EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE NURSERY 



INSPECTOR. 



To the State Board of Agriculture. 



I have the honor to submit herewith the eighth annual re- 

 port of the State Nursery Inspector. 



Inspection of nurseries the past season has been of the usual 

 nature. In the course of this work l-i2 places have been vis- 

 ited, and 112 certificates, covering 119 of these, have been 

 given. At 5 places no stock was found, but, as the owners 

 have not gone out of the business permanently, they will need 

 to be visited next year. Five nurseries have gone out of busi- 

 ness, 5 have been refused certificates because of the condition 

 of their stock, and 8 former nurserymen have elected to keep 

 no stock hereafter, but to take out licenses as nursery agents. 



The conditions found by the inspectors varied greatly, of 

 course, in dift'erent places. As a whole, however, the nurseries 

 were in better condition than at any previous inspection. It is 

 doubtful if the value of all the stock condemned would reach 

 $800, though the work was very carefully done. Where in- 

 fested stock was found, it was in almost every case directly 

 traceable to infestation near by, but outside the nursery ; to 

 stock brought in after the last previous inspection ; or to fail- 

 ure, at former inspections, to extend the condemned area far 

 enough around plants found infested. 



The situation as regards the gypsy moth is but little 

 changed from that stated in the last report. Infested nurseries 

 receive no certificate until inspection after September 15 

 fails to show the presence of this insect. This seems to be the 

 most which can be done at present ; but the difficulty of find- 

 ing gypsy moth egg masses on some kinds of stocks, — blue 

 spruces, for example, — when they are present, makes it prob- 

 able that some day an egg mass will escape discovery, in spite 

 of all the care which it is possible to take. 



