REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 35 



find auy San Jose scale south of Oregon City or west of the 

 Willamette River, so that by vigorous measures it may be 

 stamped out before it spreads all over the district. They ap- 

 pear to attack prune and pear trees, and currant bushes, in 

 preference to anything else. 



All kinds of aphis seem to have been especially active this 

 year. The black aphis attacked the cherry trees in May and 

 June in such numbers that it was feared for a time that the 

 trees would be ruined. In many places they were nearly de- 

 nuded of thcii* leaves, and even the fruit was covered with 

 the disgusting pest. Happily they disappeared with the com- 

 ing of settled warm weather, and I believe that with an ordi- 

 narily favorable season they will not do much damage. They 

 are difficult to fight, on account of their causing the leaf to 

 curl up around them, thus preventing the spray from reach- 

 ing them. Should tliey appear again next spring, I would 

 recommend a strong spray of quassia chips and whale-oil 

 soap, applied at the very first appearance. In the only or- 

 chard and nursery that I found where this pest was success- 

 fully combated this spray was used. 



The apple canker is everywhere, and is undoubtedly the 

 most serious disease confronting the Western Oregon orchard- 

 ist today. It is causing the utter ruin of man}^ young- 

 orchards, while but few growers seem to recognize the neces- 

 sity of fighting it. The knife, followed by frequent and 

 thorough washings and sprayings, is the remedy. Badly 

 diseased trees should be dug out and burned at once ; while 

 others may have the spots cut out and sprayed with bordeaux 

 mixture. As the spores ripen up, and are spread by the 

 wind in the fall, a strong spray applied immediately after 

 the leaves fall will be most efficacious. 



Many prune trees were killed by the last winter's freeze, 

 though the damage was not so great as was at first feared. 

 Two classes of orchards seem to have suffered the worst, the 

 neglected ones, and the overcultivated ones. The latter, 

 especially where planted on undrained soil, or with a southern 

 exposure, were almost ruined. Taking the district over, 

 probably fifteen per cent, of the prune trees have been de- 

 stroyed by the freeze. As is well known the prune tree has 

 alwa3^s suffered more or less from freezing of the trunk, in 

 this climate, and I believe that the so-called prune canker is 

 nothing more nor less than frozen trunk. I can see no remedy 

 but to wrap the trunk of every tree when planted, and keep 



