Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-24
INFESTED FRUIT TREES.
John Scott Makes q Statement
About the Matter.
Trees Having Eastern Pests Cannot
be Disinfected.
The Testimony OF Expert witnesses as
to the 1mpossibility of Disinfec-
tion-A Full Statement OF
the Evidence Given.

Mr.. John Scott, horticultural commits
sioner OF this county, has addressed a
communication under date of the Esd
instant, to the HERALD which, is of gen.
eral interest. 1t is as follows:
On my return yesterday from Ante
lope valley, whittier I had gone to in
spect the Durant trees which are sought
to be condemned because of the presence
upon them Of the black aphis and east
ern peach borer, was shown an item
appearing in your paper OF the 21st inst,
in which it ia stated that according to
the testimony taken in the case, it has
been shown that the insect pests on
those trees can be eradicated by proper
treatment; also, that in view of that
fact, the order of the court with regard
to the infested trees has been modified
so as to permit the planting OF the trees
at Lancaster, etc.
l deem it my duty as horticultural
commissioner of this county to disabuse
the minds of your readers who may have
concluded by reading this article that
such infested trees can be disinfected.
also desire to correct the statement
that the order of the court was modified
go as to permit the infested trees to be
planted. The testimony OF several wit.
nesses taken on the order to show cause
why an injunction should not issue
pending the suit, did not show that the
trees could be disinfected by any pro-
cess. The principal witnesses upon the
question OF disinfecting the trees were
Alexander Craw, quarantine officer OF
the state board OF horticulture, and
Prof Coquillett, entomologist under an
% l4 T,,.t Gto~
ernment.
Mr.. Craw testified that the best
remedies that have been recommended
for the destruction of the black aphis
are claimed to kill so per cent of them,
and that he did not consider it practi-
cable to attempt to disinfect those trees
and plant them, in so far as the black
aphis was concerned. He also testified
that the black aphis is species OF in
sect not found in this state that it is
very destructive, and that if he were to
inspect trees some of which were known
to be injected with black aphis. that as
to the trees on which, after the most
careful inspection, he could find no
black aphis, he would not be satisfied
to plant them, because the risk would
be too great. Mr.. Craw also testified
that the eastern peach borer, with
which those trees are infested. could
only be destroyed by cutting them out
with knife. He said they could not be
reached by immersion, because the in
sect is under the bark and covered up
with gum: that it is easily detected by
the gum which exudes from the tree,
except when the insect is small, at
which time it is very difficult to detect.
He said that the remedy usually pres
cribed for the borer was taking the trees
out and destroying them.
The testimony eff Professor Coquillett
was even stronger against the trees in
question than that OF Mr.. Craw. On
the other hand, on the part of the de-
fense, the strongest evidence introduced
was kilograms received from entomol-
ogists in the east, some of which eX.
pressed belief that the insects could
be destroyed by certain remedies speci-
fed; but no one expressed positive
opinion that the insects could be de-
stroyed. These kilograms generally
suggested remedy as an experiment in
endeavoring to destroy the insects, ap-
parently on the assumption that the
insects were present with us, and that
the question with which we were deal
ing was, not to prevent the insects from
oUbdluluS d lOuSIucAt III tulS StdtS, Dut,
having obtained that lodgment, how to
eradicate them.
The order of the court previously
made enjoining the defendants from re-
moving the trees, was modified by con-
sent of counsel on both sides, so that
the trees might be planted. in nursery
form, not contiguous to any other Or
chards.
Owing to the fact that the evidence
shows the eastern borer and the black
aphis to be exceedingly destructive to
peach trees and to all trees grated or
budded ON peach roots, desire that the
public mind shall not be deceived in re-
gard to the real facts of this case. As
an instance of the destructiveness OF
the black aphis on peach trees, it was
shown that in one nursery in the east
100000 trees were destroyed by this in
sect in less than three weeks. 1t was
also shown that the progeny of one in.
sect numbered billions in one year.