The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1915-06-03
MUST GET BUSY IN
FIGHT AGAINST WEEv|L
Pest Will Destroy Every Patch
in Valley Unless Drastic
Measures are Adopted

For the purpose Of gathering In
formation to be used in organizing
campaign to combat the spread OF
strawberry root weevil, District Hor-
ticultural Inspector Luke Powell and
Manager H. w. Desgranges, OF the
Kennewick-R ichland Fruitgrowers' as
ISOLATION, lest week made a trip to
Freewater. Since his return Inspector
Powell has been too busy fighting
blight to make an official report but
Mr.. Desgranges gave the following
interview to the Courier Reporter to-
day:
"The danger of destruction of our
strawberry industry by the strawber-
ry root weevil cannot be exaggerated.
It is a serious menace and if the in
dustry is to survive it must be stamp
ed out before it becomes generally
spread. AS far as I know the pest
has only appeared in one locality in
Kennewick and one at Richland. If
prompt action is taken it may be pos
sible to confine them to these sections
and destroy them.
ssLast week accepted an invitation
from District Horticultural Inspector
Luke Powell to visit the Milton-Free-
water district where this pest is
known to have existed for several
years, to learn what we could about
their control. We were joined at Wal
Ia Walla by Inspector Gilbreath and
at Freewater by Inspector Hopson.
Together we visited practically all the
remaining strawberry beds and also
conferred with several persons who
had been driven out Of the business.
Formerly this district produced some
sixty carloads of strawberries annual
ly-this year possibly six.
$50 far as we could learn there is
but one known remedy pillow up the
patch. This seems harsh remedy,
but if the bugs are present now you
should do it now, for at best you will
only get a partial crop next year and
by delaying the day Of execution you
are only breeding an army to march
away and prey upon your neighbor's
patch. It only takes this pest two
years to totally destroy patch. They
do not take halfway measures and
halfway measures will not destroy
them.
Growers tell US that it takes three
years to clean the ground. Some of
the weevil will live over on the dead
roots and while they will for a time
live on other plants they will soon
perish when deprived Of their natural
food.
fortunately this pest does not
spread rapidly, as its only means of
transportation is by crawling or float
ing in irrigation water. Thus patch
removed several hundred yards may
be comparatively safe. Perhaps the
greatest danger in spreading them is
through plants taken from infested
beds. In putting out new beds the
greatest care should be exercised in
securing only clean plants.
elf drastic measures are taken now
it may be possible to save the indus
try. Don't think that you can stop
them by simply removing the plants
that show damage. This will not do.
The weevil are out and all over the
patch where they have deposited their
eggs from which destructive genera
ton will spring next season. IF the
weevill is in your patch at all it is
doomed and you may as well destroy
it now as to let the weevil destroy It
later and carry on its destruction be-
yond the border Of your patch.
Y 'The people Of Kennewick and Rich