8 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION CIRCULAR 101 



part. Where a nursery was found to be infested with San Jose scale or 

 any other dangerous pests or diseases, the owner was immediately told of 

 the existing conditions and given instructions as how to proceed in order 

 to bring about their eradication. Usually the nursery was visited the sec- 

 ond time in the digging period and all infested stock was condemned and 

 burned and the remainder treated either with hydrocyanic acid or a mis- 

 cible oil dip, and as is shown, this work was very effective. 



In addition to the regular nursery inspection work the Plant Inspection 

 Service in 1915-16 for the first time did a large amount of orchard inspec- 

 tion. The inspection of permanent orchards is one of the most important proj- 

 ects of the Plant Inspection Service and until this time no definite information 

 had ever been obtained as to the prevailance of dangerous insect pests and 

 diseases in the orchards of Missouri. This was especially true with ref- 





FIG. 5. A lot of scale-infested nursery stjck which was condemned by the Plant Inspection 



Service 



erence to the San Jose scale. Before this time the San Jose scale had been 

 found in a number of commercial orchards but no one knew just how 

 generally it was scattered over the state. The object in making an in- 

 spection of the orchards in all sections of the state was to find out defi- 

 nitely just how great a foothold the more serious insect pests, especially 

 San Jose scale, and plant diseases had obtained in Missouri. Therefore, 

 during the year 1915-16, 118 orchards composing a total of 1,967 acres lo- 

 cated in sixty-nine counties were visited by inspectors from the Plant In- 

 spection Service and carefully examined. 



Thirty-nine or practically a third of the orchards inspected were found 

 to be infested with San Jose scale, some very bad, others very slightly. 

 Whenever an orchard was found to be infested with San Jose scale or any 

 other pest or disease, instructions were given regarding the eradication 

 of the pest or diseases. It is a well known fact that an old orchard is an 

 ideal place for such pests as the San Jose scale to breed from year to year 



