SOCIETY OF CENTEAL ILLINOIS. 16B 



Man, whose power arrests disease and decay in the animal 

 organism, and who has recently learned that, in surgery, a wound 

 need never suppurate, or run matter, if, soon as the wound is pro- 

 duced, it is instantly enveloped in something which keeps it from 

 the air, so that bacteria from the air can find no lodgment, but will 

 heal healthfully and quickly from the power of the vital forces 

 within. Can it be, that man is not able, with proper study and 

 investigation, to cure the diseases of the vegetable kingdom, — like 

 our apple, pear, and other trees, — which, undoubtedly, are caused 

 by bacteria or micro-organisms? 



Now you will bear in mind that to properly consider and under- 

 stand the cause and progress of this decay of our orchards, it will 

 bring us into scientific research, and we must of necessity describe 

 the micro-organisms which exist in the air, and which, we believe, 

 are causing such a terrible work of death among our apple trees. 

 Travel east or west, through the central portion of our State, and 

 you see plainly this decay, not a single orchard is exempt ; and 

 where, a few years since, these fine, thrifty orchards stood so grace- 

 fully, now but a few lone sentinels remain to tell of the sad epidemic 

 which has swept off from one-half to nine-tenths of most of our 

 apple orchards. The young orchards of three or four years are farc- 

 ing the same. 



All manner of causes are assigned by different people. Some 

 say it is caused by the hard winters. Let us think a moment; can 

 this be the cause? Did we not have as cold winters previous to this 

 decay, which has all come upon us in the past six or eight years? 

 Some say it is caused by root grafting on pieces of root. If so, why 

 have they not died before, or why are such trees sound and healthy 

 in New York, Michigan, and other places? 



Others consider it as being caused by atmospheric influence. 

 Probably the latter theory comes nearest the fact; for the atmos- 

 phere is the vehicle that brings these unseen living things in contact 

 with our trees. The freezing, or sun-scalding of trees, caused by late 

 growth so the wood does not sufficiently ripen or mature, some of the 

 sap is arrested in the wood cells before it returns to the roots; or, 

 over-bearing of fruit, or any other means that may weaken the 

 vitality of the trees, renders them an easy prey to the bacteria, which 

 effect a lodgement wherever the bark is broken or weakened, just as 

 these micro-organisms get into a wound in the animal organism, and 

 by rapid increase and action, like yeast or leaven, affect all the blood 

 of the body, and when thus poisoned, death is the result, so they 

 work in the sap of a tree, which may be called vegetable blood; and 

 if suffered to remain, if the affected branch or limb is not removed, 

 amputated early and before the sap goes down in the fall to mingle 

 with the good sap of the tree, then the bacterized sap leavens and 

 poison all the sap, so that the following spring when the sap rises and 



