Fire Blight. 281 



REMEDIES. 



As soon as the bacteria are carried to young flower or wound, they effect 

 entrance, and living upon the sap and starch, multiply rapidly. If they gain 

 entrance along a limb or trunk, they live in the inner bark and cambium- 

 layer, — that layer which adds yearly to the growth of both bark and wood. 



It can readily be seen from this that they are well covered, and consequently 

 spraying does no good. The only remedy thus far found has been and is the care- 

 ful and continuous use of the saw and pruning knife. All diseased shoots and 

 limbs should be cut off at from six inches to one foot below the place of evident 

 infection or injury, as the bacteria has always gone down deeper into the limb 

 than seems to be the case from the outside. Many pruners have the habit of 

 splitting down the bark to see how far the disease has proceeded, but this practice 

 is to be condemned, as they never can see how far the disease has proceeded, 

 and the incision of the knife may carry the bacteria from diseased to healthy 

 tissues. If the blight is bad in either the pear or apple-orchard, the knife or saw 

 should be sterilised each time it is used, by either passing it through a flame 

 or dipping it into weak carbolic acid-water, or into kerosene. The pruned limbs 

 or fragments should be collected and burned and both pruning and burning should 

 be done mainly in the dormant season, before the sap has started, the bacteria 

 have awakened, and the bees are visiting the orchard. This is the best time for 

 pruning and burning, but not the only one; it should be done whenever the disease 

 makes its appearance. All large wounds should be painted over with paint as soon 

 as the tree is trimmed, to prevent the re-innoculation through the exposed tis- 

 sues. Where the blight is bad, even young shoots of water-sprouts should have 

 their cut bases painted, for it has been shown time and again that the limbs and 

 even trunks have been innoculated through these cut stubs. 



The pear is much more easily pruned for this disease than is the apple. 

 On the former it commonly manifests itself in dead or dying shoots, limbs, or 

 trunks, which can readily be cut away below the progress of the disease. On the 

 apple, however, it is commonly the shoots all over the tree, and especially the fruit 

 spurs and their clusters of flowers, which are most affected. Pruning here be- 

 comes a much more difficult and even serious undertaking. Where only a few 

 shoots and fruit spurs are affected these can be cut away close to the tree, and the 

 wound immediately covered with paint. Where, however, almost all of the fruit 

 spurs on the whole tree have died, the best way is to cut off entire and large 

 limbs, cover the wounds with paint, and stimulate the production of new shoots 

 and subsequent fruit spurs. Many such trees are to be found in and around 

 Boise, New Plymouth and many other places. In the former place my attention 

 was called by Inspector McPherson to a very interesting though sad evidence of 

 the efficacy of bees in spreading the disease. All the splendid large apple trees 

 near the hives were without exception seriously injured by blight, while as we 

 proceeded on radii from the hives the blight grew less and less, and almost dis- 

 appeared on the edge of the orchard farthest from the hives. 



OTHER HELPS. 



It has been often noticed that rapidly growing trees are more subject to 

 blight than slower growers, and that those in low ground or "swales" are more 

 subject than those on drier ground. Orchards should therefore be plainted 

 on well drained land, and should not be stimulated by too much water or too much 

 fertilizer. 



Though all of the varieties of the pomaceous fruits are subject to this disease, 

 as said before, some varieties have been found more subject to the attacks of 

 blight than others. Of the apples, the crabs of all kinds have been found very 

 prone to blight. Amongst the pear, in most places, the Anjou, Angouleme and 

 Seckel are most resistant ; Bartlet and Flemish Beauty are less so, while the Idaho, 

 Clapp and Winter Nellis are very subject to blight. 



