Report of the State Entomologist and Plant Pathologist of Virginia, Volume 4-5 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1903 Excerpt: ... for outline of the policy of this office in accepting certificates of nursery inspection from other States, and inspection of imported nursery stock. Of course, it is impossible, under present conditions, to inspect all nursery stock brought into the State. We have, however, this season paid much closer attenfion than formerly, to this part of the work. We were enabled to do so because a number of local inspectors are now employed in the different counties of the State, and much of the work can be done by them. Notwithstanding the fact that we have sent out copies of the Virginia law and circulars giving descriptions of the different insects and diseases proscribed by the law, some nurserymen persist in shipping stock that is diseased with crown gall. Some stock has been found this season that was quite badly affected by this disease. (See Fig. 1, reproduced from a photograph of roots found in shipment of stock this season.) At a it will be seen that the main root did not develop, and that the root system appears to radiate from a knot at its base. The orchardist does not care whether or not this is a true case of crown gall. It is enough to know that the tree has a deficient root system which cannot take firm hold upon the soil and produce a good tree. All of these trees were two years old, but the one at b is the only one that approaches the size a well grown tree should have at this age. This tree shows a typical gall with fibrous roots. The one at c shows mainly the fibrous roots, but it has the enlargement peculiar to this disease also. A healthy apple tree root is shown in Fig. 2.. As mentioned in 'former reports, apple trees diseased with crown gall, or badly afiected with woolly aphis, when planted in the orchard, cannot be relied upon to pro...