THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE NURSERY 



INSPECTOR. 



To the Secrclai'y of the Board of Agriculture. 



I have the honor to submit herewith the third annual re- 

 port of the State Nursery Inspector. 



Daring the year 1904 the duties of the State Nursery 

 Inspector have been the same as in previous years, and the 

 work has been of the same nature. Five places inspected 

 last 3"ear are now out of business, but twelve others have 

 been added to the list, making a total of one hundred and 

 seventeen nurseries in all. These are scattered from Ames- 

 bury to Nantucket, and from Cohasset to Lee, causing a 

 great deal of travelling in order to reach them all. In most 

 cases, too, land whereon nursery stock can be grown is too 

 valuable for this purpose within city or village limits, neces- 

 sitating the covering of considerable distances either on foot, 

 by trolley or by wheel, after the post-office address of the 

 nurseryman has been reached. The distance walked in this 

 way b}^ the inspectors certainl}^ exceeds one hundred miles, 

 nearly all of it in pieces of not more than a mile or two, — 

 not enough to make carriage hire worth the while. 



Regular inspections began this year August 15, and the 

 last certificate was given October 8, though all but a few re- 

 inspections had been completed by September 16. That so 

 many places could be inspected in this time was due to the 

 unusual conditions existing during this period, only one day 

 being lost by bad weather. This was also a large factor in 

 the expense of the work, as no living expenses were in- 

 curred without any inspections having been made. To this 

 may be attributed the suri)lus shown in the financial state- 

 ment, Avhercas, if the inspectors had been on the road dur- 

 ing much stormy weather, their necessary expenses would 

 have easily turned the surplus into a deficit. 



