TWENTY-EIGHTH FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



95 



the Mexican Government became alarmed and sent out circular letters 

 to the Governors of the various States, urging them to use all possible 

 means to extirpate the pest, in order that the markets of the United 

 States be not closed against their oranges. In part the circular reads: 

 "This Department being desirous of contributing to the extent of its 

 powers, toward warding off an evil of such magnitude from the planters 

 of the country, has deemed fit to address this circular to you, urging 

 upon you the necessity of apprising all growers of the fruit in question 

 of the steps taken by the Horticultural Board of California, and of 

 encouraging them by all possible means to extirpate this pest, which 

 has justly alarmed said board." 



No oranges have been received as freight from Mexico since the ship- 

 ment was destroyed that arrived from Acapulco on Sunday, November 

 24, 1901, and referred to on page 198 of the Eighth Biennial Report of 

 the State Board of Horticulture. The shipper of that fruit arrived in 

 San Francisco on a subsequent steamer, and from him I learned that 

 the fruit was carefully inspected after it was picked, and again two 

 weeks later before it was packed for shipment. He had gone to all that 

 expense and trouble, as he intended supplying our markets with early 

 oranges for the holiday trade, if the fruit could be selected so that it 

 would pass inspection. We had no trouble in finding infestation in the 

 shipment, and it was burned. The introduction of such a pest into the 

 orange groves of California would soon seriously interfere with the 

 consumption of our oranges. 



It is difficult to detect a maggoty orange from external appearance, 

 and only internally when the maggots are full grown and have con- 

 sumed a good portion of the pulp. The maggot is the same color as the 

 pulp, with the exception of the sharp-pointed mouth, which is black. Very 

 few people would care to risk the possibility of eating from one to six- 

 teen maggots in each orange, so would not use oranges. The Pacific 

 Mail stewards and crews of the various steamers plying between San 

 Francisco and Central American ports have been instructed not to 

 bring any oranges or sweet limes, so we have no further trouble from 

 that source. 



During the time the opposition steamers were running between Chili 

 and San Francisco, via Mexican ports, we had to frequently take oranges 

 from the ships' storerooms and even from the tables just set for meals 

 and burn them in the ships' furnaces, in order to remove all possible 

 danger from infestation. 



In my report to the State Board of Horticulture, dated June 30, 1902, 

 I referred to a seizure of oranges on the steamship " Tucapel" that called 

 at Acapulco, Mexico. In the presence of the captain, several apparently 

 sound oranges were cut and found to contain maggots. He was so dis- 

 gusted that he declared he would " never purchase or again eat another 



