in their appreciation of the work done 

 by the department, and are only too glad to assist in every way 

 the progress of the work. 



During these inspections I have discovered other pests that 

 were not previously known to exist in the State. The dreaded 

 woolly aphis of the apple has been found in several localities ; 

 the most noted case was in the city of Portland where I found a 

 tree, at least ten inches in diameter, literally alive with them, 

 with its vitality destroyed, practically dead, and standing as a 

 menace to the trees near by. The owner sa,id he would have it 

 cut and burned at once. This pest ought to have a passing 

 notice, as it is a dangerous one to have in our midst. It is rather 

 a peculiar insect, leading a dual existence, one form living on the 

 fibrous roots of the tree, producing galls similar to the dreaded 

 grape phylloxera of Europe, and as hard to combat. The other 

 a white woolly form, found covering the limbs and trunk of the 

 tree. An allied species is very common on the alder, and is 

 especially abundant this season. I have seen whole alder 

 swamps literally covered with this snow white mantle of crawl- 

 ing aphids. But this species will not attack the apple. If an 

 orchard is infested by this insect, it will soon sap the vitality of 

 the trees to such an extent that the best remedy is to cut and 

 burn all infested trees. The root form inoculates the soil so 

 that new trees must not be set in the same places, although pear, 

 plum or cherry trees might be substituted with no evil efifects. 



The strawberry weevil has been found in several localities in 

 the State. These are only a few of the many insect pests that 

 have been considered during the past season. The much 

 dreaded San Jose scale has reached Massachusetts and will soon 

 find its way here. The gypsy moth has reached Portsmouth, 

 N. H., and it is only a question of time when it will cross the 

 river into Maine. 



THE PRESENT SITUATION. 



It is rather early yet to predict what the actual situation is as 

 regards the brown-tail moth invasion in our State. As a result 

 of the systematic work done last spring, hundreds of thousands 

 of nests were taken and destroyed. This infested district 



