13 



ORCHARD INSPECTION. 



At the request of owners, the Entomologist and his as- 

 sistants have, during the year, inspected twenty-two orchards for 

 San Jose scale and other insect pests. These orchards contained 

 approximately 86,400 trees. In seventeen out of the twenty- 

 t'our orchards San Jose scale was found, and in one of the 

 orchards the West Indian peach scale was discovered. In all 

 such cases the owners were given directions for bringing these 

 pests under control. 



The Commission has not condemned or destroyed any 

 orchard trees on account of infestation by this pest, as it is the 

 aim of the Commission to save property, not to destroy it, and 

 moans of fully controlling the San Jose scale economically are 

 available. Where nurseries are infested, however, the imminent 

 danger of the pest being disseminated upon the stock makes de- 

 struction of all infested trees and plants absolutely imperative. 

 Not even in the case of infested nurseries has it been necessary 

 to condemn stock, as the owners, with one exception, have been 

 quick to see the damage that would result to their customers if 

 this pest were sent out with their trees, and they have been 

 ever ready to act promptly upon the suggestions of the Ento 

 inologist whenever uoh steps for the eradication of this enemy 

 were necessary. 



CATTLE TICK INVESTIGATION. 



Prof. H. A. Morgan, prior to becoming Entomologist of the 

 Commission, by careful studies of the life-history of the Texas 

 fever cattle tick, devised a successful method of eradicating this 

 o.eslnietive pest from farms and plantations. This work was 

 continued by Prof. Morgan during 1904, and his excellent re- 

 sults were presented in Bulletin No. 82 of the State Experiment 

 Stations. 



Much remains to be learned concerning the different stages 

 of development of the tick under different conditions and in 

 different localities. This work is being carried on by the Com- 

 mission in co-operation with the State Experiment Stations. 

 Valuable data has already been obtained, and it is hoped that 

 within a year the Commission will be prepared to undertake the 

 extermination of the tick over considerable areas, in order that 

 stockmen may ship to northern markets and show-rings without 



