sonal inspection that no nurseries on this coast or in the East are freer from insect pests than are those located in this district. The owners of them understand the value of spraying, and under the direction and advice of the Board have been very successful.

In this connection, I beg to submit extracts from reports made to me by Mr. George I. Sargent, who acted as Inspector for me when unable to go myself: "In compliance with your request, I hand you a short report of the work done in your district by me, showing the general condition of the orchards and what success we have met with in creating the determination among the orchardists to eradicate the pests in their districts. You have received at different times reports of the orchards visited and of the pests found therein. So I will only endeavor in this report to show that actual work has been commenced in districts where heretofore nothing has been accomplished, and a partial list of the results obtained with the various washes recommended. At Milwaukie the San José Scale had a firm foothold, and they used the salt, lime and sulphur wash for winter use and the kerosene emulsion for a summer wash in killing the Green Aphis, which literally covered some of the trees." The following letter from Mr. Uren will show what has been accomplished in his vicinity: "Yours of the 31st inst. to hand. The results obtained in this neighborhood thus far from spraying depends very much on the thoroughness with which the job was done. Mr. Peter Walker has good results from the lye and rosin mixture. J. C. Bennett, R. Scott, Seth Lewelling, A. Lewelling, and M. Phale are so far pleased with the lime, salt and sulphur wash, and J. Lambert and W. Lewis also tried it with fair results, but failed to make it strong enough. I do not think of any others, but all these are partially or wholly the result of your visit." At Newburg only one case of the San José Scale was found, and that only on a few young trees. The lime, salt and sulphur wash was used on those trees; and when I happened to be in that vicinity this spring, I was requested by the owner to examine his trees, and could not find a single live Scale. He thinks it the most effective he ever used. For Woolly Aphis he tried the kerosene emulsion. In every vicinity visited I found the same general condition of things with the exception of the San José Scale. In many instances people did not know the pests, and in others they simply did not care. I found that some antagonism to the Board existed, caused by a misunderstanding of the Board's meaning and instruction; and as soon as that was made entirely plain, a desire and willingness to aid the Board in its work was expressed; and I am sure much will be done at once toward eradicating the pests, and the Board can feel satisfied of their hearty coöperation.

The year 1892 will be long remembered by the fruit-growers of Oregon as the first "off year on all fruits except Petit d'Agen or French Prune, which came to the rescue of all others who were fortunate enough to have a few acres of this choice fruit, and substantiates my former assertion that Oregon is a prune-growing country par excellence in growing them so sweet, so abundant, and so large that they are being shipped in sacks and used as top layers in the packing of prunes grown in other States and countries of a much inferior quality. I am still of the opinion that the Italian Prune can nowhere be grown so fine as in Oregon. My advice remains that in planting prune orchards, plant one-third Petit d'Agen and two-thirds Italian.

NUT-BEARING TREES.

When speaking of these, the French Walnut, known to the trade as the English Walnut, is uppermost in my mind, as the commercial value of these are far ahead of the Pecan, Hickory, Chestnut, and other eatable nuts. With all of these fruits my experiments have been very successful, even beyond my most sanguine expectations. The Walnuts I gathered from my trees this fall were not only as large as the best imported nuts, but were well filled and exceedingly sweet and nutty. I am very earnest and enthusiastic on this subject, and feel that a new branch and source of revenue has been opened up to the farmer and fruit-grower of Oregon. For more specific information on this subject, I respectfully refer you to a paper on "Nut Culture," read by me at a meeting of the State Horticultural Society held at Grants Pass last spring.

In closing my report, I regret that I am not in position to give you a detailed report of the transactions of the Nicaragua Canal Convention, which meets in the city of New Orleans on the 30th, to which I have been honored as a delegate from the Chamber of Commerce of Portland. The benefits to be derived from this national work by the fruit-growers of Oregon can only be surmised at this time; but when we consider the reduction of freights to both the Eastern States and Europe, and the possibilities of shipping on board steamers in cold storage our green fruits to these markets, we cannot help speculating as to the ultimate results. Those having orchards, or who are now planting, or are contemplating planting will certainly be largely benefited when this great canal shall be completed, the practicability of which is conceded by all who have given the question any thought.

Yours very respectfully,

HENRY E. DOSCH, Commissioner District No. 1.

REPORT OF COMMISSIONER, SECOND DISTRICT.

To the Honorable State Board of Horticulture—

GENTLEMEN: My district, comprising Marion, Linn, Lane, Polk, and Benton counties, stands foremost in the extent of available lands adapted to the production of the deciduous fruits. The territory covered in my jurisdiction lies in the very heart of the Willamette Valley, and as a fruit-growing center is developing very rapidly; there having been planted, as nearly as I have been able to ascertain without making an actual census, an area of about 8,000 acres, chiefly prunes, since the winter of 1886 and 1887, when the first start in this direction of any importance may be said to have fairly begun. The acreage in the respective counties is about as follows: Marion, 2,500 acres; Linn, 500 acres; Lane, 1,500 acres; Benton, 2,000 acres; Polk, 1,500 acres.

In the past two years by far the greater percentage of the plantings have consisted of the Italian and Petit Prune, the former leading by about 75%. While there has been quite a percentage of peaches set, say 5% of the entire acreage, plantings in pears, apples, and cherries have fallen off considerably since the report of my predecessor, the late Mr. Wallace. Speaking of apples (page 74, First Biennial Report of your honorable body), Mr. Wallace said: "Our old apple orchards are rapidly going into decay, and will in a few years either be dead or so worthless as to no longer pay for the ground they occupy; and unless more apple orchards are set out, and better care taken of them, my district will not produce enough apples to supply the retail demand." And he urged the people of his district not to neglect other fruits for the prune, "especially the apple, which is naturally adapted to our climate;" but I have to report that this sound advice has not been followed to any great extent. I find comparatively few young apple orchards in my district, and only on those, few in number, in which an unceasing warfare against the Woolly and Green Aphis has been carried on can we rely to produce good fruit. I find the Woolly Aphis in my district has come to stay, and when driven from the orchard takes to the woods and finds lodgment among the wild crab and the apple seedlings that are scattered here and there, watching its opportunity to catch the fruit-grower napping. It has got such a firm hold among us that every fruit-grower must fight it in his own orchard. I find this has been successfully done by a number

of orchardists in my district, whose method of treatment I will note further on. Since my appointment in April last I have made a tour through the different counties in my district, and have carefully noted the development of orchard planting in the various localities, each of which has to contend against the same class of insect pests and fungoid diseases; namely, the Codlin Moth, Green Aphis, Woolly Aphis, Slug, Borer, Apple and Pear Scab, and Powdery Mildew. I have found but one case of San José Scale, and that was confined to two young pear trees in Mr. John Hart's orchard, south of Salem; and when I pointed them out to him he promised to destroy them by digging up the trees and burning them. These trees were bought two years age from a dealer in nursery stock, and it is thought they came from California. If there are any other orchards in my district infected with the Scale I have been unable to find them. However, Dr. Sharples of Eugene, informs me that there are some trees in his city thus infected; and it is quite likely that there are trees in other large towns in the same condition.

FRUIT CROPS.

The fruit crop in my district, excepting cherries and small fruits, was very light this year, owing it is thought to the prolonged rainy weather while the fruit was in bloom and after it had set; however, in exceptional localities with certain varieties there was a fair yield. Mr. Ira Burley in Polk County, for instance, had between 500 and 600 bushels of Petit Prunes in his five-year-old orchard of 600 trees. This orchard is located on a rather steep east slope. Mr. J. P. Shepard, near Zena, Polk County, had a full crop of Petites on his thirteen-year-old trees, while his younger trees were lightly loaded. Apples were so scarce that orchardists generally did not consider them worth spraying, and as a result what few there is are badly worm-eaten. The crop of cherries, however, was up to the average, and better in quality than last year's crop. Also the yield of small fruits was heavy and the quality generally good.

It should not be inferred from the foregoing that the Petit Prune is a surer bearer than the Italian. Mr. Burley had none of the latter in his orchard, and Mr. Shepard had none of the age of the Petites mentioned. His younger Petites showed no better returns than his Italians of the same age, and I have been unable to distinguish any superiority of the Petit over the Italian in this respect where they are grown side by side and treated the same way. I have noted this characteristic carefully this summer wherever I have been, as the idea seems to obtain among a good many that the Petit is a surer bearer than the Italian. In my own orchard the difference has generally been the other way. The

Silver in many localities failed entirely this year. This variety is growing in disfavor in my district on account of its constitutional weakness. I find it doing better in the vicinity of Eugene than in any place I have visited.

WOOLLY APHIS.

I find where the lye and rosin washes, recommended in the bulletins issued by the Board, have been used for the Green and Woolly Aphis, their destruction has been certain and prompt; however, apple trees treated with these remedies have been injured some by leaving the bark rough.

Mr. F. J. Beatty of Chemawa showed me some fine young trees thus injured. He used successfully the following for the Aphis: 2 lbs. bar soap, 2 lbs. waste tobacco to 50 gallons of water; boil tobacco to dark coffee color; mix thoroughly. Trees treated with this remedy were left smooth and bright.

This treatment was used on the apple orchard at the Indian Training School in the summer of 1891 for the Woolly Aphis, which had become badly infected with it-so much so that considerable complaint was made by the people in the neighborhood. I inspected this orchard last May and July and found it absolutely free from that insect and also from the Green Aphis, and I am informed by Mr. Beatty, whose orchard adjoins, that it had not made its appearance there up to the month of October last.

An apple orchard in Linn County, near Albany, treated two years ago for the Woolly Aphis, then badly infected, is now perfectly free, none of the insects having appeared since being treated. The lye and rosin wash was used. This orchard formerly belonged to Mr. Gross of Portland, who was for many years proprietor of the Albany depot hotel. It is considered one of the best kept small orchards in Linn County, and it certainly had that appearance when I visited it a few weeks ago.

Mr. H. W. Cottle, who has a fine apple orchard just north of Salem, reports splendid success with the following, taken from the report of the California Board of Horticulture: Summer washCaustic soda (98%), 1 pound; rosin, 6 pounds; water, 40 gallons; cook thoroughly at least three hours. I visited this orchard last ·July (6th) and found it in a thorough state of cultivation-in fact, one of the best kept orchards in my district; but Mr. Cottle, residing in Salem, had not observed the advent of this dreaded insect, which I discovered to exist in great quantities, until I called his attention to it, when he immediately set his man to work, with the result stated.