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FRESNO COUNTY. 



To the Honorable State Board of Horticulture: 



Gentlemen: We note with pleasure the cheerfulness displayed on 

 the part of orchardists in Fresno County to comply with the law in ref- 

 erence to the destruction of orchard pests. The work of 1892 and 1893, 

 through the labors of the Board of Horticultural Commissioners of Fres- 

 no County, and the mutual aid of the orchardists generally, has proved 

 very effective in eradicating the San Jose scale, which at one time bid 

 fair to destroy almost the entire fruit interests of our county. We find 

 that frequently one thorough spraying of the sulphur, lime, and salt 

 mixture has proved sufficient to dispose of all scale, but a second appli- 

 cation a year later, when the work was well done, has in almost every 

 case under our observation left the trees clean and entirely free from 

 scale. 



Many of our orchardists are apprehensive of danger from the dread 

 disease known as "yellows," which exists in many of the Eastern 

 States and from whence fruit trees are liable to be shipped into our 

 midst. We believe our only safeguard to be the complete exclusion 

 from our State of all Eastern-grown peach trees or stock grown upon 

 peach roots. 



Root knot is also becoming quite a serious trouble, even upon our 

 home-grown trees. This commission has condemned, on account of root 

 knot, quite a large number of trees shipped into Fresno' County from 

 various portions of the State, and we believe that unless nurserymen 

 inspect their stock more carefully and cease to send out such trees for 

 planting, Horticultural Commissioners generally should condemn all 

 lots or invoices of trees containing any root knot whatever. 



Fresno County has a Board of three Horticultural Commissioners, 

 and they have divided the county into three districts, each one looking 

 especially after his own territory, although authorized to act anywhere 

 within the county if necessary. 



The total number of orchards inspected this year in Fresno County 

 is 635, containing 636,750 trees, of which 330 orchards, containing 

 260,750 trees, were found to be infected with pernicious scale, and 315 

 orchards, containing 376,000 trees, were found to be clean; most of the 

 latter were young trees. We have received from counties within the 

 State ' 104,500 trees; of this number a few hundred olive trees were 

 returned on account of scale. Also received into this county from 

 France about 500,000 pear stocks and ornamental shrubs. This com- 

 mission has also inspected 375,000 home-grown trees and 400,000 home- 

 grown vines, mostly free from disease and of healthy, vigorous growth. 

 Total number of trees inspected, home-grown and from other sources, 

 1,011,000. 



Very respectfully, 



J. R. BAIRD, 



President Fresno County Board of Horticultural Commissioners. 



