198 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



tirely rid of the myriads of midsummer insects ; but we do not have 

 to aggravate the case 1)y furnishing hothouse conditions for the 

 orchard or an}- great amount of shcUer to harbor insects. 



We must have a free circulation of air at all times and in every 

 part of our orchards. On the open prairie we will need a good 

 windbreak of trees on all sides of our small orchards, but we must 

 trim them up and let the air in. We ought not to leave a branch 

 nearer than within eight feet of the ground. A windbreak that may 

 be ideal as a shelter for stock is not the kind we want fnr nur apple 

 trees ; we want no dead air pockets in our orchards. 



With our windbreaks properly trimmed, we have made a most 

 important move toward reducing blight. We should also get our 

 apple trees up, get their heads off the ground — we want the air to 

 circulate under the trees; and for the same reason we ntust keep 

 down the tall weeds, also the raspberry and blackberry bushes or 

 other shrubbery that may be growing in the orchard. 



Whv does a free circulation of air in the orchard reduce blight? 

 P.ecause the atmosphere is thereby kept cooler, and the trees make 

 a slower but more healthy growth. It also reduces moisture, as 

 moving air does not allow so much dew to accumulate on the 

 foliage. It also causes it to dry off much earlier in the morning. 

 and insects, those spreaders of blight, do not congrcTate much where 

 the air is kept moving. We need the air, but do we need the in- 

 sects ? 



Now a few words alx)ut pruning with reference to blight, as 

 the blight germ cannot enter the bark of a healthy apple tree except 

 that of the new growing twigs unless it has been punctured or 

 ruptured in some manner. The blight may and often does attack 

 a tree at the place where a branch has been cut away, the germ 

 effecting an entrance by coming intO' contact with the recently cut, 

 moist stub. We may prevent this largely if not entirely by painting 

 the wound at the time of cutting" and by doing our pruning in the 

 autumn after the tree ceases to grow, thus giving the stubs time to 

 dry and harden before the blight becomes active the next season. 

 If blight spots appear upon body of tree, we cut a rim of bark en- 

 tirely around the blighted portion. This usually prevents further 

 spread unless there is new contagion. 



