P.D. 123. 23 



sary for the nurseryman to hold a certificate guaranteeing the stock before it is 

 acceptable for transportation. Therefore, the inspection is essential for the 

 nurseryman in order that lie may carry on his business as well as a protection 

 to the purchaser. 



The nurseries this year are probably fi-eer of pests than they have been for 

 several years and there has been a marked difference in the attitude of the 

 nurseryman to clean up his nursery. This has been especially noticeable in the 

 case of the Gypsy moth. The nurserymen have made a very thorough clean-up 

 of their stock, which together with the natural enemies have greatly reduced this 

 pest in all of the nurseries. The inspection of the stock for scale, showed that 

 the conditions were slightly changed from a year ago. The inspectors found and 

 probably always will tind, some of the susceptible trees and shrubs infested with 

 both San Jose and Oyster-shell scale. These infestations were in all cases very 

 light and in most cases the plants were destroyed. Where especially valuable 

 stock or specimen plants were found infested, they were quarantined and will be 

 withheld from sale until treated as directed. 



White Pine Blister Rust was found in tiiree of tlie nurseries on white pine. 

 All trees that showed any signs of infection were destroyed and all Ribes, both 

 cultivated and wild, were removed for a distance of 900 feet from all nurseries 

 that grow any pine. With blister rust present in 165 towns in Massachusetts, it 

 is not surprising that it occasionally crops out in a nursery. 



Careful scouting was made to determine the exact area infested by the Oriental 

 Hag Moth. This insect was brought in from Japan in 1906, but even at the 

 present time is limited to Boston and towns adjoining and has not been found in 

 any of our nurseries. 



The Satin Moth, another exotic insect, seems to be firmly established in 

 Eastern Massachusetts. Twenty-seven additional towns were found infested this 

 year, making a total of 103 in the infested area. So far this pest has only been 

 found on willows and poplars and spraying at the proper time has proved 

 effective in controlling it. 



During the past winter a thorough inspection was made of the property sur- 

 rounding each nursery that held a certificate from this department. In case the 

 adjoining jiroperty was infested with pests that might spread to the nursery, a 

 notice was served on the property owner notifying him of the nuisance, instruct- 

 ing him of the measures to abate the same and the time when this should be 

 completed. In most cases the property owner attended to this, but where he 

 neglected to do so, or if the work performed by him was unsatisfactory, the De- 

 partment of Agriculture completed the work and charged the same to the 

 property owner. This clean area or strip around the nursery is a great help to 

 the nurseryman, as a source of infestation may lie immediately outside the 

 nursery. 



A ruling of the Federal Horticultural Board prohibited the shipment of nur- 

 sery stock outside the gypsy moth area if a single egg mass was found on stock 

 consigned to points outside the area until certain requirements were met. At the 

 same time they prohibited the shipment of evergreens outside the area, "after 

 the gypsy egg masses hatched." The nurserymen were able to have this ruling 

 modified so that evergreens could be shij^ped after the egg masses hatched, pro- 

 viding that each shipment was sprayed under supervision of a Federal inspector. 

 This modification was beneficial in that it gave the nurseryman a much longer 

 shipping season. 



The de]iartment was particularly interested in two hearings held before the 

 Federal Horticultural Board — one^ relative to the Oriental Hag Moth; the other 

 to White Pine Blister Rust. 



In August the Federal Horticultural Board held a hearing presumably with 

 the intention of placing a quarantine on the area infested with the Oriental 

 HajT Moth. 



The Oriental Hag Moth was first discovered in Dorchester in 1906. It was 

 probably imported from Japan on nurseiy stock, as in 1906 there was a nursery 

 in Dorchester conducted by Japs. The infested area was scouted in 1907 by the 

 State Board of Agriculture and the Department has kept close watch of 



