Annals of Horticulture. 



plies to only a portion of the State, and therefore fails of its 

 best mission. Michigan was the first State to enact a law 

 against a definite plant-disease, and its law has been the model 

 of other legislation against yellows. Its new law, which was 

 approved June 23, 1891, includes the plum-knot, and is as 

 follows : 



" Section i. The people of the State of Michigan enact, 

 That it shall be unlawful for any person to keep any peach, al- 

 mond, apricot, plum, prune, cherry or nectarine tree, infected 

 with the contagious diseases known as yellows or black-knot, 

 or to offer for sale or shipment, or to sell or ship to others 

 any of the fruit thereof ; that both tree and fruit so infected shall 

 be subject to destruction as a public nuisance, as hereinafter 

 provided, and no damage shall be awarded in any court in the 

 State for entering upon premises and destroying such diseased 

 trees or parts of trees and fruit, if done in accordance with 

 tne provisions of this act ; and it shall be the duty of every 

 law. person, as soon as he becomes aware of the existence of such 

 disease in any tree, parts of trees, or fruit owned by him, to 

 forthwith destroy or cause said fruit or trees to be destroyed. 



" Sec. 2. In any township in this State in which said con- 

 tagious disease exists, or in which there is good reason to 

 think it exists, or danger may be justly apprehended of its in- 

 troduction, as such information becomes known to the town- 

 ship board or any member thereof, it shall be the duty of 

 said board to appoint forthwith three competent freeholders 

 of said township as commissioners, who shall hold office 

 during the pleasure of said board, and such order of appoint- 

 mentment and revocation shall be entered at large upon the 

 township records. 



"Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of said commissioners, within 

 ten days after appointment as aforesaid, to file their accept- 

 ance of the same with the clerk of said township, and said 

 clerk shall be ex-ofncio clerk of said board of commissioners, 

 and he shall keep a correct record of the proceedings of said 

 board in a book to be provided for the purpose, and shall file 

 and preserve all papers pertaining to the duties and actions 

 of said commissioners, or either of them, which shall be a 

 part of the records of said township. 



"Sec. 4. It shall be the duty of the commissioners or any 

 of them, upon or without complaint, whenever it comes to 



