Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1910-12-23
The Pear Blightiand the Best
Way of GettingIt Under Control
ByP.J oGara. Copyrighted by Mail Tribune.)

dlluTeb IueTe nave DeeH DeCduoe IL
is very seldom that communities as
whole feel common interest in
any work which seems to be more
or less public in nature. The last
few chapters will also give a resume
Of all the preceding ones, bringing
into condensed form the important
things that should be known about
pear blight)
In a preceding chapter mention
was made of the enormous losses In
the pear districts Of the San Joa.
quin valley, California. In the short
sapce Of three years, from 1900 tc
1904, almost half million pear
trees were lost by blight. Practically
no attempt was made to check the
disease, and one Of the greatest In
dustries Of the San Joaquin valley
vanished like dream, and even be-
fore the people realized what had be-
fallen them. AS In other localities,
east and south, the growers had a
self-sufficient and self-satisfied feel
ing that blight could never hurt
them. They had grown pears for a
quarter of a century and more, and
such thing as blight entering their
valley was just as impossible as any
thing one might imagine.
In all that time, thunder, light
ming, excessive heat, cold, etc., had
caused not the slightest injury. How
ever, as soon as blight came all the
factors mentioned above seemed to
explain their predicament fully, they
needed no help and spurned assist
ance. This is the story in a few
words, a story which might be told
of many other localities which had
suffered the same calamity.
In 1904 the blight invaded the
pear district of the Sacramento val
ley, and although some little work
was done in the matter Of eradicating
1t, the efforts were weak and ineffec.
tive. Prominent men in the state
became alarmed, and the pathololo-
ogists Of the United States depart
ment Of agriculture were called tn
the coast. In the fall of 1904 Pro-
fessor M. B. Waite made his first
visit to California, and inaugurated
a plan of campaign for eradicating 1t
or at least keeping it under control.
may say that the government pa
biologists did not come to the Paci-
fic coast until they were called. Such
Influential men as Ex-Governor Par
dee and prominent Southern Pacific
appealed to Hon. James Will
son, secretary OF agriculture, to send
no many hlSh 40 uc uuu dNulldDlS, W
aid in what was thought to be almost
a hopeless case. Blight was every
where with the exception of the
Santa Clara valley, which to this day
has kept it out by careful and hard
work, The task undertaken was an
enormous one, and the amount Of
territory necessary to be covered
was SO large that every available
source of help was called for and the
finally started In the early
winter of 1905. The time was short
but good work was done. In many
where there was a willing
ness to cooperate with the govern
ment officers the blight was check
I'd, In others, where conditions were
the reverse, The blight gained head
way, The result Of several years
work, which had been carried on up
10 the present time by the United
States department of agriculture,
Is that several districts in the Sacra-
mento valley and adjacent valleys
have saved their pears. There are
particular instances where practical
Iy everything went excepting single
orchards which were saved by in
dividual growers, by using heroic
measures and carrying into effect
every detail given them by the gov
ernment officers. To this day these
men continue to grow pears while
their neighbors are entirely out Of
the business, They are charged with
being lucky, but there is no luck In
fighting pear blight; It Is careful at
tontlon to details and constant
watchtulness, Among those who
have been successful IN fighting pear
blight is Howard Reed, of Marys-
vile, Cal Mr.. Reed. with GOO0
Bartletts, has lost relatively few, al
though the difficulties ne had to
overcome would have discouraged
tho average man. Three years ago
his orchard was under water on ac-
count Of the overflow from the Sac
ramento river and he was compelled
to fight the pear blight from boats
and RATS, To show you how well