TWENTY-NINTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



11 



in with the things we eat. Along this trail are sufferers from dyspepsia, rheumatism, 

 appendicitis, all sorts of liver and kidney diseases, impure blood, impure complexions, 

 and all forms of stomach and bowel complaints. More suicides, crimes, vice, unhap- 

 piness, divorces, business incompetency, and ugly tempers are due to bad cooking and 

 impure food than to any other cause. 



The desideratum of this life is good health, and the sooner we devote 

 our energies to secure this, the sooner the greatest blessing that is pos- 

 sible on this earth will be realized. 



Insect Pests and Fungoid Diseases. — While the devastation by insect 

 pests is less by reason of a better knowledge of how to reach them by 

 sprays and fumigation and, more particularly, by the discovery and 

 distribution of parasitic insects, the fungoid diseases become more and 

 more alarming. We have no knowledge of how they appear, or of how 

 they spread. The mysterious vine disease, formerly confined to a small 

 area in southern California, is now in various localities in many parts 

 of the State, and just what will be the final result is a problem yet to 

 be determined. The pear blight is extending, and the large interests in 

 this branch of the fruit industrv are liable to be verv much reduced. 

 The walnut blight is terribly alarming. This fruit heretofore has been 

 considered the least susceptible to injury, and the easiest to manage in 

 gathering and marketing, requiring less labor for the returns, and, in 

 fair seasons, reasonably profitable. But our experience in the past few 

 years has made it uncertain how long we will continue to grow walnuts- 



At the Los Angeles meeting I pointed out the danger, notwithstand- 

 ing our efficient quarantine laws, of introducing insect pests worse than 

 those that have so far appeared in this State. These are the gypsy 

 moth, the Morelos orange-maggot, the Australian fruit-fly, and the 

 Hawaiian melon-maggot. As we extend our tree-planting, we broaden 

 the territory and increase the danger. It seems to me that from past 

 experience, we should realize the necessity of keeping more than one com- 

 petent investigator traveling in foreign countries. Only a few days ago 

 two carloads of Mexican oranges Avere ready for shipment to California. 

 The Southern Pacific Company, being aware of the danger of introduc- 

 ing insect pests into the State, refused to haul them. We have always 

 found the railroad companies ready and willing to assist us in 

 enforcing our quarantine laAvs. 



I have received reports from nearly all the County Horticultural 

 Commissioners in the State, in regard to the fruit conditions in their 

 respective counties, and in all of them appears the statement that the 

 codling-moth is very bad. Regarding this pest, which is prevalent in 

 every apple-growing district, I have copied the following extract from 

 the report of George Compere, published in the journal of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture of Western Australia, August, 1903, page 143: 



My attention was directed to that of the codling-moth {Carpocapsa pomonella). This 

 resulted in the discovery of no less than eight different species of parasites which 



