Malathion Spraying for Citrus Goes With the Southland Turf

I’d like to address this to all the people complaining and picketing the malathion spraying--from a native Californian of over 50 years.

Not too long ago, Southern California, and especially Orange County, was almost all fruit tree groves, especially citrus fruit. Smudging and spraying was used daily.

Then came the millions of people from other states and the Medfly brought in by the inconsiderate tourists who thought stopping people at the border and asking about fruit was a joke--and slipped in diseased fruit.

Then the out-of-state developers came in and the orchards began to disappear. Where now sit millions of houses owned by people who don’t care about the fruit industry and its survival are cemeteries of the groves.

Some people are calling the spraying political and, yes, financial. Our fruit trees have been uprooted, their dead roots baking in the hot sun, and now some people want to kill off the few remaining ones by letting them rot to the flies.

The spraying of malathion comes with the territory, along with smog from the cars, polluted water, overcrowded freeways, drought and over-developed land--just so we can all live in sunny California. Hawaii has already been hit hard with the Medfly; Alaska has had her round with oil, and the lower 48 (47, excluding California) are other choices to live in peace, harmony and no spraying. Of course, cotton, tobacco, and marijuana don’t require the fruit tree spraying, and many other industries can replace the sweet taste of healthy fresh fruit.

EVELYN ELIAS FERNANDEZ

San Clemente