42 REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



apples this season has done more to open the eyes of fruit- 

 growers to the necessity of spraying than any other line of 

 action that could have been taken. It is manifestly impossi- 

 ble to compel every grower to spray for codling moth, but 

 when you prevent his selling his wormy fruit in the market 

 you at once touch his most vulnerable jjoint — his pocketbook. 



The most common way of spreading diseases of trees and 

 insect pests is by the shipping of nursery stock. To this- 

 point I have given my most careful attention and am sure 

 that nothing but good clean stock is now being sent out. 

 The nurserymen of my district have one and all seconded 

 my efforts cheerfully and heartily, inviting the most careful 

 and thorough investigation, and whenever anything wrong 

 was found, at once remedying the matter. 



Nursery stock is now shipped from the Willamette Valley 

 all over the Northwest, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and 

 even British Columbia looking; to this section for their best 

 trees. This part of the business should expand to great 

 proportions, and it will if care is taken to maintain the 

 present standard of trees shipped. It is universally conceded 

 that no better trees can be grown than are jDroduced here, 

 California has always been a heavy buyer of prune and 

 cherry trees from Oregon. 



It is encouraging to note that prices of nursery stock are 

 now getting up to a good paying basis. The prices of three 

 and four years ago, when prune and apple trees wholesaled 

 at two and three cents, were ruinous. A great deal of poor 

 stock was sold at that time simply because good stock could 

 not be produced at such figures. The present wholesale 

 prices of seven to ten and twelve cents is a fair and just one 

 to both producer and consumer. The best of trees can be 

 produced at a profit at these prices, and it is no hardship to 

 the planter to pay them ; in fact I should say it was a benefit 

 to him, for it will, if he wishes economize, cause him to 

 plant fewer trees to the acre, and also cause him to be more 

 particular as to what he plants and how he plants it. 



There is one point to which I think nurserymen should 

 give more careful attention, and that is to the selection of 

 their buds and scions for grafting and budding. Too fre- 

 quently these are taken from the nursery row, Avhich, of 

 course, can not be well ripened and matured wood ; the 

 tendency of such selection being to induce M'^ood growth in 

 the young tree at the expense of fruit growth. Buds and 



