Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-10

State Board of Horticulture and its Work
in the Past

otdlC DUcIQ VI dAu lbo WOih
in the Past
At the quarterly meeting of the State
Board of Horticulture, held June 29th,
President Dwinelle made the following ad.
dress
1t seems fitting at this time to look Sack |
few months and see what has been &C.
complished in the matter OF horticultural
quarantine against the spread Of pests |
injurious to fruit and fruit trees, and to |
consider the present state of affairs and |
see what is needed in the future. I am
happy to say that leading nurserymen have |
maintained their high standing by adopt
ing willingly the rules commended in re-
gard to disinfection Of trees and other |
plants sold.
San Jose will soon be noted for the
health and clean condition of its nurseries,
which some time ago had such an unenvia-
BILE reputation. No one can now plead ig-
norance of the law nor of the existence OF
insect pests. Any enc selling infested
nursery stock in ignorance is, to say the
| least, criminally careless. When he does
it knowingly he is a swindler of the worst
description, who not only defrauds his GUS
toner of his money, but also BOWS the
seeds of destruction in his orchard
| Against such men should be
be brought to bear all OF the resources of
the law. Even if the Acts of March 4th
and 18th, 1881, be declared unconstitu-
tional, or swept away, there are, fortu-
nately, still statutes under which one can
punish those who take his money and in
return give that which is worse than value.
less The traffic in infested fruit has also
| been checked to q notable degree, but
| there is still too much of it that is exposed
| for sale which is neither creditab}e to the
grower nor profitable to the consumer.
| Tho Board of Health would do well to
| turn their attention to this matter. Does
any one cry ont that am hurting his bust
ness by these statements I reply that it
must be a bad business that depends for
profits on the sale of trees infested with
scale bugs, apples and pears riddled by
worms, or plums and currants coated with
bark-lice. Any honest man can clear his
reputation by inviting an impartial exami-
nation of his commodities, and their mode
of treatment, by competent and unpreju.
diced persons of known high character.
IMPORTING PESTS.
For several years 1 have been warning
|
| pests from abroad with nursery stock, seeds
or other tranportable material. | am
pleased to know that this warning, coupled
with that of others, has had some effect
| Our Chief horticultural Officer has several
times been called upon by consignees or
their neighoors to inspect trees arriving
from the East This is WE'LL but such in
spection should be made universal We
| know of at least one car load of peach trees
that were imported from q noted peach
growing region of the Atlantic coast, noted
alike for its fine fruit and the insects which
prev upon it, which seems to have escaped
inspection. 1t is to be hoped that the i'm.
porter and his customers may not have an
experience similar to that of the Spanish,
who are reported to have eluded the
quarantine officers in importing vines
from France SO successfully as to introduce
phylloxera in their before-favored country.
| do know that last spring | received
letter from gentleman residing in Will
mington, Del, asking how he could fight the
curcuiio in his peach orchards. He stated
that his loss in fruit last season, through
the ravages of that insect, was $50, 900,
and that my answer would be of interest
to the owners OF 10000 900 peach trees.
The curculos infesting fruit might be i'm
ported by the dozen, and pass under the
eye of anyone not trained to look for them,
without being perceived. They are small
gray beetles about the size OF a grain of
wheat, which, if alarmed, simulate death,
and are easily mistaken for bit of dry
earth. There is one for the plum, apricot,
peach and nectarine, another the apple,
and so on. l cannot say whether they
now exist in this State, but can assert most
emphatically that their general dissemina-
ton would be calamity which in its pecuni
ary effects could be measured by nothing
short of millions. l have raised in West
ern New York as fine crops of apricots and
plums as ever grew, while my neighbors
hardly knew these fruits, excepting in a
worm. eaten state. The labor and expense
involved in so doing were, however, such
as no California orchardist would volun-
tarily add to his present burdens.
woRMY PEACHES AND APRIcoTs.
Some growers OF stone fruits, whose
knowledge of insect ravages has been
mainly limited to those of the codling
MOTH have objected to quarantine on the
ground that their fruit needed no protec.
ton. All such show their Ignorance of the
business, and of the myriad of pests which
threaten it. They cannot have seen the
various scale insects (coccidal) which not
only render those fruits unfit for food, but
also kill the trees themselves, root and
branch This spring found small brown
speckled larva attacking the young shoots
Of the apricot at Berkeley. 1t is about as
as long as, but more slender, than the
larva Of the codling moth, and entering
the Young shoot near the tip, it hollows it
out downward, causing it to wither and
turn black. From one OF these l bred
dark -colored moth, but have not yet de-
tcrmined its species. | am told that the
same pest has appeared in the interior and
has done considerable damage, particularly
} where it has attacked newly budded stocks
Ca the 9th of this month (June) | bought
peach in Oakland which contained q
larva closely resembling that of the codling
moth Subsequent investigations among
the commission houses OF San Francisco
showed that the new enemy had made an
attack in force. In some lots of peaches the
majority contained these worms. Its pre-
sence is usually indicated by the brown
! castings which it throws out from small
!, hole, which may be next the stem or at
any other part of the fruit. In its early
stages it is white, with black head and six
, black feet. Later the body becomes of a
! smoky hue 1t will probably prove to be
! a close relative to the codling moth. II
, it has second and third generation this
3 season, what are the Gamers to do fol-
r choice late peaches The cherries and
. apricots have also been attacked in places
: by caterpillars, which ruin their market
,, value.
= All of these pests are brought to oui
a city markets 10 greater or less quantities
t with fruit and its packages. What are we
= to think of the judgement of orchard
owners who wish to have their PACKAGE
i returned from such pest-house without
$ disinfection ! predict that in the moi
1 distant future men now opposed to horti
, cultural quarantine will look back witr
!, amazsment at their present position. Let
= us hope that it may not then be too late t.
r save their property from destruction
8 Professor J. Henry Comstock says in the
:. United States Agricultural Report for 1880
y 1.-The system Of exchange OF fruit boxe
n which is practiced in some markets, nota
e bly, in San Francisco is a very dangerou
l. one and, in any case, when boxe
;. are sent to market where fruit from IN
6 fected orchards is received they should b.
u u scalded on their return" This precautiol
- will tend to check the spread of the Goblin
4 moth and other pests, as well as scale IN
J. sects." Professor C. v. Riley gives simila
d advice as to apple barrels in Missouri.
n We are pleased to know that many o
our California orchardists have given order
h TO have all of their packages scalded befer
g leaving San Francisco. They are me