June, 1922 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page Nineteen 



between class C and D, there is a very wide 

 difference, the latter being very much more 

 susceptible. It is an exceedingly important 

 fact that in trees belonging to classes A 

 and B, the blight germs nearly always die 

 out in the bark before winter and almost 

 never live over until the next spring, while 

 in those belonging to class C, they fre- 

 quently live over winter, and in those of 

 Class D they quite regularly do so and thus 

 start a new infection in the orchards at 

 blossoming time. Our orchardists should 

 not attempt longer to grow these five 

 varieties. They are doomed to be replaced 

 by others that are more resistant. It would 

 be most unwise, therefore, for a grower to 

 set them out. 



As for the trees of susceptible varieties 

 that have already been planted and have 

 reached the age of bearing, they may be 

 top-worked to varieties more resistant. 

 Trees thus treated, if kept free from water- 

 sprouts will make valuable orchards and will 

 thrive even in the midst of blight, only oc- 

 casional trees being lost. If, however, the 

 water-sprouts are allowed to grow, they 

 furnish the blight with a quick and easy 

 path to the root of the tree, and the orchard 

 may thus be ruined. 



Relative Resistance oi- the Pear — 

 Pears have been grown only to a limited 

 extent in Montana, but those trees that have 

 come into bearing have proved so profit- 

 able that something should be said for the 

 guidance of those who may be thinking 

 of planting them more extensively. 



It is a misconception that pear trees grow- 

 ing in any locality are a special menace to 

 the apple industry. Pears are no more 

 likely to contract blight than apples; and 

 if they have it and the owner desires to 

 fight it he will find it not so difficult to 

 combat in the pear as in the susceptible 

 apple. 



The reason for this is that the normal 

 bark of the pear is lighter in color and the 

 blighted portions darker than in the apple; 

 it is therefore easier to find all the blighted 

 limbs. In general, we may say that it is 

 much easier to control the blight in pears 

 than in apples listed in class D. 



Pears, like apples, differ in their sus- 

 ceptibility to this disease. The Clapp's 

 Favorite, for example, blights so badly that 

 it can not be grown commercially with 

 profit. The Kieffer, on the other hand, is 

 about as resistant as the apples in class B. 

 Unfortunately, it is not a first-class variety 

 for eating, though it is prized by the can- 

 neries. There are three other varieties that 

 have commercial possibilities in this state, 

 the Bartlett, Buerre d'Anjou, and Flem- 

 ish Beauty. Of these the Bartlett is the 

 most susceptible, though hundreds of thou- 

 sands of trees are being grown where blight 

 has existed for years. Buerre d'Anjou is 

 decidedly the most resistant, being raised 

 profitably in Colorado, for example, where 

 the blight has greatly Injured most other 

 varieties. Both of these are decidedly 



superior in quality of fruit to the Flem- 

 ish Beauty. 



All pear orchards grown where blight is 

 found will develop some cases in the tops — 

 many of them if the orchards are neglected. 



These may be controlled, however, by 

 the methods outlined here. The principal 

 loss of trees is caused by the blight's run- 

 ning down the limbs into the trunks, or, 

 worse yet, by its reaching the roots through 

 the water-sprouts. To avoid this loss it is 

 important that a pear tree shall have a bodv 

 and roots of a variety resistant to blight and 

 not likely to sprout. Use for a stock the 

 Chinese sand pear, often called "Japanese" 

 stock, which is much more resistant than 

 the French seedling and does not sucker 

 so badly. Upon this graft the Kieffer or 

 some equally resistant scion. Set deep in 

 the ground so that the roots will be sent 

 out above the union. 



In pruning leave four main limbs, and 

 the second or third year after grafting top- 

 work these limbs to the desired variety — for 

 example, Buerre d'Anjou. The buds or 

 grafts should be set one to two feet from 

 the trunk. This will make a fine, large 

 tree; and should the blight run down a 

 limb to the point of union it will there be 

 checked, and a new limb can be grown in 

 (he place of the one lost. For convenience 

 one may order from the nursery Kieffei 

 stock on "Japanese" roots and do the top- 

 working himself at the proper time. This 

 system has been thoroughly tried and we 

 recommend it unqualifiedly to those who 

 wish to grow this much-prized fruit. 



Pointers on Painting 



I3AINTS and painting cost less than 

 ■■- repairs necessitated by decav or disin- 

 tegration. 



There is no such thing as an all-service 

 paint. Paint should be selected accord- 

 ing to the material to be painted and the 

 conditions under which it must give serv- 

 ice. The wear on a floor is more severe 

 than on a wall; hence the floor calls for 

 a tougher, more elastic paint. 



Painting should not be done when the 

 temperature is lower than 50 F. degrees as 

 the paint will not flow well. It is im- 

 pr.ictical to paint a hot surface. The old 

 painting axiom is: In spring and fall fol- 

 low the sun; in summer, follow the shade. 



Outside painting should be done in drv 

 weather. Surfaces should not be painted 

 when wet. 



Surfaces to be painted should be gotten 

 as smooth and clean as possible. Thcv 

 should be free from grease. If painting 

 new wood, knots and sappy surfaces should 

 be shellaced first. If painting over pre- 

 viously painted surfaces, all blisters and 

 loose or peeled spots should be scraped or 

 burned clean. A brushing with a stiff wire 

 brush followed by sandpaper is good 

 practice. 



A 4 * 



.Advertisers appreciate mention of the 

 fact that you read their ad in Better Fruit. 



SGOBEL 



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