THE MONTHLY BULLETIN 



CALIFORNIA STATE COMMISSION OF HORTICULTURE. 



Vol. IV. December, 1915. No. 12. 



REPORT OF THE STATE COMMISSIONER OF 

 HORTICULTURE. 



Sacramento, CxVLIfornia, November 27, 1915. 

 To his Excellency, Hiram W. Johnson, Governor of California. 



Sir: Pursuant to the requirement of section 2319/i of the Political 

 Code of the State of California as amended by "An act relating to the 

 State Commissioner of Horticulture," approved April 26, 1911, I here- 

 with submit for your information a brief account of the horticultural 

 condition of the State for the past sea.son ; a succinct statement of the 

 Avork of this Commission during the year which has elapsed since the 

 biennial report to the legislature of 1915, a copy of which is appended 

 herewith, emphasizing especially the three excellent laws enacted by the 

 recent legislature and approved by you, and a brief recount of the 

 accomplishments of this department during the four years of my 

 administration which terminated the nineteenth of last October. 



I transgress no rule of modesty when I state that I am very proud of 

 this record, for except I had had the aid of my exceptional, able, indus- 

 trious and loyal corps of helpers, no such record would have been 

 possible. 



The fruit growing industry has experienced a marked degree of 

 prosperity the past season. Nearly all crops have been remarkably 

 bountiful, the only handicap in the path of exceptional prosperity being 

 the low price of some of the products, which in the case of lemons and 

 peaches was discouragingly low. Cold Aveather in the East and the 

 unfortunate lowering of the tariff on lemons have really slaughtered 

 the profits of the lemon industry. The high price of labor in our State, 

 which we can not decry but must praise, and the long haul and high 

 transportation charges lay a heavy hand on the lemon industry and 

 make it hard for us to compete with the illy-paid labor and cheap 

 transportation of Sicily, even though the fruit is markedlj^ superior to 

 that of Italy. California grown peaches are likewise superior, and the 

 East can in no way compete with this State in the excellence of its dried 

 product of this fruit. This year thousands of boxes of peaches of 

 highest quality have decayed on the ground, though thousands of our 

 fellow citizens have been hungry for this kind of fruit. Standardiza- 

 tion and the new marketing commission can and will do much to remedy 

 this condition. 



To a less degree the olive has suffered because of low prices. Few- 

 fruits, if any, are superior to the ripe pickled olive in nutritious and 

 appetizing qualities. As with the peach the olive must be standardized. 

 The lawmakers can and must come to the succor of the olive growers, as 

 they have to the relief of the apple, vine and other fruit producers. 

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