IQI4 



of tree. The odor is a sharp, sweet 

 mushroom odor and not i)utrid or sour. 

 Precisely such bodies are found in arti- 

 ficial cultures. Sometimes the bark is 

 cracked and fungus bodies |)ushed out 

 into prominent ridges, which are black 

 on the siuface but white below. Roots 

 which have been attacked for some 

 time will be found to have the wood 

 with a while decay working in from 

 the surface. After a time the wood be- 

 comes very soft and moist and finally 

 almost completely disappears. 



Dark brown to black shining root- 

 like structures coming out of the dis- 

 eased bark and running along its sur- 

 face are often found. These are the 

 rhizomorphs; they resemble roots but 

 have a different structure, the center 

 being composed of soft white fibers. 

 They give the fungus the power to go 

 several inches from one root to an- 

 other. When the tip of the rhizo- 

 mori) comes to a healthy root the very 

 small microscopic threads of which it 

 is composed seem to loosen like the cut 

 end of a rope and the individual 

 threads penetrate into the bark and 

 start a new infection. 



It is often recommended to take great 

 pains to get out all roots from new land 

 before planting. Evidently the fewer 

 roots left in the soil the less chance 

 there will be of infection. However, it 

 is not within the limits of practicability 

 to get out all roots from wooded land. 

 A good practice would be to clear the 

 land, cultivate thoroughly, then keep it 

 several years in alfalfa before planting 

 the orchard. However, in view of the 

 scattered nature of infections and the 

 impatience of planters, it does not seem 

 worth while to insist on such a pro- 

 gram. Treatment of individual trees 

 may have a certain value, but usually 

 will be disappointing and it is doubt- 

 ful if it is worth while for orchard 

 trees. If the crown of an affected tree 

 is uncovered and by a generous amount 

 of digging all diseased roots are re- 

 moved or the diseased bark scraped off 

 and the wood treated, as recommended 

 in my paper on wood decays, and the 

 place allowed to dry out well, the re- 

 maining roots will grow freely, pro- 

 vided the tree has not been girdled by 

 the fungus. By repeating such treat- 

 ment and by keeping the crown as dry 

 as practicable it is entirely possible 

 that a tree may be kept alive for 

 many years. 



We have insisted that two problems 

 are involved: First, checking the out- 

 ward advance of the fungus so thai 

 new trees will not become affected and, 

 second, treatment of area already in- 

 fected. Treating the margin of the spot 

 has been practiced, I understand, in 

 German forests by digging a ditch 

 about the affected area so as to enclose 

 all the fungus. The fungus travels 

 along the roots and a ditch makes a 

 space which it has no way lo pass. We 

 have some expei-iments under way to 

 test this method. Our orchardists ob- 

 ject to an open ditch so we allowed the 

 ditches to be refilled. One spot ditched 

 was in an orange orchard in good mel- 

 low soil, trees good and more than ten 



BETTER FRUIT 



years old. There were two deail trees 

 and two infected at the root, but with 

 the tops still fine. The ditch was made 

 three to three and one-half feet deep, 

 no wider than necessary for digging. 

 It seemed to have cut all the roots. In- 

 fected roots could be readily recog- 

 nized. As finished it was believed that 

 no diseased orange roots crossed out- 

 side the ditch. A layer of tarred build- 

 ing paper of good quality was put 

 against one side of the ditch to prevent 

 new roots from crossing back into the 

 diseased area. After a little more than 

 two years the ditch was reopened. The 

 buililing paper was worthless for stop- 

 ping tlie roots, as they grew through it 

 very readily. The rest of the experi- 

 ment was highly encouraging. In re- 

 peated cases a root from which a piece 

 had been cut out could be recognized 

 unmistakably on the two sides of the 

 ditch. The piece within the diseased 

 area would be in an advanced condi- 

 tion of decay with the fungus, while 

 the end toward the unaffected tree and 

 outside the diseased area would be 

 entirely unattacked and putting out 

 numerous new roots. There is no doubt 

 that if the ditch had not been made 

 the fungus would surely have followed 

 the root and there would have been 

 no hope of saving the tree. Around 

 this area, which included four diseased 

 trees, no less than five good trees were 

 saved from infection. If once opening 

 the ditch will save the sound trees from 

 infection for two years there is no rea- 

 son why the thing cannot be done again 

 in the same place and the spot per- 

 manently restrained to its present area. 

 Several points in the work should be 

 noted. In one case, unintentionally, a 

 diseased piece of root was thrown back 

 into the ditch. The new roots which 

 had grown out from the healthy side 

 had come in contact with this and were 

 already diseased, but this infection had 

 not gone far back toward the good tree. 

 I believe we succeeded in removing all 

 of this infection. It should be pointed 

 out that many new roots were getting 

 close to the infected areas and would 

 soon have become infected, so that if 

 the ditch is made once and not re- 

 opened the trouble will be only slightly 

 delayed and the work will hardly be 

 worth while. Some orange roots which 

 were cut off in working the ditch re- 

 mained alive in the soil for more than 

 two years and were pushing out growth 

 from the cut end, which might have be- 

 come a leafy shoot. This is an important 

 matter because it shows lliat a long 

 time nuist elapse before roots will be 

 entirely decayed in the soil. 



Treating Ihe Diseased Area. — It would 

 not seem lo be a didicult matter to find 

 some substance which could be ijut into 

 Ihe soil and entirely kill everything. 

 Carbon bisulfid is the most promising 

 material thus far suggested. If used 

 I)roperly and in sullicient (juantity I 

 feel sure it will do Ihe work. It is 

 simply a matter of studying out the 

 method and counting the cost. I feel 

 ralher doubtful if it will be jjossible lo 

 kill the fimgus and not kill good roots 

 lying in the soil, because the fungus 



Page 25 



ToApple 

 Growers 



Our cold storage buildings are equal in 

 all respects to the best, and are superior 

 to most. They have wide halls, are thor- 

 oughly ventilated throughout, are provided 

 with electric elevators and are lighted by 

 electricity. The insulation and refrigera- 

 tion are as nearly perfect as can be made. 



Three switches, extending on our own 

 groiuids to the doors of the storage houses, 

 connect them by the Union Track with all 

 railroads entering Evansville; wide plat- 

 forms stretch along the switches, enabling 

 cars to be unloaded and loaded rapidly — 

 an important matter. 



In advantages for handling consignments 

 our cold storage buildings are superior to 

 any others in the Middle West or South. 



The buildings are protected by an auto- 

 matic sprinkling plant, securing a low rate 

 of insurance. 



Evansville, a city of over 80,000 inhabi- 

 tants, is one of the best points in the 

 United States for the storage, distribution 

 and sale of apples; its central location and 

 shipping facilities insure low rates of 

 freight and quick delivery to the best 

 markets. North and South. Evansville is 

 not onlv a good distributing center, but i3 

 a good home market. 



We offer for the coming season space 

 for 150.000 boxes of apples, including 37 

 rooms holding from 600 to 3.500 barrels. 



Particulars given on application. 



Evansville Ice and 

 Storage Company 



EVANSVILLE, INDIANA 



J. & H. Goodwin, Ltd. 

 APPLE IMPORTERS 



Conmiereial Sale Room, Deansgate, 



Manchester, Engrland. 



Floral Street, Covent (jarden Market, 



London, En!;land. 



Frnit Exchanjre, Victoria Street, 



Liverpool, Ensriand. 



Hnniber Dock Street, 



Hull, England. 



AMKBICAN AUDBESSES: 



97 Warren Street, New York, X. Y. 

 Yonngs Hotel, lioston, Ma8i<. 



Consignments and CorreHPOndenre Sollrlted 



QUALITY 

 BOXES 



FOR 



QUALITY APPLES 



Stanley Smith Lumber Co. 



Hood River, Oregon 



WHEN WRIT] NO. ADVERTISERS MENTION BETTER FRUIT 



