The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-09-27
PESTS RUIN FRUIT IN
JOSEPHINE COUNTY

A special to the Oregonian from
Grant Pass says;
The Grants Pass Fruit Growers
union which was ,rgani2ed early tbi,
fall, with r. A. y. Reymers, presi.
dent, r. M. Robinson, ice president
Charles Meserve. secretary, l.. L..
Jewell treasurer, has begun cam
paign to eXterminate the pests that
threaten to ruin the lruit industry in
Josephine county. So great has been
damage to fruit this season that fully
70 per cent Of the fIuit is affected
more less with San Jose scale or
Goblin moth, and the loss to the farm
ers will reach fully $50, O00 at 50 cents
box
The farmers and business uen, as a
result Of the six fruit .IoweIs' meet
ings recently held in this county by
DIR. Withycombe and institute staff OF
the State Agricultural colleg have
come to realize the loss that I he pests
are causing and the value that the
fruit industry would be if carried on
as it is at Hood River and other sec
tions Josephine county is in the
center of Rogue River valley, famous
for producing the finest apples, pears,
peaches and grapes, but owing to gold
mining having been the leading in d.
dustry tor 80 years, fruit raising has
not been given the prominence that
it has been in the adj lining section
of the valley embraced in jackson
county.
Now the orchards are to receive
quite as much attention as the mines.
At meeting of the Fruit Growers
union, Saturday, it VAS decided to
have county fruit insE ector appoint
ed by the county court, and Charles
Mesel ve was recommended for the
position. County Judge Stephen Jew
ell was present at the meeting and
promised the heartiest cooperation
of the county court in enforcing the
state law aginst such tree owners as
would not free their trees of pests or
cut them down. Hon. A. H. Carson,
memb,r of the State Board of Horti
culture for this district is assisting
the union 10 the war on the pests and
it is the purpose to have as perfect q
lot of fruit another year to ship from
Josephine county as was ever put on
the market.
To encourage the farmers tu spray
their trees and to make the expense
as light on a. 4, as possible, the un-
ion will buy the spray materials by
the uiload and let the orchardists
ha Q it at cost As but few of the
farmers here fully understand the art
of spI ying, the union has secured q
large lumber of copies of the bulle-
tins .'epared by Professor A. B.
Cord y, of the State Agricultural
CollerN Experiment station, that
treats pests and sprays, for distri-
bution. Each orchardist is also being
supp ed with copy of the annual re.
port of the State Board of Horticul-
ure, hich is by far the best text book
ever gotten out for Oregon fruit rails
els.
Such of the fruit as is not damaged
by the pests is of very fine quality
and the yield is good. The Fruit
Growers union made shipments of
pears to New York that we're highly
complmented and which sold for the
highest price ever realized on pears
sent f'om this country. The union is
preparing to send several cars of fan
cy Sptzenberg and Newtown apples
to The Eastern markets. So great is
the demand in Portland and other
Northern cities for Rogue River:peach-
es and grapes that none are Fhipped
to Eastern markets.
The acreage to grapes is being
largely increased and large shipments
to distant markets will be made with
in few years. The acreage to apples,
pears and peaches is also being very
largely increased.