Fighting the Orchard Pests of Puget Sound
A state board of horticulture meeting in Tacoma reveals new legislative plans to stop the spread of diseased nursery stock across Washington.
J. F. Cass, who represents the counties of King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island and San Juan in the state board of horticulture, was in the city yesterday, returning from a two days' meeting of the board at Tacoma. One of the questions discussed was a proposal amendment to the law by which the introduction of fruit pests into the state can be prevented. 'This country is inundated with nursery stock from the East and from Oregon which is badly infected with disease,' Mr. Cass said. 'We all agreed that there should be a law making it an offense to bring in, sell, give away or otherwise diffuse any nursery stock without having it first inspected and certified as being free from insect pest or disease.'
“This country is inundated with nursery stock from the East and from Oregon which is badly infected with disease.”
Agricultural biosecurity remains a constant concern for Washington's economy. The push for state regulation in 1894 mirrors modern efforts to control invasive species like the Japanese Beetle or agricultural blights that threaten regional fruit yields.
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