The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-06-19
FOR FRUIT INTERESTS.

We note that the Salt Lake County
Horticultural Society. at its meeting IN
Saturday, decided, in the matter OF
spraying fruit trees and keeping down
orchard pests, to appeal to the farmers
on their sense of honor and loyalty 20
the interests of the State, rather than
to use compulsion by the peTemptory
enforcement OF the law upon dell7-
quents This undoubtedly is the pre-
ferable way to proceed provided al
ways that you can make the farmers
understand that this is matter which
really appeals to their honor. 1t would
seem that IL the farmers consider their
honor to be involved in this matter they
would have acted before this, and would
need neither this appeal nor the en-
forcement of the law to make them
spray their trees, but would make such
diligent war upon the orchard pests
that none of these would be left. But
as the farmers have not hitherto con-
sidered the matter In this light IL Is
now up TO the officers of the Salt Lake
County Horticultural Society to make
the farmers of this county understand
that this is a matter which Involves
their personal honor, and that their
character will be disgraced and them
selves personally hunIliated IL they
do not comply with the law and eradi-
cate the pests from their orchards. as
the law contemplates.
Probably the members of the Salt
Lake County Horticultural Society
have in mind some method TO do this,
and to thus effect the results that they
wish to bring about. The fruit raisers
OF this county have not been more
derelict than those of other counties In
the State In regard to their sufferance
of orchard pests. There is too much
laxity in the prevailing view of the
law, and the farmers have got very
please about complying with It's pro-
visions. So that the inspectors gen.
orally do not understand that the farm
ers consider the law and their duty
under the law to be In fact an appeal
to their honor. If they did so under
stand, without doubt they would make
their appeal TO the farmers on that
basis. We are confident however
that the inspectors at the present time
throughout this State would be mueh
more Opposed to rely upon the law than
upon the programme of the Salt Lake
County horticultural Society. Perhaps,
though judicious mIngling Of the two
w
heretofore been in evidence
Another matter which was decided
upon by the society al the same meet
ing must meet unqualified approval dt
every hand; and that Is the decision
to communicate with Utahs Senate. -
and Representative to enlist their aid
In securing an investigation under Gov
ernment supervision of the effect of
smelter smoke upon vegetation in this
valley. There have been totally oppos-
Ing reports as TO the effect OF the
smelter smoke The smelter people
naturally tend TO minimize any destruc-
tive effect that may be claimed In this
respect; the farmers, on the contrary.
are disposed to magnify and eXagger-
ate that effect. Professor John A.
Widtsoe. then director of the Expert
ment Station OF the Department of
Agriculture at Logan In connection
with the Utah Agricultural College, con-
tributed a valuable paper on this SUBJ
tect to the Salt Lake Tribune of Janu-
ary /, 1904. That paper struck the mid
character. is probably the most accur-
ate treatment and consideration of the
whole subject that has yet appeared
II came far from meeting the vieYs of
the farmers. and at the same time was
not altogether satisfactory 10 the smelt-