The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-11-30
ARRAYED AGAINST
WORMY APPLES
HOOD RIVER GROWERS SPEAK OUT
In Answer TO Mr.. Walden's Argument
for Their Sale Bad for the Bust.
ness and Must Go.

pen of Rev. f. Walden, Editor of Th,
Ranch. In it MIR. Walden makes al
argument in favor of allowing the sal,
( of wormy fruit. The Gem State Rura
takes issue with Mr.. Walden on thii
! point and says.
Mr.. Walden, horticultural editor o.
Ranch, our esteemed Washington con
temporary, comes out in the last issue
of that paper in favor of permitting
! wormy, or worm eaten, apples to be
sold for what they are. This position
Is based upon the ground that it ii
: impossible to eradicate the codline
moth, and for this reason that it Ii
{ an injustice to prohibit the sale ol
apples that are or may have been, oil
which are supposed to be, infested
with this apple worm. The eonten-
tion Is that there would be Just as
much sense in compelling, or attempt
ing to compel, one to raise pure bred,
or high class cattle, instead OF infer
ior grades or sc ubs. as to attempt to
compel him by law to raise a high
grade instead of cheap grade of APP
pies.
'lf man, says Mr.. Walden, "by
what he raises or sells becomes the
means Of scattering pest 0 disease,
let him be punished But will man
scatter the codling moth pest by sell
ing his Gull apples to naighbor who
already has this pestg Not a bit more
than putting man who has the small
pox into smallpox hospital will scat
ter that disease. Will man scatter
the codling moth by sending his Gull
apples to Alaska, whore an apple tree
cannot be grownY No.
Now, Brother Walden, that might
not be SO bad if there could be rea-
sonable certainty that the wormy fruit
would only be sent to localities here
the moth is abundant, or up into AL
aska, where the pest is not likely to
flourish. But how could it be known
where such fruit was to be sent ii
there were not restriction upon ship
ping or selling it? And really is there
enough in this kind of fruit, in
view of the disrepute it brings
the grower, as we'll as the dealer who
handles it, to justify giving it en-
couragement in any way9 Isn't a
wormv, or worm marked, scr bby
looking apple distinct reelection on
the grower and, indirectly, on the To-
oality where grown, and since there is
more or less menace connected with
the handling of such fruit, is 1t wise
to sanction or encourage il IN any
wayi There are orchardists IN all OF
the apple growing regions of the
country who are demonstrating that
the moth can le fought successfully,
and that it pays them to do it.
70 say that :" ii man by what be
raises or sells becomes the means of
scattering pest, he should be pun
ished, y hardly covers the ground be-
cause the punishment does not undo
the mischief, Prevention is the OBJ
ject sought by the law of Washington,
we take it, as it is by the law of this
state, in such cases, and even il not
wholly effective, it is Just as true now
as it ever has been that the "ounee
of prevention is worth the pound of
cure "
The Gem State Rural fears that
letting down the bars, " as is advo-
Gated by our friend of the Ranch, who
is himself most painstaking and
successful orchardist, would be a step
backward, as it would tend to eneour-
age carelessness and bad practices in
the orchard, and to work hardship
on the growers of honest fruit.
Might not the man growing fruit in
fected by San Jose scale, or any other
fruit pest, claim exemption from the
law on similar groundsY There ap-
pear to be plenty of people who are
willing to eat scaly fruit. They
might want also to ship that to Alas
ka, or somewhere else.
No one is compelled to grow first.
class fruit, or any kind, for that mat
ter. The law does not contemplate
that but it does undertake to say
that fruit shall not be sold, or off
cred for sale, hat Is liable TO prove
the means OF spreading an enemy so
formidable and difficult to combat as
the codling moth.
So, while the Gem State Rural
agrees with the contention that there
Is little probability Of ever eradicat-
ing the codlng moth, and under.
stands fully what the battle with this
widespread pest of the orchard means,
1t would certainly hesitate long time
before advocating the unrestricted
sale of wOrmy oT worm eaten culls as
substitute for, or in competition
with, the fruit as grown by the men
who are now making apple history
for the Pacific Northwest.
We would rather advise those who
do not or cannot make headway
against the raVages Of this pest, to
change their occupation, aud try
something nGre profitable, because
no one Is claiming that there Is any
profit in this kind OF 1ruit. 1t might
be all right to send up to the land of
the midnight sun, but, ON general
principles, we would have serious
doubts about attempting to build up
this kind of trade. The best is none
too good for any market that is worth
eultivating.
The above Article has aroused CON
siderable discussion among the apple
growers of Hood River valley and in
speaking of this phase of the apple
business we fad concensus of opin-
ion in regard to putting worm infect
ed fruit on the market and also in al
lowing growers who have these pests
in their orchards to maintain them.
After perusing the article in ques-
tion, Il. II. Shepard of the Fruit
Growers Union, said: 81 do not
want TO see any man kept from reap
ing just reward from time and mon
ey invested in an apple orchard, but
the sale of wormy fruit and the main
tenance of orchards that are in pest
ridden condition are menace TO every
orchard in their vicinity. Ths
grower who takes proper care Of his
trees and keeps them clear of codling
moths and other insects should GER
tainly have protection from the one
who does not. There are laws to pro-