The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-07-19
DUTIES OF THE
FRUIT INSPECTOR
MUST HAVE SUPPORT IN THE DISTRICT
An Able Paper Read Mt the llOrticul-
tural Meeting at Salem by
L. c. Armstrong.

5lOu, VIII not attempt TO Teuu muGn
of paper, but simply suggest few
thoughts that may lead to tree dis
cussion of the subject, SO that farm
ers, fruitgrowers and inspectors may
have a better and more mutual un-
derstanding, that we may better work
together for the benefit of each other
and the good of the community and
state.
No inspector can stand alone in
this work. If he is successful in any
degree he must have the moral sup
port aud cooperation of those in the
community who are interested in the
work. 1t night be well, and | sup
pose it will be expected, that | qoute
some extracts from the horticultural
law that refers to the duties of the
county inspector
The last session of the legislature
passed law from which | Will quote
at few items:
Sec. l. That upon petition of
not less than twenty-five residents
and truitgrowers of any county in
this state, the county court of said
county shall appoint county in
spector, whose duty it shall be to in
spect the apple and other fruit or,
chards of said county and enforce the
laws now in force and that may be
hereafter in force in the state appliCa-
BILE to the fruit industry and to the
growing, handing and selling of fruit.
fruit trees and other nursery stock
"Sec. 2. The county inspector
shall perform his duties under the
general supervision of the state dis
trict commissioner, to whom he shall
make reports in the manner pre-
scribed by the State Board of Horti-
culture.
"Sec. 7. 1t shall be the duty of the
several members of the board and OF
the secretary or the county inspectors
under their director, whenever they
shall deem it necessary, to cause an
inspection to be made Of any plants,
vegetables, vines, or any fruit pack
ing house, store room, sales room, or
any other any place within their ais
trict, and If found infested with any
pests, diseases or fungus growth, in
furious to fruits, plants, vegetables,
trees or vines, or their eggs or larvae
liable to spread to other places or To-
calities, or of such nature to be
public danger, they shall notify the
owner or owners or persons in charge
of, or in possession of such articles,
things or places, that the same are SO
infested, and shall require said per
sons to redicate or destroy said in
sects or pests, etc. within certain
time to be specified in said notice.
1t might be inte esting to quote
few more extracts from the law that
relates more to the grower:
Section one of law entitled an act
to protect the fruit and hop industry
Of Oregon
at shall hereafter be unlawful for
any person, 9rm or corporation, own
ing or operating any nursery, fruit
orchard of any kind, hop yard, flower
garden, or ornamental trees to throw
any cuttings or prunings, from
any fruit trees, nursery stock, OTna-
mental trees or hop vines, into any
public road, highway, lane, field, or
any enclosure, or into any water
course of any kind; but shall destroy
such cuttings or prunings by fire,
within thirty days from the time such
cuttings or prupings are made.
"Sec. 2. 1t shall hereafter be the
duty of any Terson, firm or corpora
tion owning or operating any such
nursery, fruit orchard, hop yard,
flower garden, or ornamental trees,
and know such to be infected, with
any kind of insects, pests, or disease,
to Immediately spray or destroy the
same In such manner as the fruit
commissioner of his district may di
rect.
''Sec. 5. 1t shall be unlawful for
any person, firm Oh corportion, to i'm
port or sell any infested or diseased
fruit of any kind in the state of Ore
gon.
There is another section requiring
elchants selling spray material to
guarantee its quality and per cent OF
purity. Another prohibiting any per
sou or firm from packing to ship any
diseased plants, fruits, or vegetables
Then section 7 says:
"Any person, firm or corporation
violating any of the provisions of this
act, shall be deemed guilty Of mis-
deamor, and upon conviction thereof,
shall be punished by fine of not
less than twenty-five dollars nor more
than one hundred" "
Possibly this is enough of the law.
1t will be seen by these extracts that
the inspector Is working under the
general supervisor of the district com
missioner. That it is his duty to in
spect the orchards, packing houses and
store rooms, to guard the markets
etc., or, in other words, TO enforce
the law as it now stands or may in
tho future be enacted. This is the
legal side Of the subject, that any one
may learn If he wants to, or may
learn by actual experience If he is too
negligent or stubborn to try.
But there are other duties of the in.
spector, to which / wish to refer to
that are not written in the law In
my experience as inspector ! find
many people who do not know what
to do in order to properly clean up
and care for their orchards. In some
communities where fruit growing is
not carried on except for family use |
find there is no one who knows any,
thing about spray ing or caring for
their trees. This does not mean that
these communities are not intellent
Bot it does mean that in the past this
has been out of their line of business.
In years past fruits Of all kinds have
grown to perfection with but little
care and attention. This has created
habit of earelessness aud neglect,
the result of which is manifest, es
pecislly through the Willamette val
ey.
But of late years we have scale,
aphis, codlIn moth, caterpillars aud
fungous diseases too numerous to
mention.
These changed conditions have
made it necessary to employ different
methods of action. These farmers
who in the past have had fruit Obund.