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ping fruit to distant markets without the addition of ice. These are the 

 " Perkins process," with which most of you are more or less familiar, 

 and of which more will be heard before the convention adjourns, and the 

 carbonic acid gas process." Experiments in the latter line have been 

 very quietly conducted, but if reports are true concerning them a very 

 important discovery has been made. The practicability of the* Perkins 

 process has, I think, been fully demonstrated, and if either one does 

 what is claimed for it, it means a large saving to the fruit shipper, the 

 landing of our fruit at points of consumption in good condition, and a 

 possibility of reaching a much larger class of consumers than is now 

 possible. 



In 1881 the Board of State Viticultural Commissioners was created and 

 assigned to look after the interests and take necessary protective measures. 

 An advisory Board of Horticulture was chosen by them ; but viticulture 

 had reached a stable position and was making comparatively slow prog- 

 ress, while horticulture was developing with great rapidity. In 1883 

 the State Board of Horticulture was created by law. It is hardly neces- 

 sary to allude to the work of the Board since that time, for it is well 

 known to all of you, and I believe you will agree with me in the state- 

 ment that the present status of the fruit industry 'here is very largely 

 due to its efforts; but I must allude briefly to a few of its labors. Our 

 annual meetings are held under its auspices, and he is dull indeed who 

 does not go home with some new ideas which he can turn to profit, of 

 who is not benefited by attendance. The papers prepared for these con- 

 ventions by practical fruit growers have been published in our annual 

 reports, and reached thousands who were unable to attend, and by this 

 means the best methods have been widely promulgated over the State 

 and a great impetus given to the industry. It would not be doing jus- 

 tice to our indefatigable Secretary, Mr. Lelong, to whom so much of the 

 success of our work is due, were I to pass the subject without giving him 

 credit for the care with which he has discharged his arduous duties. 

 The publications of our Board have become world-wide authority on 

 horticultural subjects, and are sought for and quoted in both hemi- 

 spheres. Besides the broadcast distribution of information, we have con- 

 ducted numerous experiments, both in the cellar and in the field, which 

 have proved successful, all of which have been given to the public in 

 our publications. 



As new insects are continually appearing, also fungi not before ob- 

 served, in different countries, and trees from those countries are being 

 imported every year into our State, and as the inroads already made by 

 these enemies to fruit culture there are a serious loss to the growers and 

 have made it almost impossible for them to continue the business, we 

 have caused the inspection of every steamship arriving from foreign 

 countries, to prevent their possible introduction into this State. During 

 the year fully six hundred steamships and vessels have thus been in- 

 spected, and infected plants and trees numbering many millions have 

 been destroyed. A cargo consisting of some two thousand boxes of 

 oranges arrived from Mexico infested with a scale unknown in our State. 

 These were condemned and destroyed. Besides these, numerous animals 

 which have proved very destructive to fruit in Australia were found on 

 board of vessels and killed. Among these was the flying-fox, a pest 

 that has proved such a menace to fruit culture there that all sorts of 

 means have been employed for its extermination, but as yet without avail. 



