Bulletin [No. 105 (Dec. 1955)]

1"0 t I.:; -c
Bulletin 105

D ecember, 1955

~1 JHlal CJeeport
Department of Entomology
July 1, 1954 - June 30, 1955
UNIVERSfTY OF@EO GlA ,J
- 1---- 11:'1: 8 2:l 1 6

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY

\Y. E. Bla singame, Director

State Ca pitol

Atlanta, Georg-ia

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Letter of TransmittaL ...

4

Obituary, C. H . Ald en

. ..

Introduct ion .. .__ ..__ .__ __. ..

.

4 __ _.. 5

Atlanta Offi ce.i..... .

.

6

W hite-f ringed Beetl e Eradication

6

Sw eet Potato W ee\'i l Eradication .. ..

8

Tomato P lant Certification ........ .....................

8

Sw eet Potato P lant Ce r t if ica t ion ..... ................ ............

9

Bee Insp ection and Cer t if icat ion . ........

10

Tifton Laboratory

11

Phony Peach Disease ControL ... ........ ........... ...... ..

12

Nursery Inspection and Cer t if icat ion ...... ..

..

13

Fruit P est Laboratory ........................................................... 14

Gen eral P est Control ..

14

Japanes e Beetl e Erad ication : ............... ............................ 16

Registration of Econ omi c P ois ons and Devices ...

17

Quarantines Against Serious P ests............

17

Cam ellia F low er Blight Eradication ................................... 18

Cabbage Plant Certification

19

Easter Li ly Bu lb Certification... ..............................

19

Publications and Exhibits .........................................

19

Emp loy ees' Ret ir em ent F und a nd Tr ansf er s..........

20

Incom e a nd Disbu r sem ent s

21

F ro nt Cov er

DAMAGE T O SWEET POTATO CAUSED BY THE SWEET POTATO WEEVIL

3

T o th e H onorabl e, Marvin E . G r iffin, Gov er nor of G eo rgia , and :'II em b ers of t h e Gene r a l Ass embl y: I h a ve th e honor t o su bm it , h erewith , th e ann ua l r ep ort of t h e Geo r g ia Dep artm ent of Entom ology f or th e fis cal year, Jul y 1, 1954 t o Jun e 3 0, 19 55. During th e period cover e d by th is r e port this d epartm ent was und er th e lea d ersh ip of Ch a r les H . A ld en , now d eceas ed .
Resp ect ful1 y submitt ed .
IN MEMORIAM C. H. Alden 1894 - 1955
W ith d e ep sorr ow , th e Geo r gia D epa rtm ent of E ntom ol ogy r ecor ds t h e d ea th of it s Direct or, Charles H. A ld en. Hi s passi ng on Septemb er 18 , 1955 m a rk ed t h e en d of t hi rty-f iv e ye a rs of outstan ding servic e in th e f ield of Ent om ol ogy . Hi s co ntr ib utio ns t o Entom ol og y a nd to th e peo ple of Georgia , his d evot ion t o duty, hi s w a r m a n d sincer e f r ien dsh ip will long b e r ememb ered b v hi s many f ri en ds and associa t es. Mr. A ld en was ass ociate d with th e D epartm ent from 1927 t o th e tim e of hi s d eath .

INTRODUCTION
Th is d ep artm ent is charge d b y law with th e res po n sib ility of prev enting th e introdu ction into and di ssemination of d ang erous ins e cts and plant d ise as es within th e stat e. This invo lves th e enforcement of stat e qu ara ntin es, pl ant pest su r veys a n d plant and b e e ce r t ificatio n programs and th e suppression a n d era d icat io n of pl ant p ests.
Th e Entomology D epartm ent f unctions und er th e Entom ol og y A ct of 19 37 , th e Be e Disease Law of 1920 a s am end ed in 19 47 , and j ointl y w it h th e D epartm ent of Agri culture on th e E conomic P oisons Act of 19 50. Th e d ep artm ent a lso f unctions jointly w it h th e U . S. D ep artm ent of Agri culture, A gri cultural R esearch Servi c e in th e enfo rceme nt of F ed eral Q u a rant ines and th e era d icat io n a n d /or su p press io n of ce r t ai n pl ant p ests .
As in p ast ye a rs th e wo r k of th e d epartm ent co nt in ues to in cre ase. M od ern ins ecticid es have o pe ne d n ew av enu es t o insect and pl ant di s ease probl ems a n d that h eretof ore h a ve b een hard t o r ea ch. In a d d it ion resea rch h as provid ed inf orm ation pointing t o additional m ethods of attacking old probl ems . What ar e th es e probl ems and why do w e h av e th em? Sci entists est im ate that th ere ar e more th an 1 ,000, 000 di ffere nt insects in th e world t oday . Any one of th ese insects r emoved f rom its nativ e h abitat is ca pab le of ca usin g untold damage. It is a matt er of r ecord that essentia lly all of our ec on om ic p ests are of f oreign origin . Th es e eco no m ic p ests are lightly r egarded , in spite of th e f act that th e aver a g e annual bill paid in th e U n ite d States t o insects is more than four billion d ollars , in G eorgia it is more th an one milli on . Th e sam e is tru e in r esp ect t o plant diseases. Th e protection of th e p eopl e of this st a te fr om this con st a nt m ena ce throu gh q u a rant ine s, rul es and r egulations, ins ect and plant dise a s e. surv eys and insp ections is th en th e a im and r esp onsibility of th e Entomology Department.
To b e effect ive q u a r a nt ine a ction r equires strict com p li a nce, often involving m onetary loss t o individu als, d estru ction of pr operty and ot her f orms of p ersonal r estriction. In this r espect th e d epartment has b e en f ortunate in r ec eiv ing th e exce llent coo per a t ion of pra ctically a ll wh o hav e b e en in v olve d w it h th e v a r io us proj ects of th e d ep artm ent.
Funds ex pen de d b y th e d epartment fo r th e f isc a l ye a r en ding J un e 3 0 , 195 5 w ere $178, 03 9. 96 as comp ar ed with $ 17 6,2 46.00 f or th e previou s f isc a l ye a r .
A summary of th e v arious activities of th e d epartm ent is giv en on th e fo ll owing pages a n d d etail ed r eports are a vailabl e at th e d epartment's office in th e State Ca pit ol.
5

ATLANTA OFFICE

The d epartment's main office is located in the State Capitol with fi eld offices and laboratories in Cornelia and Tifton. Offices maintained in connection with th e proj ects und ertak en cooper ative ly with th e U. S. Department of Agriculture ar e located at Alpharetta, Dublin, East Point, Eastman, Fitzgerald , Fort Valley, Macon, Monticello, Ogl ethorpe , Sand ersvill e, Statesboro and Wayn esboro, and at no ex pe nse t o th e
state.

The functions of th e Atlanta office are many and varied. This office prepares the quarterly budgets, annual reports ; pays salaries , mil eage, ex pe nse and supply bills; mak es all of the d epartment's purchases ; maintains personnel r eco rds , k eeps a com ple te set of books wit h a dail y r ec ord of t ransacti ons; prepares and di stributes th e va r io us publications of th e department, including such things as quarantines,regulations, bulletins and circulars on th e control of insects and dis eases , r esearch findings; issu es b ee, nurs ery and oth er licenses. Very n ec essary to th e propel' op eration of th e department is th e library which is maintained in this of fic e. Th e state insect collection, consisting of approximatel y 3,2 40
diff erent species , is also located in this off ice . This in sect co llect ion serves many us eful f unct ions. Prop el' id entificati on is a basic r equirem ent for good insect cont r ol, and due to th e vast numb er of insects and th e oth er compl exiti es of insect taxonomy, this work would b e extrem el y difficu lt, if not impossibl e, without a good reference coll ection . Th e prompt id entification of sp ecimens often m eans th e sa vings of th ou sands of dollars.

As an ind icat ion of th e work carrie d on in this office, t h e fo llo w ing tabl e is given:

Letters

10,0 79

Bulletins a nd Circ ula rs

8 3, 40 1

Transit In spection of Plants ____________________________________________ 527

Sw eet P ot ato T a pe

.... . . 388 ,000 Yards

Sw eet P otato Tags Nursery Tags

15,000 375, 000

Quee n a nd P a ckage Bee Cer t ific a tes Mi sc. Ce rtifica te s a nd Tags . .

41,000 17 ,500

Approximatel y 296 insect and plant dis ease sp ecimens from 64 counties were sent to the Atlanta office for id entification and control measures.

WHITE-FRINGED BEETLE ERAD ICATIO N
Th e white-fringed b eetle, an introduced agricultural cro p p est, attacks every major crop produced in th e State of Georgia . Principal damage is done by th e larva e which lives in the soil and feeds on th e roots of farm crops, vegetabl es ,

6

fl ow ers and some or n a ment a ls. In h eavil y infested land , as much as 90 percent of th e pl ant stand may b e d estroy ed . Th e adult beetl es which liv e abov e ground are about on ehalf inch long and each insect la ys in ex ce ss of 600 eggs. Mal es of this sp eci es hav e n ev er b een f oun d; th ey ca n n ot f ly but crawl activel y and are spr ead through transportation of agricultural or industria l com mo d ities and b y ot her m eans.
Th e white-fring ed b eetl e is kn own to occur in portion s of 8 southeastern states and N ew J ersey, including limited a reas in Georgia . It was f ir st f ound in G eorgia in 19 46.
This is a cooper a tive proj ect b etw een th e d epartm ent a n d th-e U . S. D epartment of Agriculture, Agri cultural R es earch Ser vi ce and b oth a state and fe der a l quarantin e is m aintain ed and enforce d . Parts of 38 co un ties in Georgia a r e q uarantin ed b ecause of t h is ins ect. A peak of 44 state a n d fe der a l em pl oy ees w ere a ssigned t o this w ork in Geor gia, 27 b eing on a full time basis.

Insecticide Treatments

Comme rc ia l Nurse ries

__ _..

Farm Land , broadca st .

F arm Land, Insect ici de- F e r til ize r

Com bina tio n s

F arm Land a nd other su rface trea tmen t s

19 54 - 1955 _ 109 Acres
1,651 Acres
_11,495 Acres 2,454 A cres

Total to Dat e 526 Acres
19,318 Acres
20 ,756 Acres 6,3 09 Acres

Foliage tr eatments w ere appli ed one or mor e t im es to 12,055 actual a cres during 19 55. As a r esult of th es e tr eatm en t s practicall y n o cro p damage OCC UlTed durin g th e year .

A s a r esult of this aggr essiv e coo pe rative co ntro l pro gram, th e pres ent statu s of p opulati on s on previ ously known in feste d a creage is as f ollo ws :

Negative Inspections Light Populations Mod erate Populations Heavy P opulations

38 ,74 9 A C1es 30,178 A cres
3,3 00 A cres 453 Acres

__ ._ 53 %
_ _41 '/C 5%
Les s th an 1 Vo

Th e h ea vy p opul ati on s OCCUlTed principally in non-t re ate d , n ewl y fo u n d a creage. Inf estations hav e b een er a d icate d f ro m 5 co unties a n d 21 additional coun t ies are sch edul ed fo r era d ica t ion treatm ents if suffici ent funds ar e av aila b le . In a d d ition , a la r g e numb er of isolated infested areas hav e been era dic a te d in count ie s wh ere some a ctiv e infestati on s st ill occ ur .
E xp en d itures by t he st ate an d fe dera l gov ernm ents are gi v en in th e summary of in come a n d d isbursement s. A grea t d eal of th e cost of this proj ect w as borne b y individuals , municipalities, counties and oth er governmental agen ci es.

7

During th e period cov ered b y this r eport this participation amount ed to approximately $255,2 36 .00 . During th e year work on th e white-fringed proj ect was p erform ed in 102 count ies.
SWEET POTATO WEEVIL ERADICATION
Th e sw eet potato w eevi l is th e most d estru ctive pest of sw eet potato es and in areas wh ere it occurs sweet :potato prod uction is not f easib le without ad equate control m easures . This small ins ect infests growing potatoes in the fi eld and conti n ue s to multip ly and damag e potato es in storage. Principa l damage is don e by th e la r va wh ich tunn els throughout th e potato . H eavily infested sweet potato es are unfit for human consumption and in many case s can not even b e used as fe ed for livestock. Th ere hav e been many instances of total d estruction to plantings. H ere in Georgia in 19 45 a mi llion do llar sweet potato p lant busin ess was d estroy ed by this ins ect p est.
T h e sweet potato w eevil was r eported as ea r ly as 18 57 in India and currently in th e United States it occ urs in parts of seven so uth ern states incl udi ng limited sections in Georgia.
This is a coop erative proj ect b etween th e d epartm ent and th e U . S. D epartm ent of Agriculture, Agricultural R es earch Service. A state quarant in e is enf or ce d jointly and as of J une 30, 19 55, parts of 15 cou nt ie s in vo lving 94 properti es are r egulated b y this q uarantin e.
In this coop erative er a d ica ti on eff or t , a tota l of 33,89 5 inspections were mad e in 56 co unti es . During th e p eriod cove re d b y this r eport th e Sweet Potato W eevil was su ccessf ull y er a dic ate d from th e fo llowing co unties : Brooks, L ee, Seminol e, and T elfair. During th is same period a t otal of 64 properties previo usl y known to b e infested w ere r el eased from quarantin e. A total of 87 n ew prop erties w ere fo und to be infested and there w ere 65 vio lations of th e quarantin e , a ll of whi ch were corrected without leg al r eco urs e .
T h e su ccess of this er a dic a t ion program d ep ends to a la r g e ext ent on th e d egre e of coope r a tion obtain ed from th e sw eet potato grow ers. T o acquaint th es e growers with th is serious insect probl em ed uc a tion a l exhibits w ere set up and shown at seven coun ty and state fairs.
TOM A TO PLANT CERTIFICATION
In ord er to allow Georgia growers to furnish tomato plants for th e north ern stat es to us e in th e prod uction of tomato es for canning p urposes, t h e d epartment m a int a ins a tomato p lant cer t if icat ion program . This is not a compulsory pro-
8

gram, participation is on an ent ire ly vol untary basis for th os e growers d esiring to ship to north ern mark ets. Gr owe r part icipation in this program in th e way of insp ection f ees is at th e rate of $2 .00 p er acr e w it h a m inim um charge of $50 .00 .
Th ere w ere 5, 78 2 a cres of tomato plants und er ce r t if ication ill Ge or gia during t h e pe r io d cover ed by this r eport. Approximatel y 4 61,05 0,898 plant s w er e shipped f ro m 2 2 so uth Geo rgia co un ti es.
A ll seed us ed in planting was che cke d t o se e if r equir em cnts as t o g ermination, seed born e organisms and state o f origin certification were com plie d with . Land m ust b e ap prov ed prior to planting, fie lds chec ke d to see that seed s are planted prop erl y and fi elds co r rect ly m ark ed . Plants a r e ch ecked in th e f ie ld at lea st once w eekl y t o d et ermin e a d equacy of spray cover a g e, a n d in cid en ce of in sect s and pl ant di seases. P a cking she ds are ch ec ke d t o se e t h at plants are prop erly pack ed, lab eled as to va r iety and that certification lab els ar e n ot mis us ed .
Tomato Acreage Revoked-Listed by Cause and Variety

R ut g e r s M ar glob :: V aliant F , H ybrid Stokesdale G ard en Sial e Othe r

Alterna ria

51

Ba cterial W il t 10

S o ut he rn Bli ght 73

N ematod es

92

Grass

29

Ot her

0

2

0

12

0

0

0

0

1

7

2

4li

19

0

0

10

0

0

0

1

0

5

0

0

0

3

11

9

3

11

5

7

8

8

0

20

23

Th e t ot al a creage planted b y va r iety w as: Rutgers 3,333 , :Ma r g lob e 78, Valiant 19 4, F~ H ybrid 513, Stok esdal e 41 , Gard en State 1,17 8, oth er va riet ie s 445.
The av erage ann ua l va lue of Ge or g ia ce r t ifie d tomato p lants for th e t en ye a r p eriod 1945-1 95 5 was $ 1,979,25 0.00. Th e a verage annual a creage for th e sam e p eriod was 7,00 0.
The department promulgates each year r egulations gover nin g t he growing of ce rtif ie d plants and spra y and du st sc he dule s for th e control of insects and plant di s eases an d th es e are circulated to th e tomato plant industry.
SWEET POTATO PLANT CERTIFICATION
In or de r to prevent th e introduction into and s pre a d within t he state of Stem rot, Black r ot and Sw eet P otato m osaic, t he department maintains a co m pulsor y sweet potato plant ce r tif ica t ion program. Th e growing plants and stored potato es are inspected and wh en all insp ections show no evide nce
9

of th es e diseases 01' the sweet potato w eevil, the plants are so cer tifie d and th e grow ers furnish ed with the r equired certificate tape and tags for the sal e of plants and seed stock. In this way growers are assured of dis ease-free plants for sweet potato production.
Du ring th e p eriod cov ered by this r eport sweet potato insp ections w ere mad e in 98 counti es . Fi eld insp ections wer e mad e on 1,683 acres and 118 acres w ere r efus ed ce r t if ica t ion b ecause of stem rot 01' sweet potato mosaic. A total of 88,0 44 bush els of sw eet potato es w ere insp ected in storage and 1,44 5 bush els w ere found infected with black rot and cond emned.
All sweet potato plants, other than those grown for personal us e, must b e ce r ti f ie d by this d epartm ent. All ce rt if ie d plants are gro wn and sold und er a set of r egulations promulgated by th e departm ent. Th es e r egulations are r evis ed annuall y and furnish ed to grow ers and oth ers on r equ est. Th e d epartm ent fu rnish es at cost to th e grow er th e n ec essary tap e and tags. Th e d epartm ent al so furnish es to interested growers information r elative to th e r equir em ents of oth er states go verning th e ent ry of sw eet potato plants. Through this servi ce, Ge or gia grow ers of sweet potato plants ca n sh ip th eir plants a ny w here within th e United States .
BEE INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION
During th e 19 54- 55 season 67,821 colo nies of b ees w ere insp ected by this d ep artm ent in 1,1 45 bee ya r ds in 95 co unti es. Th ere w ere 33, 28 8 colonie s of b ees insp ected for package and qu een b ee shippers and 3L1,533 colonies for hon ey produ cers. Of th e total numb er insp ect ed f or hone y produ cers 27 ,46 5 co lonies w ere insp ected to ena b le G eorgia b eek eep ers to mo ve th eir b ees into oth er states , primarily Florida . During this p eriod 3 ,7 67 colonie s of b ees w ere allow ed to enter Georgia after propel' ce r t if ic at ion from th e stat e of origin.
Th e purpos e of this insp ection and ce r ti f icat ion pro gram is twofold , (1) to control certain seriou s bee dis eases, primaril y Am eri can Foulbrood , and (2) to allow G eorgia b eek eep ers t o mov e and sell th eir bees . During th e p eriod covere d by this r eport 197 case s of Am eri can Foul brood and 74 ca ses of Europ ean Foulbroo d w ere found . Thes e diseas e findings r epres ent less than 0.4 '10 of th e total b ees insp ected. Th e cont in ue d low incid ence of dis ease is of vital importance t o th e bee industry of this state .
Th e mon etary va lue of th e b ee industry in Georgia amounts to s ev eral million dollars annuall y but by far th e most imp ortant function of th e hon eyb ee is in the pollination of
10

pl ants. In Georg ia so me 30 of our a gr ic ult ura l crops r equire in sect pollination in addition to many orna me n ta ls .
It is a basi c r equirem ent th at b ees us ed in poll ination work b e dis ea s e free. In additi on to th e in sp ection service th e d epa r tm ent issu es r egulation s fo r q ueen, pa cka g e a n d h oney p ro d uc ers, enf orces q uara nti nes a n d issu es h ealth cert if icates to package a nd q uee n b ee shipp ers wh ose bee ya r ds hav e b een insp ect e d a nd fo u n d fr ee of di sease so th at th ey m a y sh i p t heir bees a nywh ere in t he U ni t ed St ates, Ca na da a n d m ost fo reign co unt r ies .
TIFTON LABORATORY
T h e d epartm ent owns a bu ild ing h ou sing offic e spa ce, a la bora t ory and greenho us e loca t ed at th e Coastal Pl a in Exp er im ent Stat io n in Ti ft on. This office is d esi gne d p ri m aii lv to ca rry out th e d epartm en t 's wo r k in Pl ant P ath ol ogy but is e quip ped t o h andl e a ll ph as es of th e d ep artm ent's fi eld wo rk in in sect a n d plant di s ea s e cont ro l. A f u ll tim e plant pathol ogist wh o a lso fun cti on s as th e chief ins pec to r is as sign ed to t his statio n a lo ng wi th th e n ec essary assista nts t o ca r r y on the la bor a t ory a nd fi eld work of t h e d epart m ent. Offic e space in this b uild ing is fu rn ished to th e f ed er al sup erviso r of th e swe et potato we ev il er a dicat ion proj ect.
During this fi scal ye a r 379 sa m ples of t om ato see d and 109 sa m p les of ca b bage seed w ere t ested in th e gree nh ouse a nd laborat or y in con necti on wit h th e t omat o a n d cab b age certifica tio n programs. A p p rox imate ly 260 id entifica ti ons of insects a n d plant d is ea ses were m a d e and con tro l in f orma ti on f u rnish ed . In cooperatio n w ith t h e perso nn el of th e Coastal P la in Ex p erim en t St ation t ests w ere m ad e on th e t om a t o f r uit wo r rn a n d on n ew az a le a va r iet ies . Collect ions we re m ad e of var ious di sea se s pecim ens a n d sources of in ocula f or station p ersonnel a n d a ssist a nce was provid ed in th e co llection of r e present a t ive sweet potato sa m ples fo r w ork on th e internal cor k di sease of sweet potatoes. Contro l in f orma t ion on in sects a n d pla nt di sea ses was a lso f ur n ish ed by lett er and t el e p h on e a nd over two mill ion to mato a nd cabbage pla nt certific ates w ere iss ue d .
W ork is p erf ormed year a ro un d on t omato and ca bbage pl ant ce r t if ic a t ion, sweet potato w eevil er a dic a tion and th e r earing of V edalia b eetl es f or th e cont ro l of th e cot to ny cus h ion scal e. Work is p erf ormed during th e a p p r opri a te s eas on s on sweet potato, bee and nurser y inspections, easter lil y bul b cert if ication, ca me ll ia flowe r b light survey, g ener al p est contro l a n d t he enf or cem en t of r egul a ti on s r estricting th e entry of tom a t o transpl ants f ro m Fl orid a b ecause of t he disea se lat e blight. In this connection 33, 04 6 co nt a ine rs aver aging
11

1,000 plants ea ch w ere insp ect ed at sev eral points in Georgia . Du e primarily to th e prevailing drouth conditions, dis ease inci d ence was n egligib le, how ev er, sale was stopp ed on three lot s tota ling approximately 590, 000 plants that w ere shipp ed in vio lation of th e ex ist in g r egulations. No la t e blight was fo un d on t he imported plants d uring 1954-55 .
PHONY PEACH DISEASE CONTROL
P hon y peach dis ease is th e m ost destruct iv e k nown Vil'US disease of p each es . Th ere are no known va rieti es r es istant to th o d isease. T h e d isease d oes not kill b ut stunts th e trees and th e fr uit is r ed uc ed in siz e . Th e d isease occ urs in wi ld pl um as well as in peach and is spread from plu m to peach and peach to peach by small insects know n as leafh opp ers. T h er e is no known spray sch ed ule that w ill satisfactorily contro l th is dis ease .
Pho ny pea ch was first fo u nd abo ut 1890 n eal' Marshallv ill e, Georgia. It is now k nown t o occ ur in a n umber of stat es in ad d iti on to Geo rgia , It can b e fo und t hro ugho ut G eorgia b ut is m or e serio us in t he centra l pl a t eau a rea a nd in t h e coasta l p lain section . T hi s d isease ca us es more econom ic loss in Georgia than in a n y oth er state.
Th is is a coope r a tive proj ect between th e d epartm ent and th e U. S. Departm ent of Agri culture, Agricultura l Res earch Service. Th e obj ective of th is cont r ol proj ect is to mak e possibl e th e contin uation of th e com m ercial p each in du st r y in t his state. A state q uarantin e is enf or ce d jointly r egulating th e production a nd movement of peach, plu m , apricot, nec t a r in e a nd a lmo nd nursery stock, a ll of which a r e carrier s of p ho ny p ea ch di sea s e. All or parts of 12 states, in clud in g th e en t ire state of Georgia, are q uarantin ed beca use of t h is di sease . A req uir em ent of th is q uaranti ne is t hat th e r egulated p lants b e grown in accorda nc e with certain r egulations. I n this con nection d uring this period , planting sites of t hree n urs eries w ere inspected in Georgia and approv ed for th e production of peach stock. During th e 19 55 season th es e nurseri es prod uc ed 176,100 p each trees.
Duri ng th e ye a r 2 ,14 1,12 5 trees w ere insp ected in 251 orchards in 20 co u nties . A tota l of 26, 755 ph on y tre es were fo u n d a nd r em ove d in 23 9 orchar ds . Th e inci de nce of inf ecti on fo r t he sta t e was 1.2 jn . Th e m ost strik in g circums tance of th e 1954-55 seaso n was th e co ntin ue d re d uction in th e amount of p ho ny d isea se. In 1953 th e incid ence of p h on y w as on ly half t hat of 1952 a nd less th a n in any year sinc e 1944. In 195 4 th e p er cent a g e was less than h al f that of 1953 and less t han in a n y year sinc e th e beginning of t h e proj ect exce pt f or 19 39. Th e phony in cid ence for 19 55 w ill b e approxim a t el y th e sam e as for 1954 .
12

As wi ld plums a re carii ers of this v ir us, gro w ers h a ve b een r emoving wil d p lum t h ick ets adjacent to t he ir orchards. In addition an organiz ed cooperative w ild plum control program us in g h erbicid es was initiated . P a rticipa ti on in th e control of wi ld plums is by grow er, co unty, state and f ed eral gover nme nts . Plans hav e b een mad e to d ev elop this phase of th e program d uring th e com ing season as tim e, p ersonn el, eq uipme nt and f u n ds p ermit.
Grow er participation in th e ov erall co nt ro l program amo unt ed to $32,98 7.00.
NURSERY INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION
As r eq uired by la w th is d ep artm ent in sp ect s at least on ce annu all y a ll nu rseries op erat ing with in th e state of Geo rg ia . A tota l of 39 4 nu rseri es in 99 count ies w ere insp ected duri ng t h e 1954-55 s eason . In ad d itio n, 17 9 n urs ery d ea lers and 260 ag ents w ere licensed. A pproximat el y 750 permit s w er e iss u ed to out of state nurseries th a t qua lified to sh ip t h eir pla nts into G eo rgia . Nurser y in s pecti on s a re n ecessary in ord er t o pr event t h e di ss emina ti on of inj ur ious in sects a n d p la nt dis eases int o an d w it h in th e state .
A m im eogra ph ed bull et in was pre pare d listin g a ll licen se d nu rseri es and d ealers in nursery stock an d distrib uted to t h e ind us try as r eq uested . This b u lletin lists th e nam e and ad dress of the n ursery, th e t yp e of stock offered and wh eth er whol esale or retail. R ules, r egulations, affidavits and r ecipr ocal agre em ents are r evised annua lly and di stributed as n eed ed. R ec iprocal agreem ents have now b een mad e with m ost states incl uding a ll of th e south ern states ena blin g th e f ree interstate m ovem en t of plants from li cense d and ce r t ifie d n urs eii es.
Sp ecia l surv eys w ere mad e in various n urseries d uring th e s eason for t h e pres ence of the White-fringed beetl e, Japan es e beetle, im porte d fi r e a nt and ca me llia flow er blight disease .
T o provid e fo r t h e in s p ection of pl ant materia l sh ipped th r ou gh th e m ails a nd by ex p ress b y ind ivi du al s not in t h e nu rs ery business, t erm ina l insp ect ion ce n t ers h ave been set up in Atl anta , Corne lia a n d Ti ft on . A t th e Atl anta office a lone 52 7 plants w ere r eceived fo r in s p ecti on. De a lers in n ative wild plants a n d othe r t yp es of pl ant s not nu rser y gro w n ar e r equir ed t o us e a s pecial tag stating th at t h e pla nts a re not nurser y grown.
I nf orm a ti on is f urnish ed to nu rserym en as n eed ed or req ues te d on the co ntro l of in sects a n d p la nt diseases . V a rio us s pec ies of scale in s ects ap peared t o b e th e m a j or in s ect problem wit h th e nu rserym en d uring t hi s seaso n.
13

FRUIT PEST LABORATORY
Ex perim ental work on th e insects a n d d iseas es attac k ing p ea ch and a p p le trees is th e main f u nct io n of t he d epartm ent's laboratory located at Cornelia. Insecticides and fungicide s t ested during this r eporting p eriod w ere Orth ophos 4, Orth ocid e, Mal athion , Panthion and liquid -lime sulfur. A d et ail ed r epor t on t h e r esults of t h ese t ests is ava ilable on r equ est.
Arrange m ents w ere mad e for t ests of s pr ay materials on appl es and p each es fo r th e 19 55 cro p but th e h ard fr eeze of M arch 27, 1955 kill ed all of t he bl oom s, a n d in some cases th e t re es , making t est s for 1955 impossibl e in t h is are a. Ch ec ks w ere mad e , h owever, with th e grow ers and ad vice given on th e prop el' m eth od of treating th e cold injured trees, Th e ove r a ll percen tage of trees kill ed out righ t b y th e f r eez e seems to b e sma ller t ha n origi na lly a ntic ipate d .
During' th e latter part of J un e, 19 55, h ea vy in f estation s of cut wor ms w ere observed in cotton fi eld s in th e are a and prop el' co nt ro l infor m a t ion was pr o vid ed to th e g ro w ers invo lv ed .
Surv eys w ere mad e on peach tree borer infestations in this area and in coo pe r a t ion with th e Agri cultural Extension Service bull etins w ere m ail ed to p each gro wers gi ving in f ormation on th e co nt ro l of t h is ins ect b y t h e use of P arathi on an d P arathion plus DDT as a spray fo r t runk s and ladd er limbs. Bu ll etins w ere al so f urnish ed to p each growers on th e use of eth ylen e di ch lorid e a n d parad ich lor ob en zene as gr ou n d treatm ents fo r th e borer.
P ea ch a n d appl e sp r ay sc he d ules f or com mer ci a l orc h a r ds w ere prepared and distribut ed in coope r at io n with th e Agricultural Extension Service, State Exp eri m ent St ations and th e U . S. Department of Agri culture.
Other proj ects on which th e st a t io n sta ff a ssisted during th e ye a r w ere as fo llows : sweet potato plant certific ation , cotton ce r t if ica t ion, nurs ery inspection and Japan es e b eetle control. Con tro l in f ormation on insects and plant diseases was provide d by letter and te le p ho ne . W ork from t h is st atio n was p erform ed in 19 North Geor gia cou nties.
GENERAL PEST CONTROL
Ins ect and pl ant dis ea s es programs, oth er than tho se ca r ri ed in th e r egular proj ects are group ed togeth er und er th e head ing Gen eral P est Cont ro l.
14

Pink Bollworm Survey
This in sect poses one of th e m ost serio us th r eats to agricult ure in Georgia . In so ut h T exa s a lone in 1952 the esti m at ed d amag e t o cotto n ca us e d by this in sect was 30 million d oll a r s. A t th e p r ese nt tim e th e pink b ollworm is k nown t o occ ur in six states, th e closest t o Georgia be ing Lo uisia na . Th e pink bo llwor m is n ot k nown t o occ ur in Georgia . Each year a sur vey is m ad e in th e princip al cotto n growi ng ar eas of th e stat e b y th e d ep artm ent a n d th e U . S. D epartm en t of Agric ult ur e fo r th e pres enc e of th is cotton p est. In th is su rvey sa mp les of gin tr ash are co ll ect e d a n d examin ed. Duri ng t h is report ing period sa mp les we r e co llected fro m 37 co unt ies a n d 873 b us h els of g in t rash w er e exam in ed w it h n eg ative r es u lts .
Golden Nematode Survey
Th e gold en n em a t od e, whi ch is n ot kn own to occur in Georgia, is a se r ious t hr eat t o th e Am er ica n potato in d ustry . T om ato p lants a re a lso atta c k ed by t h is n em atod e wh ich 'is kn own to occ ur in tw elve fo reign coun t r ies and in Lon g Isl and , New Yo rk . A coo p er ativ e survey w it h th e U. S. D ep artm ent of Agric ultu r e , Go ld en Ne m a tod e P r oj ect is condu ct ed an n ua lly in Geo rgia anel t o date a ll such surveys h a ve b een n eg a ti ve . Th e t ot al nu mb er of sam ple s co ll ected a n d pro cessed d uring 19 54-55 was 111. Th is in clud ed 10 5 so il sa m ples rep re s ent ing 102 acr es of pot ato land a n d 6 sam ples tak en f ro m a sh ip me nt of 1 ,57 5 b a les of p eat m oss importe d f'r orn Germ a ny.
Cotton Certification
Gro w er s d esiring t o sh i p cotto n see d to ot he r st ates a n d c o u n t r-ie s are r equire d t o obt a in cert if ica tes of f r eedo m f ro m ins ects a n d di seases f r om t h is d epa rtm ent. T o m eet th e r eq uir eme nts of th e va rio us stat es a n d fore ig n co unt r ies this d ep a rtm ent in s pect s th e cott on fie lds a nd gin ning fac iliti es of a ll growers r equ esting su ch insp ecti ons . T o avo id du pli cati on , arran g ements ha ve b een mad e w here by insp ections and ce r t if ic ates of th e Geo r g ia Cro p Improvem ent A ssociati on a r e a cc e pte d in a ll cas es ot h er t h a n sh ipmen ts t o f or ei gn co untri es . Insp ect ions by this d ep a rtm ent a re conf in e d t o p,'rowers wh o ar e not m emb ers of th e Cro p Improvement Asso ci ation. During 19 54-55 insp ections w ere m ad e in 5 co u nt ies on 2,70 5 ac res of cotto n .
Imp ort e d F ir e A nt Su rv e y
This ins ect has b ecom e one of th e m ost troubl es om e problem s in several of th e Gulf co ast stat es and is no w kn own
15

t o occ ur in limit ed a r eas in Georgia. In a dd itio n to being a v icious stinger, in infes t ed farm la nd , fi elds and pastures, th eir m ou nd s are so num er ou s a n d large that th ey da mage a n d ot h erw ise interf ere with th e ope rat ion of co mbin es a ri d m owing m ac h ines. In a d ditio n, t h ey severely dam a g e suc h cr o ps as okra , cabbage, co llards, brocco li, potatoes and g ermin a t in g se ed corn. Beca us e of t heir painful sti ng it is alm ost impossibl e t o hire lab or ers t o harvest tru ck cro ps in in f este d fi elds. All kn ow n f ir e a nt m ounds in Georgia h a ve b een t r ea t ed a nd an extensive surv ey is b eing p la nn ed fo r th e su mm er of 1956.
Khapra Beetle Survey
With th e f ind ing of th is ser io us p est of stored gra ins in Ari zon a , Ca lifornia a n d N ew M exic o, a st ate quarant in e was imm ediat el y promulgat ed r estr ict ing t h e ent r y into Geo rgia of m a t er ial s capab le of harbo r ing t his insect. A ch eck of th e sh ip pi ng r ecords fro m infested w a r eh ouses disclosed on ly one location in Geo r gia th at r ecei ved materials ca p ab le of transp ortin g this d estru ctive p est. This war eho us e w a s ch ec k ed th oro ugh ly by t his d epartm ent in coo pe r a tion with t h e E conomic Survey Unit of th e U .S. D .A. No in d icatio n of t h e Kh apra beet"l e w as f ound . With th e passag e of a f edera l kh apra b eetl e q ua r a nt ine th e stat e quara nti n e w as r escin d ed .
Vedalia Beetle Distribution
V ed a lia b eetl es are one of th e m an y ben eficial in sects a nd ar c parti cularly im p or tant as th ey a r e parasitic on the cottony cus h ion sca le . Th e contro l of t h is scale ins ect by t h e use of in secticid es is extr em ely di ffi cult, so th ese parasites are r eared and di stributed as a public s ervic e t o Geo rgia nurserym en an d citi zens on r eq u est. During t his per iod V eda lia b eetles w ere di stribu t ed in 20 co u nties .
Oth er a ctivities includ ed th e in sp ect ion of var ious seeds and pl ants for in sects a n d pl ant dis eases to m eet r eq u ir em ents for sh ip m ent to fo reign co u ntries; in f orm ati on on h ou seh old a n d str uctur a l p est co n tro l ; observatio ns fo r th e presen ce of t h e so ybea n cyst n ematod e ; lectures and d em onstration s t o fa r m a n d civic orga n iza tions ; ed uc atio na l ex hibits at vari ous state a nd co un ty f a irs; a nd fi eld t ri ps as n eed ed on ins ect a n d pl ant dise a se co nt ro l.
JAPANESE BEETLE ERADICATION
Th e J ap an es e beetl e was discov ered in Ne w J ersey in 1916 and w as fi rst pick ed up in Geor gia in 19 36. This in s ect f eeds on ove r 275 di ff erent cro p and or na ment a l plants a n d is a m a j or econom ic pest in a r eas wh ere it has b ecom e est a b lishe d .
16

Th e Japanes e beetle control work in Georgia is anoth er coope r at ive en de a vor b etween th e d epartment a n d th e U . S. D epartment of Agriculture. Because of th e intensive scouting and aggressive contro l actio n, no majo r crop damage has occ urred a nd th e f urth er ent ry a nd distrib utio n of th e insect in Georgia has b een prev ented.
To date this insect is known to occur at th e Municipal Airport in Atlanta, in a small area of north Atlanta , th e Grov e Park sectio n of Atlanta, A uste ll, D ahl on ega and T occoa . T h e infestation at t h e Atlanta a irport is th e most serio us d ue t o ch a nces of f ur t her spread. Thes e insects are notorious h itchhik ers, fr equ entl y being f oun d on baggage, on th e int erior of planes, and eve n on th e passengers. A ll of th e in fested area at th e a irpo rt has n ow bee n so il treated with Di eldrin .
Soi l t r eatm ents in th e in f ested area durin g this p eriod were as fo llows :

Location

Acres t r eat ed

Atlanta Ai rport _ _.._ _.._ 38 1 N or th A tl ant a _ _._ ._.._._.. _ 25

Atlanta , Grove Park .,__.._.

21

T occoa ._ . ._ _._ _.._ _ _ 18

Po unds of In s ecticid es Us ed
11,600 750 650 550

Japan es e b eet le traps were placed in 21 separate locat ions a nd scouting was d on e in approximately 95 co unt ie s. N o n ew infestations w ere found although two b eetl es were pick ed up at t h e Ge n eral Motors P lant in Doravill e. Both of t h es e finds w ere m al es and w ere apparently brought in by a utomobile.
During th e com in g ye a r trapping will be int ensif ied ov er t he state particularly in th e south Georgia area wh ere mor e informat ion is n eed ed , and additiona l soil treatm ents ar e sch ed u led for A ust ell, Toccoa and Dahlonega . Th e ent ire city of Dahlonega is gen erally inf est ed and if f u n ds are availab le th e ent ire city is sch edul ed t o r eceive soil treatments.

REGISTRATION OF ECONOMIC POISONS AND DEVICES
T h is d epartment in coop eration with th e State D ep artment of A gricu lture, enfo rces t he Economi c Poisons A ct of 19 50. During th e fis cal year 3,433 brands of economic poisons w ere r egistered fro m 45 0 compani es . T welve items w ere r eturn ed t o app licants for r evision.

QUARANTINES AGAINST SERIOUS PESTS
Th e d epartm ent pro m ulgates a n d distrib utes quarantines against serio us econo mic insect p ests and plant dis eases which are not fo un d in Ge or gi a, or which hav e n ot becom e gen-
17

era lly dist ribut e d ov er t h e state. State quara ntines now ll1 forc e in Georgia are as fo llows :

1. Phon y P ea ch Disease 2. Sweet P ota t o W eevil 7. White-frin ged Beetl e 8. T ob a cco Etch Mosai c 9. Ca me llia F low er Bli ght 10. Oak W ilt Disease

In addition, r eg ulations are enforced r elativ e to th e ent r y of tomato plants because of lat e blight.

Some of th es e quarantin es are enfor ce d j ointly with th e Agricultural R es earch Service of th e U . S. D epartm ent of Agric ulture . A ll quara ntin es are r evised and bro ught u p to d at e as n eed ed a n d t he n ecessary state a nd f e deral p erso n n el assig n ed to enf or ce t h em.

In ad d itio n t o th ese stat e quaranti nes t h ere ar e certain fed eral quarantines that prot ect t h e agric ultura l and h or t icultura l interests h er e in Georgia . Th ese includ e quarantin es
against :

Japanes e Beetl e P ink Bollworm Go ld en Nematod e White Pine Blister Rust

Kh apra Beetl e Black St em Rust Mexican Fr uit F ly European Chafer

CA MELLIA FLOWER BLIG HT ERAD ICATION
Ca me ll ia F lower Bl ight h as b een appar ently era di cated fro m F ulton Co unty but a da ng er ou s sit uation still exist s in A ugusta. At th e pres ent ti m e th ere are 20 pro perties in A ugusta known to b e infected with this disease. A n intensive survey in 47 counties of th e state fai led to r ev eal th e presence of th e dis ease in any oth er section of th e state. Three n ew infected prop erties w ere found in Augusta but a ll three were in th e presentl y quarantined ar ea . Th e f irst ye a r of th e d epartm ent's er a d icat ion program in A ugusta has been co mp leted . A ll ca me llia pl a nts on infected properti es were d isbu d d ed an d th e soi l un derneath t he plants t r ea ted on fo ur separate occasions with a f ungicid e. T h ese same t reatm en ts will be r ep eated in 1955-56 p lus two a dditio na l so il treat ments.
T h is serio us f ungus disease poses a serious t hreat t o th e nurseries of th e state and to a ll private camellia plantings and eve ry effor t is being mad e to er a dicate this disease f r om the state.
18

CABBAGE PLANT CERTIFICATION
This is a voluntary certification program similar to th e Tomato cer t if icat ion program. During th e 1954-55 season 288 acres of cabbage plants in 5 counties w ere insp ected and certified by the departm ent. As a result of this program approximatel y 86 ,400,000 plants w ere certified and sold both intrastate and interstate. Rules and r egulations are r evised annually and furnish ed to th e industry and to oth ers on r eq uest.
EASTER LILY BULB CERTIFICATION
During th e fiscal year 1954-5 5, 36 applications were r ece ive d for easter lil y bulb certification as compared with 30 for th e prec eding year. Th e rul es and r egulations were r evised and furnish ed to interested growers as r equested . Easter lil y bulb growers had a good y ear in 1954 but th e severe fr eez e of March , 1955 killed most of th e lilies and severely affected t hose not k illed outright. Of the 36 app licants for certification, 19 dropped out du e to crop loss as a r esult of th e fre ez e, 4 of th e remaining grow ers were r ej ected du e to dis ease, and th e remaining 13 were certified.
According to information furnished by th e Agricultural Extension Service th e production of Georgia lily bulbs is an important money crop for farmers and back yard gard en ers. To meet the req uirements of the bulb dealers for insect and dis ease fr ee bu lbs th e department inaugurated th is certification program in 1954.
PUBLICATIONS AND EXHIBITS
The following publications were issu ed during th e year:
Regulations : Package and Que en Bee, Sweet Potato Plant, Nursery, Interstate Movement of Bees, Entry of Tomato P lants into Georgia , Cabbage Plant, Tomato P lant, and Easter Lil y Bu lbs.
Quarantines: Phony P each Disease, Sw eet Potato W eevil , White-fringed Beetl e, and Kh apra Beetle.
Sp ray and Dust Schedules for the Control of In sects and Diseases on: P eaches, App les, Grapes, To matoes, Cabbage, Easter Li ly Bulbs, Ornamentals and Cotton Insects.
Control Circu.lars on : Blister b eetles, Boxwood leaf miner, Dogwood petal blight, Elm leaf beetl e, Tent caterpillars, Clover mites.
In addition, sweet potato seed treatments, lists of n urserymen, beek eepers, tomato, sweet potato and cabbage pla nt
19

grow ers were pr ep ared a nd dist r ibute d. Depart m ent f ilms in co lor (1 6 mm) are availa ble on loan on the fo llowi ng sub j ects: Queen a nd Package Be e Prod uction, White-f ri nged Beetle, Sweet Potato W eevil, Ben eficial P ar a sit es, and a com m emorative fi lm on Professional Ento mo logy . Ed ucational exh ibits illustrating th e activiti es of th e departm ent w ere prepared and shown at th e fo llowing fairs : Atlanta , Macon, Savannah and Augusta . In addition an ex h ibit is maintain ed in th e State mus eum at th e State Ca pit ol.
EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT FUND AND TRANSFERS During t h e fisca l year, th er e was withh eld a nd r em itted to t h e prop el' agenc ies, th e fo llowing amo unts: F ed eral incom e tax, $8,8 11 .20; Emplo yee's R eti r em en t F und, $7,41 7.63, a nd gro up insura nce $1,086.50 . I n addition , f unds w er e t r ansf'erred to ot h er depa rtm en t s as fo llows : Min es, Mi ni ng a nd Geo logy fo r pro-r at a care of t h e St at e Mus eum, $450 .00 ; t o t he Merit System of Perso nn el A dm inis trat ion for pro-rata share of ex pe nses, $37 7 .22 .
20

INCOME AND DISBURSEMENTS

Th e sta tement of income and dis bur se m ents of th e d epartm ent fo r th e fiscal ye ar July 1, 19 54 to Jun e 30, 19 55 fo llo ws; also t he ex pe n dit ures mad e b y th e F ed eral Government on th e coo pe r a t ive proj ects with th e cl epartm ent.

F r om ca sh on hand

$ 12 ,496.6G

From f ees collec te d

.________________ _______________ ____ _____ 20 ,787 .60}

Chec ks f r om State Trea surer

. 165,766.13

Total

._.

$199,050.43

E XP E N SE OF TH E P RO JECTS

Whi t e-f r inged Beetl e Eradication Sweet P otato Weevil Erad ica t ion T omat o Plant Ce rtificat ion Atlanta Office .

Sweet P otato Pl ant Certif ica ti on . Bee In spection & Cer t if ica ti on . Empl oyees Retirement Sy stem __.

Nurse ry Insp ection & Certif ica t ion . Tifton La bora t ory
Fru it P est La bor at or y

Phon y Peac h Con t 1'01 .

.

J apan ese Beetle E r a dica ti on

Camellia F low er Bli ght Era d ication Cabbage Pla nt Ce r t if ica t ion . Ge ne r a I Pest Con t 1'01 .

E a ster Li ly Bulb Certification

State $ 42 ,60 1.49 . _ 24, 550 .64 _ 23 ,200.38 _ 17 ,15 3.40 _ 14 ,882.89 _ 12 ,648 .94 _ 7,417.63 _ 7,0 97 .56 .__ 6,174.01 _ 5,732.01
_ 4,977.09 _ 4,95 1.07 _ 3,83 4.82 _ 1,449.01 _ 1,447.38 _ 778.86

T ota L

$l 78 ,897 .18

Tran sfers to ot her dep artments ._____________________ - 827.22 Sa le of lawn mower . ._______ ________________________ ____ - 30 .00

F e d e r al $141,743 .00
44,80 0.00
23,125. 00 7 ,50 0 .0 0 2,500.00
$2 19 ,668 .00

T ot al State E xpenditures

. $178, 039. 9G

T otal Sta t e a nd F ederal Expenditures

Ca sh on hand __. .

. .$20,183.25

$39 7, 707.96

E x pend it ur es by t he F ederal Governmen t on t he coope rative proje ct s in th e sta te we r e pa id directly fro m t he ir own d isbursing off ice .

T he pa yment s by t he State Departm en t of En t om ology on t he various proj ect s were a s f ollow s :

Pe rsori a I Services

$105,80 7.04

T r a vel

.

._________ 31,755 .47

S u pp lies & Material s ________________________________________________ __ ______ ___ __ 27,2 20.13

Communicat ions

1 ,66G.4 7

H eat , Light, P ower, Water ____________________________________________________ 317.58

Print ing

1,G42.07

Re pa i r s __. .__________ __________________________________________________ _______ _________

5 8. 60

I nsu ra nee & Bond in g

1 2 6.71

Employees Retir em en t Fund ._________________________________________________ 7,417 .63

Eq uipm ent

._________________ __ ____ ____________________________ _____________________ 1,905 .71

i\Iisce II a neou s

._______________ 122 .55

T ot a l .

..

._ $178,039.96

21

\llf~:lfliS'~I~ll~1~~~~11~li~~lfll l
3 2108 05732 5675