Kentucky AgricnZtim·aZ Ezvperioncnt Station ix
s _ same pots of soil as last year, but with a change of crops.
Division of Entomology and Botany. In this Division,
s inspection of nurseries and orchards and of seeds is done
under laws enacted by the General Assembly. The
nurseries of the State are inspected each year during July
and August, but when found infested with destructive pests
are examined at the close of the season,and sometimes all _
stock sold is fumigated with hydrocyanic acid gas. In
1911, 41 nurseries were inspected, covering a total of
2,800,000 trees and plants. ·
Under an arrangement with the Bureau of Entomology, A
United States Department of Agriculture, we have also
done some inspecting of florists’ stock imported into Ken- _
‘ tucky from European countries. The demand for this work
results from the discovery of pests such as the Brown-tail
moth on imported stock delivered in Eastern States. In
one case this moth has been brought to Kentucky on such `
stock, though its detection has prevented its becoming _
established.
One of our_ greatest difhculties in controlling the spread
of San Jose scale comes from the laxness of the present in-
spection law, which makes no requirements of owners of _
orchards, no matter what the condition in which they are
allowed to fall and without regard to the danger they be- .
come to nurseries and other orchards near them. The law
ought to be amended so `as to permit us to require owners
of orchards near nurseries to keep trees free from scale,
and to prevent, by inspection, the importation of infected ,
” stock. from other States.`
Under the seed law, 337 samples were collected and
examined for adulteration, none being found. Four hun-
dred and sixty—four samples were tested for purity, and 383
samples for germination, giving a total of 1184 tests of _
seeds. » ·
A more important matter at present than the preven-
tion of seed adulteration is the prevention of the sale of
seeds containing large percentages of impurities, such as
i weed seeds. A bill covering this point was drawn up and
presented to the lastclegislature, but failed to become a law.
. During the past year, we had on the Station Farm, 255
plots devoted largely to forage plants, but with some
planted in tobacco for experiments with insecticides and
others in special lots of forage with which we conducted
breeding tests. In some of these plots we have been giving
special attention to varieties of soy beans for a number of