-■iS THIRTY-FOURTH i' ix ( iT-( AVJ-.K.-- ' (jjA \ i JuX . 



]\IR. FOWLER. Yes, I always examined them after tliey went to 

 the consignee, but that don't give us the protection we want, because 

 there are post offices scattered all through the ctjuntry, and we don't 

 know where the plants are going to. These thiiios* happen i?) ^h- 

 town where I live. 



MR. ROEDING. I will only supplement the remarks made bv 

 I\rr. Jeffrey by saying that I think the step which has been taken 

 relative to the prevention of the introduction of cotton seed into this 

 State is a good one, although I don't see where it makes any material 

 ilifj'erence to the fruit people of this State wh'ether the boil weevil 

 is introduced or not, because we are not in the cotton business, and it 

 is not likely that w^e wdll be. Nevertheless, this wedge that he has 

 introduced into the Agricultural Department on this one matter is 

 certainly a very important point to the fruit growers of this State, 

 and I think we should take active measures to support our Horticul- 

 tural Commissioner, so that no stock can come through the mail without 

 the Commissioner being aware of that fact. 



The danger does not arise entirely from nursery stock which is 

 shipped from different points in the United States, as far as California 

 is concerned, so much as it does the importation of stock from foreign 

 countries. The many pests which are known to exist in Australia, 

 New^ Zealand, and Japan can readily be brought through the mail, 

 particularly from those countries where the parcels post admits pack- 

 ages of from four to eleven pounds; and even more than- this, the 

 admission of packages of samples w^ithout value that are very rarely 

 examined can come from all parts of the world, and growers who are 

 not familiar with the dangers of the insect pests that exist in Africa 

 and other places I have mentioned might, without any intention, 

 do the fruit growers ef California an injury, simply through ignorance. 

 1 have not the least doubt that the introduction of the white tly in 

 Califori'ia was brought about by packages brought through the United 

 Stat growers who had no idea of injuring the fruit interests 



of t: e; but nevertheless, through the introduction of small 



packages, these pests were brought in. And were it not for the 

 action of the State commissioners in regard to it, it might have ruined 

 our entire interests. 



There is not a year that I don't receive orange cuttings, and I 

 invariably take active steps to wash those cuttings and fumigate them 

 before I allow them to be grafted on the trees where we want to 

 use them. This only illustrates how easily these things can be done 

 without the officials being aware of it. A man does not desire it. 

 and has not the slightest idea of doing the fruit industry of this State 

 any injury. 



CHAIRMAN PEASE. I think m\ Jeffrey can explain the matter 

 of the cotton boll weevil being introduced into the State. Oftentimes 

 we have a pest introduced, and .that pest does not confine itself to the 

 same plants that it was a pest on in the country where it came from, 

 and the quarantine against cotton seed would be fro*m the fact that 

 the boll weevil might transfer its attention to something that we have 



