XXX BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



one at Brockton and one at Springfield. The show at Brock- 

 ton was not as large as expected, but the time was too short 

 to properly prepare for it. At Spring-field ample time was 

 allowed, however, and through the efforts of the Massachu- 

 setts milk inspectors and the Hampden County Improvement 

 League, working in conjunction with the Dairymen's Asso- 

 ciation, the large number of 207 samples, representing every 

 section of the State, were brought together for competition. 

 This is the largest milk show ever recorded in this country, 

 and the success goes to prove that when all agencies work 

 together a great interest can be aroused. The samples scored 

 very high in nearly all classes, and one very significant fact 

 was that where milk from expensively constructed dairies 

 was brought in competition with that from ordinary barns, 

 the rule was that the ordinary barn milk won the prizes, thus 

 showing that the man is the largest factor in clean milk pro- 

 duction. The Board furnished some very attractive ribbons, 

 together with money, for prizes at this show. 



!N'uRSERY Inspection. 

 This very important work has gone on satisfactorily this 

 season, and the continuance of it seems more than ever neces- 

 sary, not alone to check the spread of the various insects 

 within the State and from our own State to others, but also 

 to prevent the importation of dangerous insects from else- 

 where. At the present time every shipment of plants, etc., 

 coming into Massachusetts from foreign countries is exam- 

 ined by our inspectors, and if any suspicious insect or dis- 

 ease is found, the shipment is either destroyed, fumigated 

 or quarantined. Just one example of the value of this work. 

 On one shipment of trees from Japan last spring, our in- 

 spectors found no less than twelve insects of various kinds, 

 many of them new to our country, as well as three dangerous 

 plant diseases. ISTeedless to say the shipment was destroyed. 

 If this sort of work had been begun twenty-five years ago 

 we would not now be fighting the gypsy and brown-tail 

 moths, and the value of this preventive work cannot be com- 

 puted in dollars and cents. In the case of the Japanese 



