The morning call., 1891-12-23
VIGOROUS MEASURES.

The Horticultural Commissioners OF San
Bernardino County have announced that
all deciduous nursery stock grown east OF
the Rocky Mountains and brought into that
county will be destroyed. The Commits
sioners of Santa Clara County are also
adopting vigorous measures to exclude sus-
picious nursery stock from that county
and are urging upon the orchardists the
necessity for exercising extreme caution in
their selection of frutstocks.
Strange as it may seem, there are growers
who protest against this vigilance on the
part of the Commissioners, and, If allowed,
would actually introduce into their orchards
trees that they know to have come from
sections where disease has ravaged whole
orchards. 1t is but Just to these people to
presume they are not alive to the dangers of
the situation, just as, when contagious or in
fictitious disease attacks community there
are always those wao refuse to be warned
and to adopt pr0phylactie measures. Such
persons, however. in the one case as in the
other should have impressed upon them
the fact that their individual willingness to
assume risks will not be allowed to impose
similar risks upon others. In the matter of
our orchards a very serious danger menaces
us from the importation, Willingly or I'M
We have already had some sharp foretastes
of this danger. Every disease or pest that
has SO far appeared in our orchards and
vineyards has come to us through imported
stock. Oar experience with the Goblin moth
should teach us Il valuable lesson.
1t is not enough for one or two counties
to take action in this matter. The Com
missioners of every county in the State
should institute vigorous measures of de-
Tense against this impending danger, and
should receive hearty support instead of
opposition. from the over-wise Orchardists
who now employ their spare time in writ
ing quasiSarcaStic letters on "orchard
cranks" TO their township papers The
township papers themselves should be fully
alive to the importance Of supporting this
movement, and even at the risk of seeming
to harp too long upon single string should
not hesitate to keep it before the people
during this planting season.
Despite all efforts of this sort, however
there is one class offarmers and orchardists,
and, in some sections Of the State large
class, whose methods are constant source
of danger to their neighbors. These are
the English-speaking foreigners who
have settled among us, and who, while they
are for the most part industrious, hard
working citizens according to their light.
are. by reason Of their ignorance Of the
language, debarred from acquiring
knowledge Of the sources of danger to their
own and their neighbors' interests, and,
with every good intention, they are con-
slant menace to the orchards of q whole
section. Unaware Of the risks they run,
they can often be persuaded into pur-
chasing Eastern stock on economic grounds,
aud here the vigilance of County Commits
sioners is severely taxed, and their au-
thority should be fully exercised. 1t might
be of great assistance to this class were the
State Horticultural Society to publish
pamphlets in their language, treating upon
orchard diseases and pests, and their rene
dies. We do not know whether this has
been done. They can also be helped
through their children, in the public
schools, and for this reason the course on
entomology, recently established in the
country schools, and which at the time az
forded so much amusement to some of the
city. papers in the State, has been produc
tiye6f much good. Country school-teachers
who number many foreigners among their
pupils should inform themselves upon these
matters OF Importance to the agricultural
interests of the State, and through these
pupils aid in disseminating a knowledge of
ha