The Hidden Costs of Invasive Pests
A single discarded fruit box from California brought the destructive San Jose scale to a local orchard, illustrating the need for strict quarantine measures.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The need of strict means of quarantine against California fruit pests has a vivid illustration in this county. L. D. Morris, of the Ahtanum, had a fine orchard, which he valued at over $5,000. One day a box which had contained California fruit was taken to his place and left under one of the trees. It was not long before the San Jose scale had attacked that tree and the pest soon spread and covered the entire orchard. The State Board of Horticulture at its recent session decided that the most effective work in dealing with fruit pests could be done in the winter when the trees are in a manner dormant. To penetrate the wooly material with which the eggs of many noxious insects are surrounded and the scales of the San Jose pest, a strong wash is needed, and one can be used in the winter that is five times stronger than one which would injure the foliage at another time. Lyes and sulphur can be used in the off season without injury, to say nothing of soap and kerosene emulsions.
“One day a box which had contained California fruit was taken to his place and left under one of the trees. It was not long before the San Jose scale had attacked.”
The tension between regional agriculture and imported goods is historic. The threat of invasive pests introduced via packaging continues to define the strict regulatory landscape for Washington fruit growers today.
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