15 



and therefore 1 sent my assistant, Mr. Louusbury, to different 

 nurseries to look for tht in. He reported that on April 19 he found 

 the San Jose scale on two plum trees, two pear trees and a 

 rose bush in Roslindale, INlass. The plum trees « were badly 

 infested with living scales, while the pear trees and rose bush were 

 but slightly so. The scales occurred on all parts of the trees, but 

 were the least numerous on the new growth. The i)ear trees had been 

 on the grounds for three years and the plum trees two years. Mr. 

 Lounsbury was informed that these trees were obtained from a local 

 agent in West Roxbury, who claimed to have purchased them from 

 the Shady Hill nursery, Bedford, Mass. On April 28 Mr. Lounsbury 

 visited the Shady Hill nursery, and found the San Jose scale alive 

 in large numbers on several different varieties of apple trees. Mr. 

 Kohler, in charge of the nursery, told him that these trees were 

 brought from the Cambridge nurseries, where they had been growing 

 three or four years. The Cambridge nursery was then visited, and 

 pear, peach and apple trees were found infested with the scale, and 

 many of the worst-infested trees were dead. As no stock had been 

 added to this nursery for three years, these trees must have been 

 infested at least that length of time. I have not been able to learn 

 from what source the stock in this Cambridge nursery was obtained. 



On July 9 I received a twig of an apple tree from Mr. W. W. 

 Rawson, with the request to inform him what the matter was with it. 

 An examination showed that it was infested with the San Josd scale. 

 P'urther correspondence revealed the fact that the twig came from an 

 ai)ple tree in the orchard of Mr. p]. K. Cole, in the town of Scituate. 

 Mr. Cole wrote me that the orchard contained ninety trees that were 

 seL out three years ago. It is situated in a j'.rotected spot with trees 

 on tliree sides, and i-5 witliin two miles of the ocean in a direct line. 

 He also wrote me that the trees were received from Mr. Rawson, who 

 informed me that he obtained most of his nursery stock of that 

 description from the Shady Hill Nursery Company. 



It is therefore probable that the Shady Hill nurseries received 

 infested stock from some outside nursery, ]xissibly in New Jersey, 

 and have unintentionally become a centre of infection for orchards in 

 the eastern pait of this State. To what extent this pest has become 

 distributed through the State it is impossible to say, but that it is able 

 to live and destroy fruit trees in some, if not in all, parts of the- 

 State seems evident from this history, which is given here quite at 

 length because of the expressed opinion of IMessrs. Howard and. 

 Smith that it would not survive in New England. 



