SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE NURSERY 

 INSPECTOR. 



To the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture. 



I have the honor to submit herewith the sixth annual 

 report of the State Nursery Inspector. 



The inspection work during the season of 1907 has taken 

 more time than heretofore, beginning earlier because of nu- 

 merous calls for certificates. Apparently the nurseries now 

 begin to ship stock nearly six weeks earlier in the fall than 

 was formerly the case, and with some there is no break in 

 the shipping season between the first of March and the middle 

 of November. In order to meet the necessities of such places, 

 certain inspections are made the first of July ; but the regular 

 examination of the remaining places has heretofore begun 

 about a month later. This year, however, several requests 

 for inspection were made early in July, on the ground that 

 shipments were being called for, but could not be sent out 

 until certificates had been obtained. Accordingly, the regular 

 inspection was begun July 15, and was continued steadily, 

 except when bad weather prevented, for about two months. 



The rapid increase in the number and size of the nurseries 

 of the State during the past five years has rendered inspection 

 work increasingly difficult, and in order to complete it at all 

 it has been necessary to work too rapidly for the best results. 

 Last year, even though some of the nurseries for this reason 

 were examined too hastily, several had to be omitted entirely 

 because of an insufficient appropriation. This condition of 

 the work was therefore presented to the Legislature, with a 

 request for an increased appropriation, which was granted. 



The result has been that a thorough inspection of every 

 nursery was possible last summer, and it was evident that 

 the necessary haste of previous inspections had prevented the 

 discovery of diseased stock here and there. This stock has 



