The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-19
THE SAN JOSE SCALE.
Which May Raise the EN-
barge on Our Dried Fruits in Foreign
Markets.

Washington, NOV. 18.-The Agricultur.
al Department has just completed series
of experiments which prove the falsity Of
the claims made by several European
| Governments upon which Anne rlcar fruits
have been excluded from their markets.
The export of American fruits is very ex.
tensive and has suffered great loss
through the uncalled-for restrictions i'm.
| posed by various DEGREES which have a;
one time or another shut out our fruits
from foreign markets. The last expert
ment, which was witnessed by an expert
OF the German Government, was conduct
ed for the purpose ofdctermining whether
the san Jose scale. found in pears, apples
and peaches in various parts of the coun-
try, could survive the process of drying
fruits. That it does not survive is ahund-
antly proven.
The effort to shut our fruits out of Eur
lopsan markets began with Germany in
February of this year, when that Govern
ment prohibited all plants, fruits, dried
fruits. parts of plants and even the boxes
and packing in which they were shipped,
on account of the alleged presence of the
San Jose scale. Subsequently fruits were
relieved from the embargo, subject to an
inspection by experts of the Government at
the port of entry. 1t was claimed by the
German Governments that the scale got
into the native fruit trees and infected
and killed them. The scale, when it at
tacks trees, will kill them, but no case
has ever been discovered Of scales from
fruit finding their way to the trees.
This German decree was followed by q
similar ore On the part of Austria Hun
gary and Canada, but dried fruits were
not included. Other European Govern
ments. Great Britain. Sweden, Holland
and France, took the matter under adj
viseinent, but as yet have taken no ac-
ton. Switzerland, however, late this
summer adopted substantially the origi-
nal German decree and shut out all of
our dried fruits. Exporters OF this
product Immediately appealed to the
called uponSth3 A Agricultural Department..
Representations were made to the Swiss
Government OF character deemed
sufficient to cause revocation of the de-
cree, but no action having been taken,
the chief entomologist of tho department.
conducted the experiments referred to.
The experiments of the Department of
Agriculture have extended over period
of several weeks and have been most
minute and careful in the attainment of
results. Large lots of peaches, pears and
apples infected with the scale have been
tested by all known methods of CONNER
cial drying, by sun drying, by evapora-
ton, by the use of sulphur and without,
with the result that each Of these process
ses destroys the life of the scale. 1t may
be stated here that the scale causes D
very small dark spot on the, fruit, grow
ing in size as the scale multiplies. 1t is,
however, perfectly harmless when taken
into the human stomach and does not de-
stroy the flavor of the fruit.
In the experiments made each scale was
carefully watched for several weeks, and
after the frnit bad been dried each and
every scale on every piece in the entire
lot was examined by the aid Of powerful
microscopes, In no instance had the
scale survived the process of drying, thus
proving conclusively that dried fruits
could not possibly propagate the scale.
Tho German expert who came over espec-
tally to Investigate this subject took
samples of The work and witnessed the
experiments while they were being con-
Quoted. Although he was, naturally,
non-committal, he appeared to be con-
WINGED that the conclusions of the Govern
meut were correct. The result OF these
experiments are now being complied,
and al soon as they are transmitted to
the Swiss Government it is confidently
believed the obnoxious decree will be
revoked.