The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-11
Believes shipnents Of Nursssy
stock Genesally Have Heen In.
fectsa with Pests 20 an Extent
Justifying All Condemnation.

ger that threatens the nOfticuitutistS
Of the state. In an interview he said;
I'm the interview in the Post-Inteili-
gencer, purporting to come from Mr..
Baker, he makes light OF the amount Of
infected fruit and fruit trees shipped into
this state during the present season. The
criticism will have misleading effect
on the public mind. 1t matters not
whether fruit trees have been shipped
into this state by the car load. or In less
quantities, found infected with fruit pests
and destroyed by the county inspectors.
The question TO be solved IL whether the
general shipments were or were not in
fected with pests TO such an extent as
to legally Justify the inspectors In caus-
ing them to be destroyed.
II can speak for myself, but not for
another, and by so doing may be able to
throw some light on my acts by which
the public may be able 10 render true
verdict. Therefore I cheerrully submit
d list Of shipments. and an near as possi-
BILE their true condition:
sdme Infected Shipments. !.
.'The first shipment came to my notice
at the Puget Sound Nursery Company's
yard Neither Mr.. Baker nor any other
person gave me any information OF this
shipment being In transit. The trees
were largely shade and ornamental.
am still unable to find their defects. This
shipment was from the Pacific Nursery
Company. Tangent, Or.
."The next was to the same company,
being a shipment from the Oregon Whole
sale Nursery Company. This lot con-
sisted chiefly of apples and plums. OF
the apple trees / found at least. so per
cent. infected with woolly aphis. the
balance being Just as bad with cherry
and peach tree borers The entire ship
ment, SO far as number was concerned.
was not car load lot. simply Ito
trees. This lot. after being baptized
with coal oil. was consigned to the flames,
but not until after experts had brought
in 4 verdict. bad In the first degree.
1.-THE next was a shipment from Cali
fornia. THIS shipment consisted Of about
600 trees, which were as bad, II not worse,
than the second shipment After con-
sulting the law (not Mr.. Bakery, they
were consigned to the flames, Then
came a dispatch to me from g. w. Phil
lips at wenatchee. saying that car OF
fruit trees from the oregon Wholesale
Nursery Company was due In Seattle Sili-
ed to wenatchee, that was thought to be
infected with the woolly aphis, and ask
ing me to inspect or wire what to do.
This being large car, containing 5000
worth of trees. I advised that the car
be permitted to reach its destination.
This was agreed to. with the understand
ing that would accompany 1t. This
did, but refused to inspect 1t on the
ground that It was out Of my jurisdiction.
Whereupon 1 sent a telegram to Mr..
Baker, asking permission to examine the
trees. to which / received the reply:
Neither you nor have authority to In
spect at Wenatchee.'
This to me seems curious. A man.
after having given bonds to the state
to comply with certain requirements or
the law violated the law by shipping
infected fruit trees into this state. My
to kot Ia a
law pertaining to this question, or very
defective commissioner. believe 1t to-
be the latter.
1.-The fruit growers then and there re-
fused to take the trees. By request OF
the agent. as well as the fruit grow
ers, 1 consented to examine them, not
as an officer, but as an expert. On
examination found all peach trees, as
we'll as those grated on peach roots, In
a similar condition to those I have al
ready mentioned. Some of those trees.
owing to Mr.. Bakers telegram. passed
into the hands of the growers without
inspection.
Made Unofncial Inspection.
while at Wenatchee I was called upon
ries, for which tho purchaser paid $50.
On examination I found them to be
worthless by reason Of crown borers.
ION my return / found a shipment of
trees said to be from the Waters Nurs-
cry at Yakima. This shipment consisted
Of $500 apples trees, 700 of which were
worse than worthless by reason of con-
tagious disease known as the crown gall.
Fearing the balance might be infected
I telephoned Mr.. Baker to come at once.
On his arrival he unhesitatingly caused
them to pass to the fruit grower. Where
upon l offered to post forfeit in the
sum of $50 that / would take, without
M Al,A IleN - t6Axxz
plant them. and the first fall show the
crown gall.
MY offer went begging, while the trees
in part have gone to the grower, who will
curse them as long as he has tongue.
Another shipment of infected trees
that has come to my notice was a con-
signment from the Settlemire Nursery.
WOODBURY., Or. This consignment was
to gentleman who acted as the nurs-
ery's agent I heard nothing of this con-
signment until some of the trees were
planted by the purchase. l wonder
where was my legal adviser, Mr.. Baker,
all this time. This lot Is one of Mr..
Bakers clean lots. as there were only a
few woolly aphis or peach borers to be
found in 1t. just enough for seed.
There were two other shipments. one
for North Bend and the other for Issa-
quah. Both shipments were said to be
from L. l.. May & Co.. of st. Paul.
had no knowledge whatever of these
shipments from Mr.. Baker.
"Still another consignment to the Chris
topher Nurseries from an Oregon nursery
consisted of about 500 trees, 95 per cent.
of which had peach borer to such an ex-
tent that the whole lot was gjrdled I'M
der the bark. This lot went up in
smoke
81 am disguised with Mr.. Bakers Of
fetal rulings favoring the spread of in
sect fruit pests"