624 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
REPORT OF NURSERY INSPECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF 
AGRICULTURE, NEW YORK 
G. G. Atwood 
The Commissioner of Agriculture of the State of New 
York is charged with the enforcement of the sections of the 
Agricultural Law relating to insect pests and fungous 
diseases dangerously injurious to trees. 
Twenty-five inspectors and assistants are now engaged in 
the work which may be classified in general as Nursery 
Inspection, Shipment Inspection, Foreign Shipment Inspec¬ 
tion, Orchard Inspection, Brown-tail and Gipsy Moth 
Inspection, City or Town Lot Inspection. 
The Department is also charged with the enforcement of 
the laws relating to barrels used in packing apples, pears and 
quinces, the proper labeling of New York State fruit, the 
issuing of certificates to manufactures and dealers in insec¬ 
ticides and fungicides, and the suppression of disease among 
bees. 
For the purpose of handling the large correspondence of 
the Department, a Bureau of Horticulture was designated 
by Commissioner Pearson to systematize the work done 
along lines above referred to. 
A brief statement of what the records show of work done 
in 1909 together with brief comments follow: 
Nursery Inspection: The nurseries of the State embrace 
10,804 acres and contain 41,650,000 fruit trees, 10,951,000 
ornamental trees and 4,584,000 shrubs, 40,200 vines, 
5,900,000 currants and gooseberries; 1201 acres of inspected 
vineyards, 402 acres of small fruits, 1,300,000 Herbaceous 
plants. They are under the care of local or resident inspec¬ 
tors whose services are available and are constantly required 
by the nurserymen who cordially work in harmony with the 
Department in attempts to protect the great interests in¬ 
volved from depredations by insect pests and damage by 
fungous disease. Nurserymen are not permitted to ship 
diseased stock and most of them begin to realize the great 
importance of closer scrutiny of their own plantings and the 
fumigation of their buds and scions. 
Five hundred and forty-five certificates of inspection 
were issued to 560 state nurserymen; 625 duplicate certifi¬ 
cates for filing in other states were supplied. 
Horticultural Bulletin No. 3 was issued by this Bureau. 
It gives the orders of the Commissioner to Nurserymen, Cus¬ 
tom House brokers, Dealers, Importers and Transportation 
Companies, and also other information especially an abstract 
of the requirements of other states relative to certification, 
fumigation and transportation of nursery stock. 
Shipment Inspection: It is intended to inspect at point 
of destination every shipment of nursery stock brought into 
the state. Information relative to shipments comes from 
Importers, Transportation Companies and others. The 
Commissioner has ordered that no package of nursery stock 
shall be opened without his consent until an inspector can be 
present. 
One hundred and forty-nine cars, 4,600 boxes, and 658 
bales containing 770,000 trees and 2,800,000 shrubs and 
other plants were inspected in the spring and fall of 1909. 
Over 8000 trees and plants were infested with San Jose 
Scale. 
Foreign Shipment Inspection: In June, 1909, nests of 
brown-tail moths were found coming into the state from 
France. Eight hundred and sixty shipments arrived during 
the early months of the year and 4,566 boxes and packages 
were inspected and over 7,000 nests found. Subsequent 
inspection of plantings were made and it is believed that no 
brown-tail or gipsy insects have yet found a foothold in 
New York State. 
Our system of reports showed that 529 shipments 
embracing about 7,000 boxes and packages were going to 
thirty-eight other states, the prompt reporting of which to 
the authorities of those states enabled them to control the 
pest by the discovery of large numbers of nests. Generous- 
thanks for our action have been given this Department. 
In the early summer of 1909 it was discovered that large 
shipments of Pines from Germany were infected with a 
dangerous fungous disease not sufficiently developed to be 
discernible at the date of importation. Eighty-four 
plantings were made embracing 1,496,000 trees all of which 
were carefully examined. The history of this is set forth in 
our Horticultural Bulletin No. 2 and the peculiarities of this 
destructive fungus pointed out. Copies will be sent on 
application. 
Orchard Inspection: The force of inspectors at our com¬ 
mand is too small to attempt a canvass of all orchards in the 
state, but we have been able to inspect the orchards of all 
applicants. As lime-sulphur solutions properly made and 
applied have proven that San Jose Scale can be controlled, 
most commercial orchardists are willing to use it but occa¬ 
sionally our authority has to be exercised to awaken delin¬ 
quents. We have recorded inspection in 1909 of 2,383 
orchards covering 15,256 acres with 1,262,063 trees. Re¬ 
ports show the following trees, infested and diseased: 
San Jose Scale . 35,000 
Yellows and Little Peach. 12,600 
Black-knot . 1,250 
Pear Blight. 500 
Diseases in the great peach belts are receiving annual 
attention and the results indicate ultimate control. 
Fruit Barrels: Considerable attention has been given to 
the use of standard barrels used in packing, apples, pears 
and quinces. Conditions were found improved over 1908 
but a few cases are before the court because short barrels 
were used unlawfully. 
Insecticides and Fungicides: Two hundred and four 
certificates were issued to manufacturers and dealers as pro¬ 
vided by the Agricultural law. All of these commodities 
offered for sale must be labeled to show the percentage of 
essential ingredients. 
The season of 1909 was a strenuous one for the inspectors 
of the state. The importance of the work is made apparent 
when Blister Rust of the Pine comes to us from continental j I 
Europe, when brown-tail and gipsy moths come from 
France and are very likely to be sent in on nursery stock, 
logs, cars or boxes from some New England states where the 
authorities, knowing the great difficulty of inspection for 
Gipsy-moth eggs simply say they cannot give reasonable 
assurance that stock is free; when imported ermine cherry 
moth, which was found by one of our inspectors escaped 
