Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1908-06-12

After President Robinson had called
the meeting to order for the forenoon
session he announced that the election
OF officers and other business would
be postponed until the afternoon ses-
sion and the time until noon would be
devoted to general discussion of the
truit Industry in Josephine county.
he then gave a short talk on the
purposes OF the Fruit Growers Asso.
citation and the outlook for the fruit
industry in this county. He stated
that what is everybody's business is
nobody's business applies in its fullest
sense In the contest that the fruit
growers in Rogue River Valley have
with the pests that threaten to destroy
their orchards. A few fruit grove rs
may strive ever 80 hard to keep their
orchards free from pests bat their
work Will be unavailing if the pests
are allowed to breed and multiply by
countless millions in the orchards of
careless farmers and on trees and
shrubs in the yards of the town resi-
denoes. The same energy and con.
oerted action must be exercised in
the work Of subduing the orchard
pests as is carried out to stamp out
an epidemic of smallpox or diphtheria.
All must cooperate, the farmers and
the business men in this war on the
pests, but 1t is especially necessary
that the fruit growers work as one
man. This can best be accomplished
by all belonging to an organization
for then there is unison of purpose
and strength that would make success
certain in the war of determination
against the pests. The Grants Pass
Growers Association has been doing a
good work in carrying on a cam
paign of education and OF securing
the enforcement of the pest laws, but
much more could have been accom-
plished had sll who are interested in
the development of the fruit industry
in Josephine county been members of
the Association. The outlook is now
most encouraging for the Association
for its work is being appreciated, for
the fruit growers are finding that
they must unite and all work together
if the conditions are to be made the
best for the growing and the market
ing of fruit in this county.
Secretary Charles Meserve coincided
with what President Robinson had
said relative to the war on the pests
in Josephine county. That the pro.
gressive fruit growers of this section
are handicapped in their fight with
the pests is proven by the fact that
not to exceed 10 per cent of the fruit
trees and shrubs in Grants Pass were
sprayed this past winter and not over
so per cent Of the fruit trees on the
farms were sprayed. This indicates
that a more rigoruos enforcement OF
the pest laws must be had if the fruit
industry is to be developed in Jose
phine county. There are now not
over a dozen kinds of pests in Rogue
River Valley but with the immense
importation Of fruit trees that are
being made each year the valley viii
soon be flooded with the hundreds Of
species of pests that are iufesting the
orchards of America. The entomolo-
gists of the Department of Agriculture
and OF the Agricultural Colleges have
identified over 1lO0.different kinds of
pests that infect the orchards and
gardens of the United States. Our
high grade civilization has disturbed
the balance o nature and now we
have to pay the penalty. And the
list of pests is growing rapidly for
81 new pests were found this past
year that had landed in the United
States from foreign counties. While
it seems a hopeless task to contend
against this ire Dendous pest menance,
yet the undertaking is not great for
the fruit growers of Rogue River
Valley, for the mountains all about
the Valley make it so that the pests
can not get here of themselves and
if care is taken to prevent their being
brought in on tree shipments and then
if lhJse that are here are subdued.
fruit growing here can be carried on
with certainty Of harvesting crops
of Perfect fruit. In the great farming
sections of the United States the pests
are rapidly exterminating the or
cnards and fruit raising will soon be
lost industry in most of the states
of the Union. So really the pests are
the best friends that the Rogue River
orchardists have, for while they are
killing of the orchards and lessening
the supply of fruit, the demand fol
fruit is steadily gaining with tbs
result that the day of cheap fruit II
, zone by.