MASSACHUSETTS APPLE INDUSTPvV. 3.3 



other ii;ind, we have no means of knowing' liow many mistakes may be 

 made in digging and shipping tlie trees. Such errors are absolutely el- 

 iminated with certified trees. Many more trees have been examined than 

 certified and the misnamed trees among these are included in the above 

 table. 



Certification is carried on by the Massachusetts Fruit Growers' As- 

 sociation. The P'.xperiment Station has no official connection with it thougli 

 it has given moral support and cooperation. Any nurseryman desiring 

 certification may apply to the Association and an agent qualified to dis- 

 tinguish varieties \ isits tlie nursery during tlie late summer or early fall 

 and personally examines tlie trees. To sucii as are found to be true 

 to name a lead seal is attached by drilling a one-sixteenth inch hole through 

 a, branch, or in case of one-year trees through the trunk. Tlie name of 

 the variety (usually in abbreviated form), the word "certified" and on 

 the reverse side the letters "M. F. G. A." and the year in which the work 

 was done are stamped on the seal with a hand seal press. .-Ill trees- certi- 

 fied by the Massarhusett.t Fruit Grozcers' A.^^.^-ociatioii hear f/)/.s' lead seal. 

 The work of attaching seals is done by emjiloyees of the nursery, working 

 in gangs of four. One gang will seal from 2.000 to 4,-000 trees per day. 

 The cost of the work is met by the nurserymen. It has varied greatly 

 ^ ith conditions, but with the larger jobs has probably been from $18 to 

 $25 per thousand trees certified, including the cost of attaching seals. 



For the finst two years only two-year apple trees were certified but 

 later one-year trees were included. The number of varieties has gradually 

 increaoed until now nearly forty are included. Pear and iiliim ^•arieties 

 were taken on in 1925 though only a few trees were certified. 



All nurseries examined thus far have contained trees not true to name, 

 but the proportion has varied from less than 1 per cent to more than Ifi 

 ]>er cent. As the work in any one nursery continues the number of mis- 

 named trees naturally decreases, liut new iniNtures may appear from year 

 to year. 



This plan of certifying trees to be true to name is not infallible. Tf 

 depends upon the human eye and brain and they are not perfect. Thr 

 chances of error are, however, slight and it is confidently belie\ed that the 

 number of errors made is insignificant. No such cases have yet been 

 lirought to the attention of the Association. \'ariety certification is in 

 operation in Canada and in California and is under consideration in other 

 states. It is believed that it is the best plan of eliminating the misnamefl 

 tree yet brought forward. Every nursery firm starting the work has con- 

 tinued it in succeeding years. 



THE CODLING MOTH IN MASSACHUSETTS 



BY A. I. BOURNE 



The codling moth is one of the worst insect pests with which orchardists 

 of Massachusetts have to contend. In spite of thorough and careful spray- 

 ing, the annual loss from its ravages continues very high. 



The life history of the codling moth in Massachusetts has been approx- 

 imately known for years, and general n-.ethods for its control practiced; 

 yet fruit growers have been annually confronted with very consider.-ible 

 losses Mhicli have come mainly from so-called "side worm" injury. Siicli 



