PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 53 



unsatisfactory. In our northern counties the complaint is often made 

 that the spraying is done at the wrong time of the year. Furthermore, 

 since this new law has passed and the relief for the horticultural com- 

 missioner has been raised, it will be possible for him to come in much 

 closer contact with the State Horticultural Commissioner. I think the 

 county horticultural commissioner ought to be requested to make, not 

 only a yearly report, but to make his report monthly, and the same 

 monthly report should also be given to the supervisors of his county. 



Now. another question which has been touched upon only mildly by 

 our Chairman is the fact that in some of the counties the board of super- 

 visors will be opposed to having a horticultural commissioner working all 

 the time. They will claim that there are some times of the year when 

 it is absolutely necessary that the horticultural commissioner should 

 be at work — for instance, during the time that the orchards should 

 be inspected for pests, or that the different nurseries will ship in their 

 products, and I rather anticipate some difficulties ; for instance, in our 

 county, in getting the board of supervisors to let the horticultural com- 

 missioner put in all his time at the work. Now, is it practicable to 

 appoint a fruit grower who has the interest of this industry at heart 

 or will it be better to appoint some one else ? This I would like to hear 

 a little more about. Mr. Jeffrey mentioned Yolo County, and I do not 

 know just exactly what he had in mind. I am from Yolo County, and 

 I don't know how many growers there are that are going to take this 

 examination. I am going to be one of them, for the simple reason that 

 even if I am not appointed it will be of advantage to me to pass this 

 examination successfully. But. on the other hand, it may be possible 

 that outside of myself there will not be another candidate. Our county 

 does not belong to the great horticultural districts of California, outside 

 of the Winters district and some 600 or 700 acres around Woodland, 

 and there is very little interest manifested in horticulture. The main 

 occupation of our farmers is the raising of grain or dairying, the raising 

 of alfalfa. 



PRESIDENT JEFFREY. Mr. Hecke. isn't it a fact that in your 

 county and in Tehama and all those counties the farmers are suffering 

 from weed pests? 



MR, HECKE. Yes. 



PRESIDENT JEFFREY. Isn't it a fact that the horticultural com- 

 missioners are authorized to exterminate weed pests ? 

 MR. HECKE. Yes. 



PRESIDENT JEFFREY. Then why isn't your county much inter- 

 ested in the enforcement of the law and why should your supervisors 

 not pay for the services of a man to exterminate weed pests as well as 

 fruit pests? I understand there are 17,000 acres in one farm in 

 Tehama County that has so much thistle in it they have abandoned it 

 and can not even pasture it. Colonel Irish is interested, because he has 

 land on the rrver and the seed is being thrown into it. 



MR, HECKE. The Johnson grass is overrunning one very fertile 

 district. Under this new horticultural law I understand that the horti- 

 cultural commissioner will have more power than heretofore, and I 

 think under it he will be able to compel the board of supervisors to 

 grant the necessary aid to exterminate the weed. 



PRESIDENT JEFFREY. Your county is just as much interested 

 in the horticultural law, being an agricultural county, if you take the 



