TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL FRUIT-GROWERS' CONVENTION. 



77 



The export field for California cured fruits has widened materially, and the demand "is 

 on the increase. The shipments for the season of 1899 will exceed in quantity any year 

 since the export business began. Early in 1898 the German government, at the request 

 of the Agricultural Society of Berlin, began to place restrictions on the importations- of 

 fruit from America, claiming that both fresh and cured fruit from this country was 

 infected with San Jose scale and other insect pests, and that the free admission of this 

 fruit into Germany would place the fruit industry of that country in imminent danger. 

 Rigid inspection was therefore had of all shipments arriving at German ports and 

 frontier stations, and upon a few shipments of California cured unpeeled pears there 

 were found, as a matter of record, specimens of San Jose scale— dead of course, but San 

 Jose* scale nevertheless. This discovery led to a temporary exclusion of both fresh 

 and cured fruits, but a vigorous protest on the part of our Government finally raised 

 the embargo. The German inspectors, however, persisted in making an examination 

 of all fruit shipments, particularly those from California. This caused California fruit- 

 shippers a great deal of trouble and annoyance and some loss of money by having to 

 reship all fruit held up by the German inspectors to some other country where it might 

 be sold. The bulk of such shipments was disposed of in England. 



The unsatisfactory condition of affairs caused the large San Francisco exporters to 

 call a meeting for the purpose of devising ways and means to meet, and overcome if 

 possible, these serious difficulties. The first meeting was held on Tuesday, December 

 13th, in the office of Messrs. Castle Bros. There were present at this meeting repre- 

 sentatives of the following fruit-exporting firms: The J. K. Armsby Co., Porter Bros. 

 & Co., Rosenberg Bros. & Co., Castle Bros., California Fruit Evaporating Co., Johnson- 

 Locke Mercantile Co., and Guggenhime & Co. Mr. J. A. Filcher, of the California 

 State Board of Trade, and B. N". Rowley, of the "California Fruit-Grower, " were also 

 present. This meeting resulted in the organization of the Associate California Cured 

 Fruit Exporters. 



After a very general discussion of the entire situation, the conclusion was reached 

 that the German government was following very closely in the footsteps of the fruit 

 quarantine inspectors in America, and particularly in California, for it is well known 

 that the latter had been keeping a very close watch upon infected trees and plants to 

 guard against the introduction of dangerous insect pests into this country. Hence, it 

 was thought well to commence the work of reform at home by the appointment of a 

 permanent committee, which consisted of B. N. Rowley, C. C. Kinsey, and M. 

 Loewenstein. 



This committee was instructed to undertake the work of conducting a more thorough 

 investigation and to assist in perfecting the fruit quarantine laws of this State, and to 

 render aid in all matters pertaining to fruit legislation and inspection of fruit intended 

 for export trade. This committee held frequent meetings and sought the advice of 

 Mr. Alexander Craw, the present Horticultural Quarantine Officer, B. M. Lelong, Secre- 

 tary of the State Board of Horticulture, and many others prominently identified with 

 the fruit industry of California. 



After consulting with the San Francisco commission merchants and fruit receivers, 

 this committee arrived at the conclusion that it would be impracticable, if not impossi-. 

 ble, to undertake the inspection of fresh fruits prior to their being shipped to foreign 

 countries, to say nothing of the task of inspecting cured fruit before shipping. Thus 

 far the difficulty in Germany and Switzerland has arisen over fresh apples and cured 

 unpeeled pears shipped into those countries. 



Fruit, fresh or cured, except prunes, arriving from America at any German port is 

 inspected, and if found infected with scale, dead or alive, is refused entry, and ordered 

 reshipped to some other country. Such consignments have heretofore been generally 

 reshipped to England and there sold. Fully recognizing the importance of retaining 

 the German markets for California cured fruits, and at the same time recognizing the 

 legitimate action on the part of the German government in its efforts to keep out 

 injurious insect pests, as the German laws and methods are perhaps less stringent than 

 our own, this committee sought to reach the root of the evil by as direct a route as 

 possible— that of destroying the home market for scaly infected fruit, thereby rendering 

 it necessary for the grower to have his orchard inspected, and making it obligatory for 

 him to rid his orchard of scale and other insect pests. 



