Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-02-03
PESTS N FRUIT rREEs.



The Californians complain Of the
persistent effort Of agents Of eastern
tree nurseries TO force their insect
infected trees into California
chiefly for the purpose of introduc-
ing insect pests which will destroy
the pears, plums, peaches, cherries.
apricots, oranges, lemons and other
fruits in order TO kiln off California
competition with Eastern fruit
growers. Now that Idaho fruit il
in demand in the east these unprin-
cipled fellows will surely adopt the
same means to injure our fruit and
1t behOores Idaho fruit growers TO
keep their eyes open.
A State quarantine officer writes
thus to a leading San Francisco
paper:
"For five years the Board of Hor-
ticulture and the county boards
have been warning on eastern nur-
serymen's rings. Two years ago
the board attempted to destroy over
10000 disease-infected trees in Santa
Clara county that had been brought
from the East. A long fight in the
courts ensued and the board won.
and the trees were destroyed. 1t
was then thought that the ring had
been broken. Recently, however,
the nefarious conspiracy has been
renewed.
ave have opposed this eastern
ring for five years. All disease
infected trees have come from the
east, and the ring ia composed Of
influential eastern orchardists and
their army of California agents.
We have never objected to the i'm
portation Of good, clean nursery
stock.
The ring first commenced to be
active five years ago. Agents came
here and sold fruit stock so much
cheaper than local nurserymen
could then afford to that thousands
of pear and peach trees were bought.
The agents attempted to import a
lot Of peach trees infected with vel
lows. The yellow is one of the most
dangerous tree diseases known-all
the more 10 be feared because it
can not be detected until it has fully
developed.
Another eastern pest is the peach
root borer. The insect bores into
the roots of the tree and kills it,
There is no remedy for it aside from
the absolute destruction of the or
chards where it fourishes.
The BLACK aphis" is another
eastern fruit pest. 1t is even more
destructive than the yellows. 1t has
been known to kill 100000 trees in
three weeks.
| have mentioned these pests par
ticularly to show how criminal the
attitude of the eastern nursery ring
is. The introduction of one of these
three pests in California would an
initiate orchards by the hundred.
And yet the ring, acting through its
agents, has been making shipment
after shipment. As fast as the trees
came in they have been seized and
destroyed. We have been served
with injunctions and threatened
with all sorts of damage suits, but
relying upon the State law we have
kept right on with the work.
The aggregate results of this cru
SADIE carried on by the State Board
and the County Commissioners have
never been published; but it is safe
to say that over 100000 trees have
been destroyed. In the last three
wears the number has been about
4S0, 900.
The fact is, California more than
any other part of the world has
been flooded with diseased trees Of
all kinds, and the commerce has
been encouraged and abetted by
local agents of eastern and foreign
nurseries.
Shipments have come to Califor-
MIA from the East. Japan, China,
South America, Tahiti, and the
South Sea Islands, and continental
countries.
The siege of pests has actually
approached the ridiculous in its va
riety. Last year we seized five
flying foxes. They came from the
South Seas, ostensibly to be kept as
pets. But if ever they got loose our
California orchards would grow
mortgages more than anything else.
Tie flying fox belongs to the bat
family. 1t has been frightfully de-
structive to the fruit interests of
Australia. During the night these
animals swarm in the fruit trees.
They have resisted all efforts to ex-
terminate them. They have been
dynamited, shot, and poisoned, but
they are so numerous in Australia
that it is estimated 1900 of them
have lowered in and about a single
tree.
Fortunately none of these pests
have become established in Califor-
mia. Woe to our fruit interests II
they should ever get here"