PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 167 



We have it arranged with the three railroad transportation com- 

 panies, also with both electric roads and Wells, Fargo & Co., not to 

 deliver to any consignee plants or trees without a release from the 

 Horticultural Commissioner, and either before or at once after said 

 release they are carefully examined for any possible insect pest or 

 disease. 



If these plants or trees show to have been sent from a section under 

 the ban of our quarantine regulations, the plants are sent at once to 

 the office of the Horticultural Commission, where summary action is 

 taken, the same being as a rule perfect incineration in the court-house 

 furnace. If the shipment consists of trees from any objectionable por- 

 tion of the State or from other states, they are closely examined and 

 treated according as scale or disease may manifest itself —sometimes by 

 fire, sometimes by fumigation. 



The chief source of dangerous importation of dreaded insect pests is 

 by means of United States mail service. This latter source of convey- 

 ance may baffle our most diligent and careful attention, from the inborn 

 perversity of some person, or the want of a full appreciation by the 

 importer of the probable loss and injury to our fruit interest, by even 

 one small lot of plants from a Florida nursery infested with the 

 dreaded white fly. Thus far, I believe, only one lot of plants by mail 

 from Florida has gotten away from us, and that one has been under 

 constant surveillance during three years. All the others, six or more, 

 were destroyed. There have been a number by express, but these have 

 always been carefully inspected. Every lot and parcel of trees and 

 plants are inspected on arrival in the city, also reinspected before they 

 can be shipped away again. This course is always followed between 

 any two of our inspectors if in different portions of the county. With 

 all this watchfulness it can readily be understood that we are always 

 fearful that something will escape our scrutiny. 



The lover of the human race can not very well understand how any 

 person can deliberately be the agent to work such trouble, loss, and 

 injury as an infestation of the Florida white fly would cause our 

 orchardists if a colony should once become thoroughly established, still 

 we have continual proof that at least one nurseryman in Florida has 

 sent scale-infested plants to this section, and if their present attitude 

 is any evidence of their future intentions will continue to do so, and 

 over the State, so long as they can find some one in California to patron- 

 ize them. 



To give additional weight to the city inspector's troubles, we have 

 about 1.500 fruit and vegetable wagons, with fruit stands scattered at 

 many points over an area of from ten to sixteen miles. If one of those 

 should be found with scale-infested fruit the question at once arises, 

 where are the inspector's eyes. To fully understand what is expected 



