18 P.D. 123 



more than 600 violators were called in for informal conferences, which were 

 held in Boston, Worcester, Haverhill. Middleboro, Fall River, and Ware- 

 ham. These hearings have proved to be of great educational value, and the 

 co-operation obtained is all that could be desired. 



Four additional towns were found infested in western Massachusetts with 

 the single-brooded corn borer, but to date the insect has done very little 

 if any commercial damage in this State. Considerable publicity and educa- 

 tional work has, however, been conducted in this area. 



The Division has co-operated with the Federal Government in maintaining 

 a corps of inspectors in the Boston Produce and Flower Markets, where the 

 Corn Borer quarantine is operative. 



Apiary Inspection 



The duties of the Inspector of Apiaries during 1929 were varied. There 

 were monthly contributions to the "Worcester County Farmer" on current 

 beekeeping topics. Beekeepers' meetings were attended in several parts of 

 the State; a particularly satisfactory one was a meeting jointly with fruit 

 growers in Lancaster. This meeting as others, showed increasing demand 

 for bees in orcharding, and for information concerning their care. How best 

 to maintain the colonies, and where to get sufficient colonies, seem to be 

 problems uppermost in fruit growers' minds. 



In January an appeal along this line from the Middlesex County Farm 

 Bureau, Mr. A. F. MacDougall, resulted in original experiments with 

 package bees from the South, used in their shipping cages. This experiment 

 was devised by Mr. Morley Pettit, former Provincial Apiarist of Ontario, 

 Canada. Several hundred package-colonies were shipped to Middlesex 

 County in May. Reasonable success having been obtained the first year, it 

 is hoped to develop the methods further in the season of 1930. Mr. Pettit 

 toured Massachusetts in December, 1929, when conferences were held in 

 several parts of the State. 



Bee disease suppression has progressed as in past years. Very little 

 European foulbrood is found now in Massachusetts, so that the problem 

 has become largely one of the control and suppression of American foulbrood. 

 In handling this disease, more and more it is considered advisable or even 

 necessary and economical, to destroy by burning, the colonies found infected. 

 This policy, favored by the United States Department of Agriculture, is 

 accepted largely throughout the country. It has had increased emphasis 

 in Massachusetts the past year. The favorable conditions in Berkshire 

 County and the Connecticut Valley, reported for several years, have been 

 maintained. There has also been observed an improvement in conditions 

 in Worcester County, which is consistent with the progress reported for 

 several years. It shows that bee diseases are yielding from west to east in 

 the State, and suggests that it will be possible to further crowd them toward 

 the sea. Eastern Massachusetts, south of Boston, where in recent years it 

 has been possible to give more intensive inspection, is showing improvement 

 in some localities. In no part of the State has there been outbreaks of 

 disease. 



The Apiary inspection personnel was as follows: 



Inspector of Apiaries, Burton N. Gates 



Deputy Apiary Inspectors 

 Mr. Fred E. Challet, Northampton, serving the Connecticut Valley. 

 Mr. F. S. Devereux, Green Harbor, serving Plymouth County. 

 Mr. B. A. Hildreth, Sherborn, serving Middlesex and Worcester Counties. 

 Mr. Ivan Rawson, Pittsfield, serving Berkshire County. 

 Mr. John Van de Poele, North Abington, serving Bristol and Norfolk 

 Counties. 



Mr. H. L. Walton, Worcester, serving Worcester County. 



White Pine Blister Rust 

 To the close of the records on November 30, 1929, the White Pine Blister 



