318 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN, 



at Los Angeles we have been able to obtain a fairly complete control of 

 the situation, but this was accomplished by the personality and 

 persuasive powers of the two inspectors, George Compere and C. H. 

 Vary — not by any legislative action on the matter. The inspection of 

 material at these points and also others in different parts of the State 

 results in findings that justify a continuance of every effort to obtain 

 complete control of this means of entrance. The Avriter of this has 

 been connected more or less in the past with the various attempts 

 that have been made to interest congress in the matter of legislation 

 on this subject, especially so in reference to the present bill introduced 

 by Honorable John E. Raker in July, 1913. As a result of much 

 information acquired on this matter I am doubtful if California will 

 ever obtain her desires in this matter of inspection of plant material 

 arriving by mail as a r&sult of Congressional action. The inviolate 

 nature of the mail is a justly popular character of the service. Com- 

 paratively few states are vitally interested in this matter of insect 

 pests coming in on plants sent through the mails, as their principal 

 industi-ies are not affected by the same, consecpiently it will always be 

 a dillcult undertaking to obtain a working majority sufficient to 

 legislate against the present time honored customs of the United States 

 mail. There is, however, in my opinion a surer, swifter way to reach 

 this much to be desired end. The Postmaster General has it in his 

 power to accede to us in California all that we have been praying 

 Congress to do for us in this matter of inspecting plant material 

 arriving in the mails. The Postmaster General can grant this conces- 

 sion to us in such a manner as not to affect in any way the desires of 

 other states or interfere in any way Avith the present mechanics of 

 post office methods. All that is required is a general order covering 

 the subject and the situation is ours. With such a precedent established 

 for their guidance as general orders Nos. 6655, 6674 and 6675, Postal 

 Regulations, I hope the members of this convention here assembled 

 will devise a means for securing such an order before adjournment. 



CHERRY CULTURE. 



By A. C. Butcher, Sunnyvale, Cal. 

 Address delivered before State Fruit Growers' Convention, Davis, Cal., June, 1914. 



The cherry is our earliest tree fruit to ripen and opens the deciduous 

 fruit season in California. 



Cherries are grown in commercial quantities in the northern half of 

 the State only — mostly in the Bay Counties and the Sierra foothills. 

 This fruit does not seem to thrive in the interior valleys, or the southern 

 end of the State. There are about 500,000 bearing, and 330,000 non- 

 bearing cherry trees in California — Santa Clara County leading with 

 160,000 bearing and 220,000 non-bearing trees. San Joaquin, Sacra- 

 mento, Sonoma, Solano and Placer, are the other large producing 

 counties. Cherries were among the first fruits planted in the State. 

 The Bidwell orchard at Chico is well past the half-century mark, and 

 the Geiger orchard near San Jose is about fifty years old. Both of these 

 orchards are still bearing good crops. 



There are two general classes of cherries — the sweet and the sour. 

 Most of the cherries grown in the East are of the. sour class, and are of 



