Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1906-10-26
lHt DAY FOR CHEAP
FRUIT Is PASSED
rests Destroying Orchards of the
Y. 5. Makes Big Demand for
Rogue River Apples.

1t is said there is no loss without
\ some gain and the pests that are now
making such havoc in the fruit in
dustry of the United States are Ger.
tam to prove in the end a decided
eneht to the orchardists of Rogue
nlver Valley. There are no less than
p0 different kinds of insect fungus and
contagious diseases in the United
States that are preying on the fruit
trees and each year, more are being
Drought to the country by careless
importers of trees and plants. One
hof the latest importations is the gyp-
isle moth which comes from Europe
and first appeared in Boston and has
now spread over much of Massachu-
setts and bids fair to bring destruct-
ION to fruit trees in all parts of the
United States. Massachusetts, has
spent 100000 in fighting this pest
and the general government has spent
*25, 900 in experiments TO find means
OF destroying this formidable pest.
The brown tailed moth is another pest
that is working west to ruin orchards.
That pear growing in the East is
soon to be thing of the past If a
means is not found to eradicate the
blight that is death to the trees. This
disease begins on the twigs and soon
spreads over the tree killing it in a
year or two. So far the only means
found to combat this deadly pest is to
cut down the trees and burn them.
but that leaves the luckless farmers
without a pear orchard. This pest
has appeared in California and is max
ing such havoc in the orchards that
the pear growers OF that state met at
Sacramento last month and effected
an organization for the express pur-
pose of eradicating the pest from the
state through persistent work on the
part of the orchardists aided by the
state and the Department of Agricul-
ture, both Of which are cooperating
with the farmers. This formidable
pest has spread up the Sacramento
valley until it has reached Shasta
county, and it has but one more
county, Siskiyou, to cross until it
reaches Rogue River Valley, then
will end the pear industry for Jack
son and Josephine counties. Rogue
River Valley has been proven to be
the best pear district in the United
States for pears from Medford for the
past five years have brought the high
est price paid in the New York mar
kets, the worlds record this year be-
ing broken by car of Comice pears
selling for S3450, netting the grower
s2Sl0. Three are thousands of acres
of fine pear land in Josephine county
and if the blight can be kept out of
the Valley the pear orchards will be
the big money makers to the fruit
raisers. To absolutely stop import
ing pear trees is the only certain way
to keep out this disease, but as there
is no large nursery in the valley to
supply the demand the only thing to
do is for the county fruit inspector
TO make rigid inspection of III i'm
ported trees before they are allowed to
leave the depot.
While fighting the pests is most
serious task for Rogue River fruit
raisers yet it is almost hopeless fight
for the farmers of the Middle aud
Eastern states. There the fruit trees
grow so large that it is almo impos-
sible to spray them, There apple
trees two feet in diameter and 40 to
the top twigs are common and pear
w aas grow to the size of elms. To
spray such trees with anything less
bwerful than a fire engine is i'm
possible. Then most of the fruit trees