11 



feigns of the disease. And since we have seen how the germs 

 of this disease remain in the affected parts, as the leaves, 

 that fall to the ground, and how they are eliberated and car- 

 ried to infest other trees, it is plainly seen that if we cut off 

 the diseased branches and leave them upon the ground, that 

 we are doing no good whatever, for we have killed nothing, 

 but are simply allowing the disease to multiply and spread 

 so much the more, and next year the disease will appear with 

 increased damage. The diseased portion of the trees that 

 are cut off are to be gathered and burned, and especially the 

 leaves, and thus the cause of disease will be destroyed and 

 its spreading prevented. 



The simple remedy is then io cut off all blighted portions 

 of the trees jar beloiv the parts that ajipear diseased, and 

 to burn all these cuttings, especially the leaves. The sooner 

 this is done after one discovers the blight in a tree the 

 better. 



It is not enough that one thus guard his trees while bis 

 neighbors neglect theirs. We must all fight this blight, 

 which is doing more harm already than any other single 

 disease. If every person will thus attend to his fruit trees, 

 we can almost exterminate the disease in a very few years. 



I am now experimenting on the application of chemicals 

 to the soiltobe taken up with the sap in the Spring to kill or 

 prevent blight, but as yet no definite results have been 

 reached. Little has as yet been done in this line of pre- 

 venting or curing bacterial diseases of plants, although the 

 field looks promising, since we can in many cases cure bacte- 

 rial diseases of animals by the internal application of 

 chemicals. 



