Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-12-25
Returnirg the Boxes.


One of the most common modes Of dissem.
mating the codling moth is undoubtedly the
returning of boxes in which apples and pears
are shipped to market. The producer of the
fruit picks, packs and ships it to market in a
box. The wholesale merchant whobuys itsells
it to the retail dealer, requiring that when the
box is emptied it shall be returned. When
the wholesale merchant receives the empty
box according to agreement, he ships it to
the producer. As rule the freighting COM
panies return these empty boxes free, and the
producer thus saves his box. Perhaps he will
use it again Immediately, and perhaps he will
not use it again during the season, and
will store it away under his packing shed for
use the next season. Whatever may become
of the box, if the fruit that went TO market
in it had any worms or larya of the cod.ing
moth il it, some Of these worms have very
likely crawled out of that fruit and built
their nests or cocooDs in the corners or crew
ices of the box. Wherever this box may
be, when this cocoon is ready to hatch there
will be codiing moth. In this way
these pests of the peach and pear are being
constantly perpetuated and spread over the
country, and this perpetuation and distribu-
ton will be continued until there is some
mode adopted of stopping it. What shall
this mode be, and who shall see that it is
adopted? Ii it be left to any one of those
who handle the boxes-the fruit-producer,
the wholesale or retail dealer-to determine
what ought to be done in the premises or who
shall do it, common experience teaches us
that nothing at all will be done, and this eff
cacious process of perpetuating the worms
viii be continued. The retail dealer will
very likely say to himself, Il have no inter-
est in destroying the worms in the old boxes.
l have sold the fruit from them and got my
pay and my profits ; why should l care
whether the worms are killed or permitted to
live? l have no fruit trees they can get
on to or fruit they can get into" The whole
sale dealer will say the same thing and with
equal propriety. But have neither of these
dealers any interest in destroying these
worms and thus protecting the fruit of their
customer? If the fruit of the country is
and profits of the fruit-dealers, either
by wholesale OF retail We might follow
the interest in this question even further, to
the consumer-and this brings in everybody
for all are consumers of fruit and every
body is interested in destroying the enemies
of that fruit 1t makes but little difference
who destroys the worms so that it is done.
Probably the best way of preventing the re-
turn of the codling moth-wo in boxes, as
above described, would be to scald them or
TO give them a good fumigation with burning
sulphur. As the wholesale merchant handles
more fruit-boxes than the retailer or any one
producer, perhaps he may be the proper per-
son to make responsible for the publication
of the boxes before they are reshipped to
their owners. The enforcement of this puri-
fication can only be insured by law that can
be enforced, and perhaps the wholesale dealer
can be reached more easily than can be the
retail dealer or purchaser, because there are
less Of them and they are in a position where
properly appointed inspectors can easily
visit them. Some fruit growers have
already adopted the practice of sealding
all boxes returned to them, ard more particu-
larry of scalding all their old fruit boxes be-
fore putting them away in the fall. If all
would 90 this it would soon be of general
advantage; but if one only in neighbor-
hood does it, but little will be gained by it.
One of the great needs OF fruit-growsrs is
that there shall be some effective law passed
by which not only the codlisg moth, but the
scale insects, may be exterminated from all
the orchards, and in default of this, that the
orchards shall be exterminated.