The War on the Codlin Moth
A state fruit inspector’s crusade against blighted orchards in Dayton sparks a legal showdown over diseased trees.
Hon. P. M. Jesse, state fruit inspector, visited Dayton on Wednesday and Thursday to examine fruit in local stores and orchards. While he found only one infected lemon in town, his survey of the orchards revealed a widespread infestation of woolly aphis and codlin moth. Inspector Jesse issued orders for the infected orchards to be disinfected or destroyed by March 15. During his visit, the inspector condemned the McAboy orchard. A dispute has since arisen, as McAboy refused to pay for the trees involved, claiming they were already diseased, and A. Kneff—who supplied them—has brought a lawsuit. The case is set for the next term of court, where Inspector Jesse has been subpoenaed as a witness for the defense.
“He found nearly every orchard in town infected with woolly aphis, and some had codlin moths. The inspector ordered the orchards disinfected or destroyed before March 15.”
Long before Seattle’s current housing or tech booms, the state's economy was anchored by the precarious health of its agriculture. This 1892 report on codlin moths and orchard liability mirrors the eternal Washington struggle to balance private property rights against public safety and ecological health.
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