REPORTS OF LOCAL SOCIETIES. 273 



Tliere was a long discussion followed the reading of this essay, but not mucli 

 was said that Avas not embraced in the essay. President Lyon, of tlie State 

 .Pomological Society, was present and gave some of his experience, which was 

 quite encouraging to those present. He said he had seen no better way to 

 treat the disease than to exterminate tlie tree root and brancli. It was no new 

 •thing, it prevailed a hundred years ago, and likely would sliow itself for all 

 time to come. This hundred years of study and experience had not led to the 

 discovery of any knowledge of its origin, cause, or cure. This was not 

 remarkable. It was the same precisely with contagious diseases in the human 

 family. The best physicians in the land, have given to these subjects the 

 most careful study, and tlie most elaborate experiments, and yet no physician 

 has as yet discovered anything that would throw light upon first causes. 



We do not the less honor the profession for this failure. What thcv have 

 discovered is of vast importance and we give them credit accordingly. They 

 have learned their effect, and the best way to prevent the dangerous results 

 which once attended these loathsome diseases. They have learned if you would 

 avoid the disease you must avoid the contagion. And so it is with the yellows 

 in the peach tree. We cannot take up and remove our orchards as we can our 

 persons on the approach of the disease ; but when we have found where it has 

 made a lodgment in any particular trees we can take them up and remove 

 them out of the way, and thus remove the danger which threatens others. 

 There are still as many opinions among fruit men as ever, as to how the dis- 

 ease was spread, but he believed it was more generally considered it was spread 

 by means of the pollen, than any other way. The fact that trees in near 

 proximity were no more likely to be affected than those remote, was explained 

 by the fact that not one particle of pollen in a thousand was infected, even on 

 the infected tree, and it was as likely to be the infected particle that was car- 

 ried to a distance as any other. Wherever this infected pollen may happen to 

 light it will carry with it the virus of the disease, although it may fall on a blos- 

 som at the very extremity of the longest limb, that tree is doomed, and the 

 moment it is discovered, the only safe way is to destroy the tree, and thus de- 

 stroy the opportunity for evil. Another subject in connection with this dis- 

 ease is, its effect on young trees. This shows that, although the disease may 

 be carried by pollen, it is not the only way ; pruning a tree with a knife which 

 has been used to prune a diseased tree, budding from diseased trees, and prob- 

 ably many others. It may be a satisfaction to know that a young tree affected 

 with the disease, has not vitality sufficient to recover from the shock of re- 

 moval and transplanting, and if it does survive the first year it will not be 

 likely to the next. 



Another method of infection is feared by some, that is, that while plowing, 

 if the roots of the diseased trees are cut by the plow, enough of the poison will 

 adhere to it to infect a healthy tree should one of its roots bo cut, but probably 

 the friction of the earth would remove the infection before it could do any 

 harm. 



There is not much danger from using pits of diseased trees. Extended 

 examination showed that such pits were usually without meats, so of course 

 they could not grow. 



Great care should be used in removing diseased trees. It would not do to 

 fall the trees as you would in cutting down a forest, for in this way you would, 

 greatly endanger those near by. ]S^o part of an infected tree should come in 

 contact with a healthy one. To avoid this it should be cut down, one limb at 



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