38 PROCEEDINGS OP THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



THE CHAIRMAN. Next we will have a paper on ''Pear Blight 

 and Its Control, ' ' by Mr. Howard Reed. 



MR. REED. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: We have had 

 so much of poetry and good feeling here this afternoon that I feel sorry 

 that I have a paper to read which has in it so much of disaster and heart- 

 ache on the part of some of our fruit-growers, including myself, but the 

 thoughts that I give you I speak from my heart, at any event. 



PEAR BLIGHT AND ITS CONTROL. 



By HOWARD REED, of Marysville. 



"Pear Blight and Its Control" is a subject that the California pear- 

 grower cares little about ; it is something he wishes to dismiss from his 

 consideration, something he prefers to forget, if one were to judge 

 by the deplorable condition of most pear orchards in California to-day, 

 and judging also by the half-hearted and unsuccessful efforts of the 

 pear-growers to combat the blight. I have therefore approached the 

 task of interesting this Convention in this subject with much misgiving. 

 I am, however, spurred on by the thought that there yet remains much 

 that might possibly be done toward saving the remnant of California 

 pear orchards, and also her apple orchards, which are as yet prac- 

 tically unharmed by the blight. There are also the pear and apple 

 orchards of our sister states of Washington and Oregon, which ought 

 not to be allowed to perish. 



Without going any further, I am frank to say that I have about as 

 much hope of making a trip to the moon as I have of seeing the proper 

 steps taken toward saving our pear orchards. I have long since resigned 

 myself to the fate of losing my pear orchard before many years shall 

 have elapsed. While I feel very strongly that this is an unkind fate 

 and in justice never should have come about, still I would not have you 

 regard me as a common scold because of the criticisms I shal] make of 

 those authorities and those conditions which I deem responsible for this 

 great misfortune. Only to live in California is too glorious an oppor- 

 tunity, too great a blessing, for one to be cast down by one misfortune. 

 I insist that I make these remarks only in the hope that some day, 

 some way, a condition of affairs may be brought about, whereby it will 

 not be permitted that such a calamity will overtake any other branch 

 of our great industry, if there be any possible way to prevent it. In 

 my opinion, California's pear orchards ought to have been saved. 



The only genuine effort that has been made to stop the ravages of 

 the blight has been carried on under the combined direction of the 

 Federal and State authorities engaged in horticultural work. This 

 work has generally been supposed to have been done under the Waite 



