12 SI XTEENTH BIENNIAL REPORT 



The same is true of the inspector of Clatsop County, at Astoria. The work of 

 these officials, along this line, is done in Cooperation with the state inspector 

 appointed by this board. All these men are performing a great Service to the 

 horticultural interests of the state. The general farmer is also benefitted by 

 their labor, as may be seen from the large number of shipments of potatoes from 

 California which are inspected (and often returned) liy them for the dreadetl 

 tuber moth. It is gratifying to be able to record the appreciation of merchants 

 and commission men, for the work done by our board, as evidenced by their 

 hearty Cooperation with our inspectors, notably in Portland and Astoria. 



HOMER C. ATWELL, 

 Horticultural Commissioner, First District. 

 Forest Grove, Oregon, December 31, 1920. 



REPORT OF A. C. ALLEN, COMMISSIONER OF THE THIRD DISTRICT 



To the Honorable State Board of Horticulture : 



I hereby submit my report as Commissioner of the Third District. 



The Third District, comprising the counties of Jackson, Josephine, Douglas, 

 Coos, Curry, Klamath atid Lake, elnbraces a wide ränge of territory and for 

 the most part not easily accessible by rail. In every county are sufficient 

 horticultural and agricultural activities to Warrant a much greater supervision 

 than the funds available will permit. Being situated at the southernmost 

 boundary of the State, it has been incumbent upon the writer to watch particu- 

 larly for diseases which might be imported from California. This is particularly 

 true in the matter of potatoes, for certain districts of California are badly 

 infested with the tuber moth, which is a real and dangerous menace to the 

 State of Oregon. 



Under the quarantine now in effect the State Board of Horticulture is making 

 drastic efforts to prevent the importation of infested tuliers into the state. To 

 date the writer does not know of any infested potatoes having been grown within 

 the boundaries of Oregon and it is to be hoped that we can so safeguard ourselves 

 as to prevent this terrible pest from getting a hold here. 



Comparatively few of the potato growers of the State, and certainly hardly 

 any of the Citizens, begin to realize just what this means to Oregon. The fruit 

 growers realize what damage can be done by the codling moth — they have seen 

 its ravages and have an idea just what it costs them each season to keep their 

 fruit clear of this insect. I need not quote figures as to the loss to fruit growers 

 from this pest, as growers know only too well. Suffice it to say it runs up 

 well over a million dollars. When one stops to consider the items of spray 

 materials, labor, machinery and wormy fruit it is easily seen that one is more 

 likely to underestimate than to overestimate the loss. 



To impress upon the minds of those wlio may read this article I would say : 

 Consider what would happen to the potato crop of the state of Oregon should 

 the tuber moth become as prevalent as the codling moth. To the layman it 

 might occur that this moth can be controlled by sprays the same as the cotlling 

 moth. But this is a grievous error. Consider the fact that the tul)er moth, 

 which works on the tubers, confiues his activities to "sapping." In other words, 

 when the eggs, which are very minute, are laid on the plants or tubers. they 

 soon hatch into very small worms. These immediately bury themselves in the 

 stalks, leaves or tubers and are thus protected against any spray. This is 

 especially true where the larvae are hatched upon the tubers. These being 

 Underground it can be readily seen how impossible it would be to reach them 

 even if they should remain on the outside of the skin, which they do not. 



In an experiment which we made in Jackson County, we took two tubers 

 containing, as far as we could see, four worms. These tubers were placed in 



