Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-08-06
Fire Blight to
Be EadiCated

Murphy, Ore, July 29, 1914.
Mr.. j. w. Myers, County Fruit In
spector, Central Point, Ore.:
Dear Sir: From personal inspec-
ton, and information derived from
the fruit growers of Jackson county,
l find that the fire blight in the
orchards Is to great extent under
control. However, there are yet some
orchards yet diseased with blight
germs, and should conditions become
favorable reinfection of healthy trees
would take place very rapidly. For
mer instructions to you during the
winter and early spring imposed on
you the duty to warn the fruit grow
ers of Jackson county that each and
every one of them must cooperate
with the inspectors by patrolling
daily their own orchards for the
blight, and if they failed to so patrol
their orchards and permitted the
blight to spread and menace other
orchards that are healthy, that under
the law l would deem it my duty to
invoke the most drastic measures
warranted by the law to the end that
the blight mighe be eradicated in the
orchards of the county. The laws of
Oregon are very drastic, and when the
penalty is invoked for any orchardist
permitting public nuisance in his
orchard l know it is not pleasant for
him, nor is it pleasant for me to en-
force these police duties the law i'm
poses on me, you and the deputies
working with you.
From now on / desire the inspect
ors to be active, and they must OBJ
serve the following instructions, to-
wit:
When you, or any of the deputies,
go into an orchard and find blight
in any part of tree above ground,
and do not find the owner of the
orchard cutting it out, but negligent
ly ignoring the danger to his own
healthy trees, you are instructed to
abate said nuisance in a summary
manner as provided by Section 54S7
of the laws of Oregon, by chopping
down said diseased trees at once. If
there are fruit growers in the valley
who for a day would neglect to cut
out blight that might develop in the
trees, he must not complain if we
drastically condemn and summarily
abate the nuisance he is permitting
by his blighted trees.
1t has been the accepted idea that
the Newtown apple was virtually i'm
mune from blight. In fact, we were
led to believe SO by an able patholo-
gist in the valley, but the careful in
spection in Jackson county the past
winter has demonstrated that it is a
mistake to say that the Newtown is
immune from the blight.
In all cases where the inspectors
find blight in the roots of any tree
you and the deputies are instructed
to summarily condemn said tree, ex.
cepting in such cases as you may find
the owner in the orchard treating
and cutting out said blight. That
all owners must clean back the dirt
from the roots of their trees and ex-
anime the same for blight, and have
the same cut out to your satisfaction
or else you are required TO summar.
lily condemn and destroy as per Sec.
ton 54S7. Instruct every grower he
must eradicate the blight in his orch.
ard or else the state will destroy the
diseased orchard. The orchards oil
Jackson county are too valuable tc
permit the blight to destroy them
Then, too, at this time, should there
be, those who have ignored the warn.
ings to cut out the blight, by the in,
spectors, and should suffer the pen,
atty of having their diseased treet
cut down, and the public nuisance
they are maintaining by their negli
gence abated, are not entitled to any
consideration as against the majority
of the growers who have earnestly
co-operated with the inspectors
against the blight.
Yours truly,
A. H. CARSON,
Commissioner Third District,