STATE HOKTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 153 



qnently the exposed part is not killed. This seems to be due in part 

 to the small shadows that would be found among the cracks and 

 crevices of the bark. 



In a forest the closeness of the trees together forms a mutual 

 protection, but cut out part of the trees and it is well known that 

 part of the remaining trees will die while others will survive. Long 

 before I knew the cause I noticed that the beech tree, if thus 

 left standing by cutting away other trees, would always die in a few 

 years; while if allowed to grow up away from other trees, so that 

 its lower limbs formed a ]n-otection from the sun, it would make 

 a tine and vigorous growth. A young tree or a small limb does 

 not seem to be affected by the blight, for the reason that there is 

 so little surface exposed to the sun; a tree or limb will blight need- 

 ing the shelter from the wind that is found in a larger body, as well 

 as exposure to the sun. 



It is stated that bacteria are to be found in these sun-blighted 

 places. I do not doubt this, but, like the borers, they seem to be 

 there rather as a result than a cause. 



REMEDIES. 



The practical question that should be solved by such an in- 

 vestigation as this is, "What can be done to save the trees from 

 this disease?" As to a cure after a tree is once affected there 

 }>eems to be but little that can be done. Wrapping the diseased part 

 with a cloth, or, ])erhaps, by shading with boards, may protect the 

 tree from further injury. Young trees may, perhaps, be saved in 

 this way. The time to remedy the evil is when the trees are set, and 

 the manner in which they are subsequently trained. Setting the 

 trees so that they lean towards the south-west is a good means of 

 prevention. Our honorable Secretary says that trees set with an in- 

 clination of thirty degrees to the south-west are not likely to be 

 troul)lf'd with sun-blight. It may be objected that we do not want our 

 orchard to grow up with the trees leaning over so far. Our prevail- 

 ing winds are from the west, and the tendency will be to bring the 

 trees nearly perpendicular by the time they are firmly rooted. If we 

 seek for the reason why so many trees lean to the north-east, I think 

 it will be found in the fact that they were set vertical at first, but 

 the winds had turned them from this position. 



Another point is trimming. As a general thing fruit trees, 

 aside from cutting away the sjirouts around the body of the trees 

 near the ground, need very little pruning. They should be so headed 

 back that they will throw out branches not very far from the ground. 

 It is evident to me that we can not keep the limbs up high enough 

 to allow the ground to be readily plowed close up to the trees with- 

 out inviting disease. I saw an orchard near Cobden that contained 

 scarcely a sound tree. The owner evidently wanted to plant the 



