in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, Michigan, Canada, Ohio and other States to the south.

The scale first appeared in this country to an injurious extent in California about 1880. At that time the horticultural world was hearing of the rapid development of Pacific Coast varieties of fruit, supplemented by the importation of a great number of new and wonderful, heretofore unknown species and varieties from Japan, some of which have revolutionized our fruit markets.

Progressive eastern nurserymen, especially those who issued 100,000 editions of their catalogues were not slow to add to their stocks the new things of which so much could be truthfully told. They exploited the novelties which were distributed to thousands of post-offices by mail, and nurserymen throughout the country secured scions and small trees for propagating. With these new things San José scale was spread broadcast and the wonder is not that it has appeared in so many counties, but that it was not found everywhere years ago.

In the Southern States where the season of breeding is longer, the spread has been most rapid. Its destructive effects in New Jersey and Long Island were serious ten years ago. In 1898 the only location up the State where it was known to have a foothold was in an old nursery in Cayuga county and even there it had not been destructive, except to manifest its presence on trees and fruit. 1898 was the year when the Legislature made an appropriation which enabled the Department of Agriculture to burn the nursery stock referred to. A general cleaning up followed, but the county is not free from scale.

At the time referred to no satisfactory insecticide was known. It was hoped that the great fruit belts of Western New York were so geographically located that the San José scale would not become a serious problem, but this hope has long since been abandoned.

Three areas of infestation, one in St. Lawrence county, one in Oneida county and one in the uplands of Columbia county, have been watched with interest for six years as the scale does not spread there. The reason has not been ascertained, but it seems to be climatic. The sections of the State where only the most hardy apples thrive seem almost exempt from damage by scale.

The question of the control of the scale in the orchards has received the attention of experiment stations of twenty States, and of thousands of fruit growers. Only until now can it be asserted that safe and effective remedies are available for use. The lime-sulfur solution prepared according to the formulas recommended by the Department and our experiment stations, especially that known as the boiled lime and sulfur wash, is by far the most satisfactory remedy that can be used. We have tried it under varying conditions and always with good results. The best results, of course, having been obtained when the preparation was right and when the application was thorough. Those who have mastered the difficulty of properly spraying with Bordeaux mixture, find that the lime-sulfur is as simple a matter to handle, providing convenient arrangements are at hand for boiling the mixture.

Lime-sulfur has, in addition to its insecticidal value, very much to commend its use for preventing peach leaf curl for which Bordeaux mixture is so generally used. The right time. to apply lime-sulfur for scale is also the time to apply preventions for the peach disease named. Orchard trees that have been encrusted with San José scale to such an extent that the trees appeared so near dead as to be worthless, have been often restored to a vigorous growth by a single thorough spraying with lime-sulfur; the scales reduced to a minimum. The season to use lime-sulfur is only when the trees are dormant, but probably the best time is as late as possible, just previous to the swelling of the buds in early spring. Many orchardists are now using the limesulfur as a winter application and no very serious damage to the fruit buds has been reported.

My observation leads me to believe that the oils and the oil emulsions are not wholly suitable to use on dormant trees with the hope of destroying scale without injuring the trees. Further experiments along these lines seems necessary. For destroying myriads of the young scales in the larval stage between June 1st until frost, the soluble oils are useful and so are the other emulsions and soaps. Weak mixtures of either will destroy the scales during the breeding period and they may be properly applied in cases where scale has obtained a foothold in the orchard. They should be just strong enough not to injure the foliage.

Too much attention cannot be given to the proper preparation and application of any remedy. Only those have succeeded in keeping the scale in subjection in their orchards who have had the essential ingredients and conditions; briefly stated they are: The right materials properly combined or mixed.

Applications, times enough, to cover most or all scales. Power behind the pumps, and suitable weather for spraying. Small, or say half-grown, orchard trees have been very successfully treated, but the spraying of old apple orchards as thoroughly as is necessary for reaching the scale is merely a mechanical proposition. This problem must be met by close trimming, longer ladders, longer hose and more power.

The habit of the San José scale is to spread over a tree or plant from the ground, even down where the loose earth surrounds it, to every portion where the bark is not dry. They gather on the vigorous branches and especially on the twigs, fruit spurs, buds and fruit. They seem fond of the current years growth. This shows that spraying must be thoroughly done, and further that one cannot expect to exterminate the pests by a single spraying, no matter how well done. If spraying a dormant tree is well done it may be expected that some of the scales will not be killed; they will breed about the middle of May and spread upon the new growth and the fruit. These facts suggest that pruning and spraying be worked in together as far as conditions will permit.

The authority under which the Department is working in the matter of the prevention of diseases in fruit trees and pests that infest the same, is given to the Commissioner of Agriculture under sections 82 and 83 of the Agricultural Law.

Section 82 forbids any person, knowingly to keep any tree infected with disease or infested with insects dangerously injurious to or destructive of trees and plants. Every owner of such trees is required to report to the Commissioner of Agriculture, who shall take such action as the law provides. If in his judgment the infected or infested trees should be destroyed, he shall serve formal notice of the condition found to exist," and the owner shall within

ten days remove and burn all such diseased or infested trees, shrubs or plants." If, however, in the judgment of the Commissioner of Agriculture the diseased or infested plants can be treated, he may direct such treatment to be carried out by the owner under the direction of the Commissioner or his agents.

Section 83 authorizes the Commissioner of Agriculture to do whatever may be deemed necessary to control, prevent the spread of or extirpate insect pests and diseases. He shall cause an examination, at least once each year, of all places where nursery stock is grown for sale and if found free from contagious disease or dangerously injurious pests shall issue a certificate of the fact. Nurserymen, agents, dealers or brokers must not send out or deliver within the State stock which is subject to diseases or pests unless he has a valid certificate of inspection. All nursery stock shipped shall be accompanied by a copy of said certificate attached to each package.

All nursery stock grown in any nursery in the State, in which San José scale has been found within two years, or any nursery stock grown within one-half mile of where scale was found and also all nursery stock from outside this State, disseminated or planted must be fumigated in such manner as may be directed by the Commissioner of Agriculture, by the grower, consignor or consignee of such stock. Such stock as from its nature or state of growth not requiring fumigation may be exempted by the Commissioner.

Transportation companies receiving stock from points without the State to points within the State must notify the Commissioner of the fact, giving names of consignors, consignee and point of destination.

The words "nursery stock," include all trees, shrubs, plants, buds, willows grown for nursery, baskets or cuttings. Neither section of the law applies to florist's green house plants, flowers or cuttings and no certificate is required for shipment of native stock collected, not grown in nurseries, nor to stock so shipped in to the State that its sale and shipment become either interstate commerce or traffic or commerce with foreign nations.

It will be observed that the work of the Department is limited to the insect and fungous diseases that are dangerously injurious to

the life of trees and plants, those of a contagious or infectious nature and not such as codling moth, leaf curl, etc. In a general way section 82 refers to the orchards and vineyards and section 83 to the work in connection with the nurseries.

During the present year there have been twelve inspectors and three laborers employed in the horticultural inspection work of the Department. Each inspector is assigned to a division of the State and has become familiar with the peculiar local conditions in his territory and as a rule he has been kept in the same territory over a series of years.

There are 444 owners of nurseries in the State who have received certificates of inspection from the Commissioner in 1906. These nurseries cover 9,341 acres, containing a total of 39,083,624 fruit trees; 9,246,200 ornamental trees, and 9,839,275 shrubs, 5,258,910 currants, 24,577,721 grape vines, 1,257,375 goose berries, 164 acres of raspberries, 95 acres of blackberries and 80 acres of strawberries. There are 1,652 acres of vineyards from which cuttings are made for propagation and which require inspection, as grape cuttings are classed by transportation companies as nursery stock, and therefore copies of certificates of inspections must accompany shipments.

The inspection of 80 millions trees and plants is no small task, and requires careful attention. On each inspector rests the duty of reporting all the facts and with that responsibility he is aware that any want of diligence on his part is apt to be communicated to the Department or the press. Scarcely a tree or plant enters into the market without passing the scrutiny of many pairs of eyes that are looking for scale, and no inspector enjoys being called down for any seeming neglect on his part, particularly if some other official inspector becomes the complainant.

Most nurserymen want their certificates by September 1st, and those who make early fall shipments are usually favored. It is the custom of the Department to make final inspections as late in the season as possible. Nurseries in which scale has been found require several inspections during the year and the last inspection is made just before shipments begin. Every nursery in the State is under the observation of an inspector throughout the year. Whenever and wherever scale is found the trees are at once