184 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1924, 



Mr. Buchanan. Doctor Taylor says it is not an insect, and I am 

 willing to take his word for that. 



Mr. Patterson. If there are no further questions, I do not want 

 to take up any more of your time. 



STATEMENT OF DR. WILLIAM A. TAYLOR, CHIEF, BUREAU 



OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



Doctor Taylor. T understood that my presence here was to he, in 

 diplomatic language, merely that of an observer. As to this par- 

 ticular item not being included in the Budget, or the S2,000 provision 

 for this particular pecan scab. I will say that we have at present 

 available for use SS2,000, of whirh $S.0()0 is devoted to pecan dis- 

 eases. That suffices, in addition to the amount for field expenses 

 that are necessary for the employment of one pathologist continuously 

 on that work, and of one or two temporarily during the growing 

 season. We need one additional year-around man as an assistant, 

 and it will cost practically .S2,000 to get him. Then we will be in 

 shape to hit this problem hard, and we believe we will be able to 

 secure results that are important considerably sooner than we coidd 

 with our present funds. Mr. Patterson has correctly stated the 

 urgency of the matter. One fea'ture that may be worth mentionin-j 

 is this, that in the control of this fungi which, necessarily, must be 

 through spray applications, we hav^e a very narrow margin of possible 

 success. We must use a fungicide that is strong enough to kill the 

 fungi and yet not strong enough to hurt the trees. There is a risk of 

 defoliaging the tree, with consequent harm to the crop. We want a 

 fungicide that will answer the purpose under any climatic conditiiMis. 

 For that reason we will have to continue this work for several seasons 

 in that same locality until we are sure of the formula and of the 

 application schedule. It is a very meritorious proposition, and one 

 that we will be very glad to administer if the fun(h are available. 



STATEMENT OF HON. CHARLES R. CRISP, A REPRESENTA- 

 TIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF GEORGIA. 



Mr. Crisp. Mr. Chairman, I had not intended to say anything on 

 this subject. I am very much interested in this proposition, how- 

 ever, my district being largely engaged in the pecan iiulusti-y. Judge 

 Park's district, which atljoins mine, has older orchards. Our peopli' 

 are confronted with the necessity of learning to diversify, and many 

 of them have begun to diversify by putting out large pecan orchards. 

 1 believe very much in the future of the pecan industry, and 1 believe 

 that if you make the appropriations liere nro|)oseil they will be 

 instrumental in solving this trouble that has been described to you. 

 I hope you will give this request careful and favt)rable consideration. 



STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK PARK, A REPRESENTATIVE IN 

 CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF GEORGIA. 



Mr. Paijk. Mr. (Iiairmmi. (ho investors in these pecan groves are 

 not all local people. A great many of them are from Detroit, wh(» 

 liu\ (' boughl up r)-acre tracts, and a number of (hem are from Chicago, 

 Pittsburgh, and othei' like cities. There must be between seven 

 and eight million dollars invested by these people. A good many 



