No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. 39 



Imports from abroad have unexpectedly been nearly as many 

 as the previous year in spite of the war, but the shipments 

 have been irregular, large numbers coming at a time, with 

 intervals during which none were received. Considerable in- 

 festation has been found upon the shipments and removed, or 

 the stock destroyed where this was necessary to insure pro- 

 tection. 



It is believed that there is now no white pine blister rust in 

 any of the nurseries in the State, and the work this year on 

 this disease has been to locate places which purchased pines 

 before the disease was recognized in this country. This work 

 has resulted in the discovery of the disease in the Housatonic 

 Valley, more or less continuously from the Connecticut line to 

 North Adams, and all the evidence indicates that the disease 

 reached there at least ten years ago before anj-thing whatever 

 was known about it. This is a serious matter which may call 

 for legislative action. 



The Apiary Inspection. 



The work of this department has been along the usual lines, 

 and has this year been most effective. The bill advocated by 

 the Board to perfect the present law relative to shipping bees 

 was not passed by the Legislature, and unless some such 

 regulation is adopted we shall continually be menaced by 

 diseased bees from other States. Our inspectors have dis- 

 covered some new cases of foul brood, but methods of sup- 

 pression have been adopted with apparent good results. It is 

 evident, however, that the State cannot be thoroughly covered 

 with the present appropriation, and your secretary therefore 

 recommends that a bill be introduced asking for a $1,000 

 increase in the appropriation for apiary inspection. 



Beekeepers the State over are much aroused over the great 

 losses of their bees from poison spray used on fruit trees. It 

 seems to be the practice among some people who are spraying 

 trees to do so when they are in full bloom, not realizing thereby 

 that they are accomplishing no good result to the fruit, and 

 that it is certain death to the bees. For several years the bee- 

 keepers have been trying to get a law passed prohibiting spray- 

 ing during blossom time. So much opposition has developed, 



