242 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



stock sold, in accordance with section 4 of the law. The 

 remaining place contains but a few plants, and its owner has 

 done nothing to comply with the law, but has sold no stock. 



Of the places inspected for the first time this year little 

 need be said. They were nearly all small, and generally 

 much neglected, the owners giving their attention chiefly to 

 their greenhouses and to herbaceous plants out of doors ; and 

 this explains why so many of them were found to be infested. 

 In the nurseries inspected this year a second time the improve- 

 ment was marked. In 1902 many of them were poorly cul- 

 tivated, contained many dead and dying trees, and in places 

 were almost thickets. This year found great improvement 

 in all these respects ; well cultivated, with the bad stock 

 removed, and nmch less of a poor grade than the year before, 

 it was evident that the fact that the nurseries were under 

 State supervision had had a beneficial ettect, and one which 

 would be of value to any purchaser. 



A similar improvement was noticeable as regards the insect 

 pests and fungous diseases. In 1902 there was no diflSculty 

 in finding these where they were present, most of the stock 

 infested being noticeably so ; this fall, while a number of 

 nurseries were infested, onh^ slight cases could be found 

 after prolonged and careful inspection. These facts mean 

 nuich to those who purchase plants. They mean, first, that 

 good stock will be sent out, — stock that is of good (juality, 

 healthy and vigorous ; and, second, that the chance of receiv- 

 ing a tree infested by dangerous pests or fungi has probably 

 been reduced to a very small one. Results such as these are 

 worth obtaining, particular!}^ when we remember that the 

 nurseries of Massachusetts do a business of nearly a million 

 dollars each year. 



These results have been obtained this year by the expendi- 

 ture of $904.79, nearly half of which was used in the travel- 

 ling and living expenses of the inspectors while making 

 the inspections. They have devoted about twenty-five days 

 each to the hardest kind of work, straining their eyes through 

 the magnify in o- «flass as they examined the stems and branches 

 of the plants, and often working whole hours at a time on 

 their knees where the plants were low-growing varieties. 

 From ten years of personal experience I can say that it is 



