REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 79 



work on the subject could be distributed gratuitously, and, 

 rarely, I believe, has a state report found a more appreciative 

 class of readers. But there is one class of fruitgrowers hard to 

 reach. Their orchards and dooryards are prolific breeding 

 places for many dangerous foes to the fruit industry. Noth- 

 ing will help to convince them so much as a practical illustra- 

 tion. When they have seen a few of their more progressive 

 neighbors reap a clear profit of $100 per acre from well-kept 

 orchards bearing clean fruit, they will begin to understand, — 

 and many are being convinced this fall in my district from 

 just such illustrations. I believe a majority of the fruit pests 

 are more easily subdued or exterminated in our climate than 

 where the atmosphere is more humid. We do not have so 

 many broods of codling moth, the later broods doing the most 

 damage. The San Jose scale is diminishing, and in some 

 places is entirely gone. Owners of commercial orchards are 

 quite generally willing to spray. A carelessness exists on the 

 part of those "who see no money in it" tliat is hard to over- 

 come. In several instances I have found diseased fruit in the 

 market and I had the fruit and packages destroyed. I find 

 the dealers quite ready to co-operate with the horticultural 

 board in enforcing the law. 



One of the first fields to which my duties as commissioner 

 called me, was to Ontario, Malheur County. The K. S. D. 

 Company requested me to examine some of their young 

 orchards, wdiich were not doing well. The trouble proved to 

 be, not a disease or blight, but the eflects of the severe winter of 

 1897 and 1898 that had partially winter-killed some of the more 

 tender varieties. I advised them to trim the trees freely, cut- 

 ting out besides all dead wood the water-sprouts, and later 

 received a letter from the manager to the effect that the de- 

 sired result was obtained, and that the trees were assuming 

 a normal condition again. My visit was indeed a surprise 

 and pleasure. There are some large orchards in the vicinity 

 of Ontario, notably those of the K. S. D. Company, of one 

 hundred and thirty-five acres, and Mr. Van Gilsey's, of one 

 hundred and seventy-five acres. They are under a fine sys- 

 tem of cultivation. The land originally belonged to the arid 

 lands of Eastern Oregon, and has been brought into produc- 

 tiveness by means of irrigation. The soil, climate, and every- 

 thing here is especially adapted to fruit culture. They claim 

 to have produced apples weighing twenty-four ounces, and 

 peaches measuring twelve inches in circumference, on thisi 



