New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 179 



Winter Injury and the King Disease. — In the apple 

 orchards throughout Western New York one frequently comes 

 across trees on which the bark around the base of the trunk is 

 dead or loose or perhaps already fallen away, leaving the wood 

 exposed for a distance of one or two feet above the surface of 

 the ground. Sometimes the injury extends clear up to the 

 crotch and into the larger branches. This disease attacks sev- 

 eral varieties, but is especially troublesome to the Tompkins' 

 King, or King as it is commonly called. This variety is so sus- 

 ceptible to attack that the disease is generally known as the 

 " King disease," and the planting of the King in recent years has 

 considerably fallen off on account of it. The cause is unknown; 

 and our recent observations have thrown little new light on the 

 subject. That injury of this sort is sometimes winter injury 

 there is little doubt. The following case was evidently of that 

 nature: In April, 1899^ we examined, at Hall's Corners, an or- 

 chard which was 25 years of age and contained several different 

 varieties. For the most part the trees were in good condition, 

 but in a row of Baldwins, at about the center of the orchard, 

 there were ten trees with patches of bare wood extending from 

 12 to 18 inches above the surface of the soil. While the injuries 

 were commonly on the southwest side they were not confined 

 to that side, but occurred on all sides. On two trees the injury 

 extended clear around the trunk, but was bridged over by 

 several strips of living bark. Bridges of living bark were also 

 observed on some of the other affected trees. The margins of 

 the wounds were nicely healed over. The trouble was first 

 noticed in the spring of 1897 when the bark became loosened. 



Other Diseases. — Monilia fructigena has been occasionally 

 found rotting fruit on the trees. We have not met with water 

 core,^ core rot/^ or Atkinson's cedema.^'^ 



"Cobb, N. A. Water Core in Apples. Agr. Oaz. N. S. Wales, 2: 286-287, 

 1891. 



"Craig, J, Core Rot of Apples and Pears. Can. Exp. Farms Rept., 

 1896: 172-173. 



"Atkinson, G. F. GEdema of Apple Trees. Cornell Exp. Sta., Bui. 61: 

 299-302. . . . . 



