Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-01-27
PEACH YELLows AGAIN.
To the Editor of the Spy;


pear to be the fact. 1t will be remem- |
bered that at the annual meeting Of the |
Massachusetts, Fruit Growers Assocla- |
ton, last winter, there was q wide diff I
ference of opinion between the presid- /
ing officer at the meeting and the mem |
bers of the association, as to the right |
of the members TO discuss and vote
upon questions which he, the presiding
officer, did not wish voted upon.
The question which formed the sub
ject Of the essay was Does the cultiva-
ton Of the peach in this state depend
upon the control of peach yell6ws by
legislation"
The essayist was Mr.. Arthur NJ. Glenn
ent of Boston, the promoter of the peach
yellows bill then before +he house and
in the hands Of the committee. The
president Of the association and some
of the other officers, NOTABLY those
who were members of the Massachu-
sets board of agriculture, were in favor
Of the bill. The conference committee
on agriculture, which had the bill in
charge delayed their report to a SEEM
ingly uncalled for degree, till it was
generally understood that they were
waiting for the action OF the Massachu-
sets Association.
The subject was direct question as
to the need of peach yellows law. Mr..
Clement the promoter, had come there
to ask It, He would have liked an af-
frmative answer, Had the sentiment
favored it, there is no doubt but that
the matter would have been put to vote
by the advocates Of the bill, and Mr..
Clement would have gone back with
what he came for. OF course the next
best thing to an affirmative answer was
no answer at all, and this was what the
president and those who sympathized
with him determined he should have.
To secure this, after allowing a few
OF our home growers to speak upon the
question, the president called upon
Commissioner Hubbard and others from
Connecticut, who occupied the time till
past the hour for adjournment, which
prevented any action being taken by
the meeting at the morning session. At
the close Of the morning session Mr.,
Clement fastened back to Boston with
the next best thing" and that very af-
ternoon, before the meeting at Worces-
ter had voted on the question, the COM
mittee had reported the bill with a 90
cal option" clause
The peach growers who were in at
tendance at the meeting, recognized
that to let the matter go by without an
expression on their part, was nearly
equivalent to an endorsement, and thew
We're determined that the matter should
be brought to a vote, and the question
OF the essay answered.
The circumstances of the arbitrary
ruling OF the chair refusing to admit
the matter to a vote, for the reason sta
ted, that 1t was not their intention in
introducing the question to have IT
voted upon and the final pressing the
question to a vote, resulting in a count
OF 20 to in opposition to the bill, is
Wen known, and need not be recounted
mere, Neither would it be necessary or
desirable to bring the matter up at this
time, put for the fact that the same old
question of peach yellows'' has come
up again,-now for the third time,-and
the incidents likely to transpire are in
tlmately related to those Of last year
ana to the Massachusetts Association
@he peach growers naturally look To
tnelr fruit growers ACKNOWLEDGMENT
tHey know IS opposed to a peach yellow
laW-to assist them in defeating it In
unls they are met by the president of
| the association, Mr.. George Cr7likshanlSs
OF f1tchburg, vino says he will ''use an
tne means in his power to prevent a
discussion OF the peach yellow question
| IN the Massachusetts Fruit Growers
Association meetings"
| II we were disposed to get in to .
quarrel with the respected president d
the Massachusetts association and liz
ooadJutors In this matter, we might ash
the question: What is a joint growers
association for, anyway" But we dc
not propose to do anything Of the kind
There is an easier and a straighter way
| out of the difficulty, and the peach
growers have decided to take it.
| II will be seen by reference to your
advertising columns. that the peach
and plum growers propose to organize
an association of their own. It will be
| an organization in which all matters
and questions touching the growth and
| sale Of the fruits win receive the fullest
and freest investigations.
TO persons willing to accept lqnowl-
edge and truth from whatever source.
much has been learned in regard to this
so-called disease" during the past
year
The fund Of fact contributed by scien-
tific investigation In regard to the mat
ter, is small, and may be stated in a
Few WORDS 1t Is as follows:
IL is not contagious by contact and
cannot spread from tree to tree or from
orchard to orchard. The fruit is not
injurious or unhealthy as food, though
often poor and unfit in flavor to eat.
1t can be transferred by budding, OF
what the professors call bud moccula-
ton; and this Is the only way that 1t
can be spread.
It is quite apparent to any thoughtful
person that self-interest is the greatest
safeguard against its being spread In
this way.
1t is quite significant that in every eff
fort to secure the passage of this bill,
the advocates of It have been fruit com
mission men and nunSerymen from out
side the state, 1t Is also interesting, as
well as significant, that the Connecticut
legislature has repealed the law in that
state and RENTED all the fines imposed
under it. Peach growing is an interest
ing though somewhat precarious bust
ness in Massachusetts, from the vari-
able temper of the weather. We have
had, and are likely to have again, long
periods Of comparative immunity from
peach yellows." Again, we have peri
DDS Of several years duration when it
is prevalent. A careful student of mete-
geological conditions can predict these
periods Of immunity and prevalence
with tolerable degree of accuracy. AS
a matter of fact. the disease" never
occurs in warm climates where hard
lngs Of antagonistio or unfriendliness to
the old society that the new society will
be formed. We have known that there
are many earnest sympathiZers in the
old association, and while we do not ask
or expect them to give UP their asso-
citation or interest IN the old society, it
Is hoped that every peach grower will
be present at the meeting at Union Hall,
South Framingham, next Friday, the
2Sth Instant, at 10 o'clock.
w. H. Johnson.
NEWRTJRY WHIST. CLUE.