Report of A. H. Carson. 37 



APRIL MEETING, 1908 



To the Honorable State Board of Horticulture: 



Present conditions of the fruit industry for the Third District 

 are very favorable. Tlie winter months past have been very favor- 

 able to all kinds of fruits. Twenty-six degrees was the lowest 

 temperature had during the winter, with no excessive rains or 

 floods to injure orchards on any kind of soil. March, being a cool 

 month, has retarded blooming of all Idnds of fruits, which makes 

 it possible for us to escape late frosts should they occur. Apple, 

 pear and peach trees will bloom very heavily, and, barring a late 

 frost, the present prospects for a large crop of fruit is very prom- 

 ising. The only objection to such heavy bloom is if the grower 

 neglects to properly thin his overloaded trees the grade of fruit 

 will not be up to the standard that brings the grower the largest 

 returns for his products. 



With the heavy blooming promised now, the grower should be 

 warned that his profits will be greatly augmented by careful 

 thinning, and it is a detail he should not neglect. I will urge this 

 subject, and request all county inspectors in my district to urge 

 the growers to devote the labor necessary to assure the best, as 

 only the best of all fruits can stand transportation charges to 

 Eastern markets where all Oregon fruits are so much in demand. 



COUNTY INSPECTORS. 



During the past winter the inspectors of the Third District have 

 been active and have accomplished much good. In Douglas County, 

 Inspector Riddle has been on the road every fair day during the 

 winter. He has caused many to spray that heretofore have been 

 negligent. He has condemned many old, worthless orchards and 

 caused them to be dug up and burned. Inspector Eisman of 

 Josephine County has accomplished much commendable work, and 

 all said of Inspector Eiddle's work in Douglas County can be said 

 of Inspector Eisman. In Jackson County Inspector Taylor has a 

 large field to cover, with 25,000 acres of apples and pears to inspect, 

 about 5,000 acres of peaches, besides imported tree inspection he 

 has had to look after during the winter, has made him a busy man. 

 It is believed that through Inspector Taylor's industry the pear 

 blight that threatened Jackson County pear orchards is under full 

 control. A tree-to-tree inspection by Mr. Taylor, and his teaching 

 the growers how to identify hold-over pear blight has done much 

 to lessen the possibilities of this disease working destruction to the 

 pear orchards of Jackson County. The source of infection from 

 pear l)light comes from these hold-over cases, and where the hold- 

 over blight is found and destroyed, this removes the source of next 

 year's spread of the germs of this dreaded disease of the pear. 



