THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 765 



estimated). Pear blight has been known to be in the district since 

 1907, so that the growers have had to contend with it for seven seasons. 

 It would seem that some very good work has been done in the control 

 of this disease, as the increased sliipments demonstrate. When pear 

 blight came into the Rogue River Valley from the California districts 

 the growers, finding it impossible to get any help from their own state 

 institutions, appealed to the federal government for aid, which was 

 immediately forthcoming. After the United States Department of 

 Agriculture had demonstrated the control of blight the growers, feel- 

 ing the necessity of continued supervision, established a county pathol- 

 ogist's office, the lirst of its kind in the United States. This office 

 continues the work hrst undertaken and carried to success by the 

 Department of Agriculture. ' The fact that pear growing is on the 

 increase in the E-ogue Jtiiver Valley is due to the efforts of the growers 

 themselves. When they found that there was no possibility of getting 

 help within their own state they immediately set out to help themselves. 



it has been stated frequently that pear blight is a disease of pome 

 fruits on the American continent; however, it is now known that the 

 disease has secured a foothold in Europe. It has been reported from 

 at least three countries in Europe, and while it has not yet shown great 

 virulence we are anxiously awaiting what will likely happen when the 

 disease reaches the line pear districts of Holland, Belgium and France. 

 Now that the disease is in Europe, and will likely spread to the better 

 pear sections, we should more than ever feel the necessity of guarding 

 our pear interests in the better pear-growing sections of the United 

 States; for pear- blight anywhere usually means reduced acreage and 

 reduced crops — therefore higher prices. Undoubtedly the countries 

 of Europe will make every effort to prevent the spread of this disease, 

 but the disease being new to them, and not being fully understood by 

 them so far as control is concerned, will mean that there must be some 

 loss once the disease enters a district. 



Does pear growing pay 1 Does it pay to control pear blight ? Aside 

 from pear blight, the pear tree is troubled less by insect and fungous 

 pests than is its near relative, the apple. Furthermore, blight is no 

 more severe in the more susceptible varieties of pears than it is in 

 many varieties of apples, notably Spitzenberg, Alexander, Transcend- 

 ent Crab and many others. The question as to whether it pays to 

 control blight may be easily answered by giving the average prices 

 over a six-year period for pears shipped from the Rogue River Valley. 

 The prices given are those obtained through the association as well as 

 by individual growers, and represents f. o. b. averages for the first and 

 second grades. The average prices received during the years 1907 to 

 1912, inclusive, are as follows: Bartlett, $1.35; Winter Nelis, $1.65; 

 Howell, $1.95 ; Bosc, $2.30 ; Cornice, $2.45 ; Anjoa, $2.50. 



All appl-e growers throughout the Northwest know what it costs to 

 raise a box of apples, and, taking everything into consideration, we 

 have found that it costs somewhat less to raise a box of pears. 



The future of pear growing in any district will depend upon the 

 ability of the growers to control pear blight. If they are unwilling to 

 co-operate and carry out the work of eradicating the disease, which is 

 the only method of control, it will be just as well for them to pull out 

 their pear trees and have the agony over. For the district which will 

 control pear blight the disease may be considered a blessing in dis- 



