PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



195 



maturity. The line apple flavor does not develop and their keeping 

 qualities are impaired. We need a good apple for the Sacramento 

 Valley. Not only one good to the taste, but also of good keeping and 

 shipping qualities. "We hope to do something with this by a series of 

 experiments lasting perhaps ten years. 



Just now word comes to us that the olive men are in trouble. The 

 pure food law prevents them from using artificial coloring in pickling, 

 and the many-shaded product now put on the market is spoiling the 

 trade. We need to help these people out by producing an olive with 

 less bitter and a more uniform coloring, that the California product 

 may compete with that of Europe on the open market. 



Further, we believe it a part of experiment station's work to try 

 out all the new varieties of fruit offered by the various nursery com- 

 panies that we may be able to advise of their adaptability to valley 

 conditions, as well as to protect the farmers from fakers. New plants 

 from other states or countries should be tried by the experiment station, 

 and records kept of their probable value. Novelties and tropical plants, 

 such as the vanilla beau. tea. coifee. tobacco, and cotton, which at pres- 

 ent have no commercial value with us. should be tried out. if for no 

 other reason than that we may be able to properly answer the questions 

 of those seeking information. 



Still further, owing to the lack of a forestry department at the 

 University, the horticultural department at Davis is experimenting 

 with eucalyptus. A few hundred trees are being tried out in connec- 

 tion with our sewage disposal plant, and also of a few variety tests 

 are being made. Of course, we can but inadequately meet these require- 

 ments, but it seems that a subject carrying such a widespread interest 

 throughout the State as eucalyptus does should be officially represented 

 by the University, and we believe that it is not too much to hope that 

 in the near future the University Farm will have a department of 

 forestry to represent the State's leading commercial industry. 



From the educational side at the University Farm, we are predicting 

 great things for the future students in horticulture. Instead of the 

 one-year course in pomology Ave hope to offer four courses, with as 

 many more in allied branches of horticulture. At the present time the 

 successful orchardist must know how to spray, so we must introduce a 

 course to cover this need. Bush fruits offer a new field for the Sacra- 

 mento Valley farmer. So our school schedule ought to be enlarged to 

 include these. Floriculture needs to be given, that the coming farmer 

 may know how to grow, to care for. and appreciate the beautiful 

 flowers for which California is famous. In these days of country-life 

 commissions and agricultural high schools, rural art and home decora- 

 tion must be brought in prominence that real homes may be built and 

 their occupants made contented by the knowledge that they have the 

 best there is. 



The efforts in horticulture at the farm should not be devoted alto- 

 gether to question of production. Although the producing of bigger 

 fruits, of finer quality and flavor is important, yet we believe that it 

 is just as important to know that this same fruit is placed in the hands 

 of the consumer in a clean, wholesome condition. AVe believe in organi- 

 zation among the farming class, and we think the young student should 

 be trained along these lines in school, so that when he gets out and 



