The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1895-08-16

Several shipments of early Califor-
MIA apples, coming through commits
sion firms of Tacoma and Seattle,
have been on our local market lately,
that were affected with San Jose scale,
which is considered the arch enemy
of our orchards. It works on the bark
of the trunk and limbs of the tree and
also the leaves and fruit. 1t is claim
ed this pest affects all deciduous trees
and has also been found on some spe-
cies of evergreens. The affected fruit
is covered with bright red spots and,
when badly affected dries up and
cracks open. Specimens of this pest
as it appeared on the apples here we're
examined with a magnifying glass and
found to be dead. The fruit was pro-
badly fumigated before being sent out,
but this does not necessarily preclude
the danger of the scale being dissent
mated here. Indeed the danger is
very great, as it is rarely the case that
all the germs are killed by fumigation.
Our new horticultural law imposes a
fine Of from $25 to 5000, against any
one shipping this pest into this state.
or offering for sale fruit affected by it..
While those specimens examined were
dead, it may have been and is indeed
quite probable, that others were alive
and therefore it can be seen to be
dangerous business to bring fruit thus
affected.
Should the Feelings be thrown out
on ones premises the germs, if alive
would surely go onto the trees and
thus, this worst of all orchard enc
mics, would be, unconsciously, intro
duced into the orchard.
Dealers receiving infested fruit
should return it to the shipper al
once and also enter complaint against
the commission firm handling it. This
is the law and it is also the way to
keep the pest out of our orchards
Gan ounce of prevention is worth {
pound OF cure" Just as long as W.
will continue to accept such Califor
MIA trash they will continue to ship i
in. They don't care straw as tt
whether the fruit is clean or not Sc
long as they get the money out of it
Such pests as the woolly aphis, greer
aphis, tingis, slugs, borers, codlir
moth, oyster shell scale and man.
other injurious insect pests are gettin!
fairly we'll established in this count,
and it stands our Orchardists in hanC
to take hold of this matter systemati
cally and stamp them out, at least, 81
far as it is Possible. If any party re
; fuses to spray, where his trees are in
tested, report him to the district in
spector, c. H. Ross, of Puyallup, who
will Immediately compel the party t.
clean his trees. The new law autho
rizes district inspectors to appoin
a deputy in each county in his dis
r trict, whose duty it is to force orchar
dists to spray infested trees; to Sc
that no infested fruit is exposed TO
sale ON the market and to see that on
horticultural laws are enforce,
throughout the county. From wha
we can learn our hor ticultural law
9 are today, practically, a dead-letter il
8 this county and we are of opinion tina
it is 80, generally speaking, through
!, out Western Washington. 1t is YER
, poor encouragement for one to spra
l and try to keep his trees clean whel
' his neighbor refuses to do likewise.
Our legislature appropriated severa
thousand dollars to be expended TO
: horticultural purposes and Masol
t County ought to get her share of tn
D benefits to be derived from its expen
: Giture. We ought to have local in
r spector to visit our orchards and poin
: out to the growers the various insec
e pests and fungi which are abundan
e almost everywhere, and explain tn
: necessity of and benefits to be deriv
e ed from judicious cultivating, prun
: ing and spraying. But very few OF
: chardists know how to prune a tire
r properly, and an Inspector who can
: not get into tree and prune it pro
h perly ought to have his commission
# revoked Theory is one thing bu
practical horticulture quite another
i 1t seems as though now is the mos
d important season of the year for in
e spectOrs to get out and attend to thei
II duty as the law directs. Three Q
n four days spent among our orchard
n now by an inspector would be of NOR
J. practical benefit to fruit growers thar
r two weeks work next winter c..
r.