The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-26
GROWERS WANT AID
IN THEIR FIGHT AGAINST Enc
MIES OF THE PEACH.
APPEAL TO THE GOVERNMENT
TO ASSIST IN ERADICATING Or
~ CHARD PESTS.

Money State ApprOpriatcs to Fight
Peach Diseases should BE Sup
pIcmented by the General Gov
nment-Minimum for Freight
Cars Not LOwered-BercISmnn
Assistant state chronological.
Macon, Ga, March 25.-The annual
meeting of the Fruit Growers Asso-
citation resulted in an appeal to the
national government to assist the
Georgia agricultural department in
graduating orchard pests.
Mr. M. J. Hatcher of Macon moved
for a resolution, calling upon Georgia
representatives in Congress to get the
government to send experts here to
help eradicate the scale and other
orchard pests. He said the govern
ment had taken a hand in saving the
apple crop and was fighting the cot
ton boil weevil in Texas and the cat
tie disease in New England, and he
believed the same kind of assistance
would be given Georgia If state or
ganization of the fruit growers re-
quested it.
Mr.. Charlie Howard of Lorraine said
he thought the growers have the rem
edy, but they want the government
help in applying it. He thought it a
reflection on the state entomologist to
say that Georgia growers have not
found the remedy. 1--WE simply want
the government to give us more ia
cilitfes and more money with which to
work." he said. The motion prevailed,
and a resolution will be framed. A
committee was appointed as follows:
M. j. Hatcher, ]. NJ. Hunt, Charlie
Howard, Berckmans, Scott and
| Weeks.
Money the Great Need.
President Hughes said: That's a
good move. We need money. Such a
| great industry as this has only $4,000
/ behind it. Professor Scott has done as
well as anybody could have done with
that small amount We need money,
that's the kind of help we want"
Mr.. P. j. Berckmanns said: UNLESS
| the state of Georgia comes to our res
cue we cannot do anything. The fed
eral government has a bill for $4,000
to cover the entire country. Our
/ share would not be enough to work
Mr. John S. Weeks of the weather
bureau said a communication should
be addressed to the Secretary of Ag-
| riculture, whose department has every
| year { appropriation, some of which
could used in assisting Georgia.
The Transportation Committee re-
! ported that the traffic managers of the
railroads had declined to give the re-
| lief asked for, and the matter would
have to be taken up before the entire
traffic association at Atlanta some time
| in the future.
The report was submitted by Mr..
L. A. Berckmans of Mayfield, who said
| that he Judge George F. Gober of
| Marietta and Mr.. Summerour of Dali
ton met in Atlanta recently and franz
| ed a request which was forwarded to
the railroad traffic managers, showing
| that every 20,000-pound car is damaged
! because the fifth tier of crates suf-
| fers for ice and is spoiled. They show
| that 10000 pounds is more than can
be refrigerated by the quantity of ice
| that a car can carry, and when one
| tier is injured it establishes the grade
| for the entire car and lowers the SELL
| ing prices, whereas $1,000 pounds could
| be refrigerated thoroughly with the ice
| that a car can carry.
| The association continued the COM
| mittee, and another effort will be
| DN-e.D
| request is a most reasonable one.
On Commission Houses.
The report of the Committee on CHM
| mission Houses was adopted, and it
met with such unanimous approval that
| only one name was added to the list
submitted in the report. Mr.. Clarence
| Without of Fort Valley read the re-
port He said that it was refreshing
to see the promptness with which the
| growers Of the state had operated with
| the committee, and that all reported
great good from the plan as 1t operated
| last year.
| President Hughes made a speech in
which he said that If all committees
would do their work as promptly and
| efficiently as had this committee, the
association would have no difficulty in
procuring everything reasonable that
| it asks for or undertakes. He said
| that fruit trees have come to stay in
| Georgia, and if what is wanted can
not be had this year, 1t can be had
| next year, or the next. He said there
| ia nothing like persistent intelligent
effort.
In discussing the prospects for crop
\ of peaches this season, the observer of
the weather bureau reported that for
! five years past the average time for
| the last killing frost for the northern
| portion of the state is April 5; in the
| middle section, March 23, and In the
southern section March II. He said
| there had been years when there was
no frost in March or April. He said
he thought less damage is done by cold
than growers are accustomed to be-
| lieve.
Reports ON the Prospects.
Reports from various sections as to
conditions at this time were as fol-
| lows: Mr.. L. A. Berckmans reported
to the meeting he would have an aver
age crop at Mayfield; Mr.. ]. NJ. Hunt
said he thought the crop in Jones would
be less than one-half that which is now
| supposed to be in prospect; Mr. Felt
of Sylvester, full crop of CarInens, rs
per cent. of Elbertas. full crop of
| plums; Prof. Scott, state entomologist,
North Georgia peaches are practical
/ ly destroyed. but about 20 per cent. are
| left around Marietta and Adairsville; %
| Mr.. Moore from Marietta, twenty
| per cent. OF blooms on young trees will
come to maturity. Very little left in
old orchards" Mr.. Stafford of Barnes
vile. Fruit dropping. do not look for
much" Mr.. John Baird of the Hale
orchards at Fort Valley, Some brown
| rot on Elbertas and Carmens. Elbertas