■524 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



strong roots above the wounds made by the maggots. The result is that 

 the crop to all appearances is saved. We left a few rows without applying 

 the lime and guano, to test the result of the experiment, and in these rows 

 hardly a plant will head up. Of course this remedy is expensive, probably 

 costing in guano and labor $20 to $25 for every acre of 10,000 plants; and it 

 would also fail to be effective if the ravages of the maggots were too far ad- 

 vanced before the application was used; but that it is effective, if applied 

 in the early stages of the attack, we have proved beyond any question. 

 However, preventing is always cheaper than curing ; and if there is reason 

 to apprehend the ravages from the attacks of this pest, the ground should 

 be heavily dressed with lime in the proportion and manner already given. 

 If this is persistently done with each crop there is but little chance of any 

 trouble ; at least such has been our experience for the past 10 or 15 years. 



Cut Worms — Professor Cook says that there are only two ways to manage 

 these field cut worms. One is to scatter small heaps of green grass or leaves 

 heavily sprinkled with Paris green about the field just before the corn came 

 up. This will kill the cut worms, which will almost surely eat of it. The 

 other way is to plant very heavily, so that some of the corn can be safely or 

 even advantageously dug up. Then, when we find early in the morning 

 that a spear is cut off, dig out the mischief-maker and kill him. Children 

 could be hired often at cheap rates to do this, and might be paid so much 

 for each cut worm captured, thus stimulating their observing powers. 



Apple and Pear Blight. — Prof. T. J. Burrill of Illinois University gives 

 the following very practical hints: 



The leaves of blighting trees are full size, and until finally affected, are 

 green and luxuriant. Then they more or less suddenly turn brownish-black, 

 at first watery, then dry and hard. Upon close examination of the leaf -sur- 

 faces, a peculiar, shiny coating, like varnish, may be often found, and this is a 

 most excellent mark. On blighted trees the leaves never become a pale, sickly 

 yellow; at least this is not the case when the disease does not date back to the 

 previous season. The bark never separates readily from the wood, and the 

 twigs do not seem dry and shrunken so long as the leaves on them retain any 

 appearance of life. 



Now in the case of blight, what is to be done? Surely there is no time to spend 

 over hypothetical remedies, such as burying old horseshoes in the ground, root- 

 pruning, external applications of sulphur and lime, etc. Surgery not medi- 

 cine, must be appealed to. As early as possible, remove the affected parts. 

 Examine carefully the bark, and cut below any indications in this of the dis- 

 ease. Sometimes one can only tell how far down the disease has gone by shav- 

 ing off the outer bark. If, in this way, the living, or what ought to be the 

 living bark, shows brownish patches or streaks, cut lower until healthy tissue 

 is reached, and sever the whole part. See that the knife, saw or other tool, 

 carries nothing from the diseased parts to the cut finally made. It is best to 

 carry an extra set of tools, which are to be used only in healthy wood and bark 

 It is easy to induce the disease in healthy trees by inoculation from diseased, 

 parts, and this must be kept in mind whem pruning off the blighted portions. 

 Cover the fresh wounds with common lead and oil paint, 



The Black Knot. — Dr. Byron D. Halstead describes the above disease 



