REPORT OF THE DELEGATE TO THE STATE BOARD OF 

 AGRICULTURE FOR THE YEAR 1917. 



By Edwakd B. Wilder, Delegate. 



Perhaps the work of the Board that is of most interest to the 

 Horticultural Society is comprised in the Nursery Inspection, the 

 Apiary Inspection, and the Apple Grading Inspection. 



Nursery imports have necessarily fallen off this year owing to 

 the war in Europe. The State now has 146 licensed nurseries. 

 After fifteen years of service to the Board, Dr. H. T. Fernald has 

 resigned as State Nursery Inspector, and Mr. R. Harold Allen has 

 been appointed in his place. 



An important feature of the nursery inspection work for the past 

 year has been the extermination, of the White Pine Blister Rust. 

 This has been carried on in connection with the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, both the State and the Nation having 

 contributed $50,000 to the work in Massachusetts. The scouting 

 for the disease done in 1916 enabled the Nursery Inspector this 

 year to pick out certain badly infected areas and eradicate from 

 them completely the currants and gooseberries. This was done in 

 the hope that these areas might be made safe for the growth of 

 white pine. The towns of Warwick, Petersham, Dana, Hardwick, 

 Barre, Marshfield, and Ipswich were made eradication areas and 

 from these towns the Ribes, wild and cultivated, diseased and 

 undiseased, have been entirely eliminated. In connection with 

 this work an accurate census of the currant and gooseberry bushes 

 in this State has been taken in order to estimate the comparative 

 value of these fruits compared to the white pines. 



The apiary inspection service has made a special drive to impress 

 both on beekeepers and the public the value and importance of 

 honey production, especially in view of the shortage of sugar. 

 Special beekeeping agents have been appointed in seventy towns of 

 the State who serve without pay and keep the State Inspector 

 informed of beekeeping conditions in their localities. A splendid 



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