APPLE BLIGHT IN REVIEW. 213 



the trees. I have tried the plan of cutting off the diseased portions 

 of the tree. I have taken my cHppers and chpped every limb off 

 that was diseased, and the result was that the sap and the gum 

 would exude and the tree would die. I have lost most of my trees, 

 but have continued to replant in every case. I am glad to get the 

 information from Prof. Robertson that the only thing we can do so 

 far as known is to cut the tree to pieces. 



Prof. Robertson : I am giving you the experience of men who 

 are working in the orchard. Mr. Waite has a very large orchard 

 'down in Texas at the present time; Mr. Archer is another man who 

 has a large orchard ; they are both connected with stations, and Mr. 

 Waite is working with orchards all the time. In regard to that cut- 

 ting back, you will see if a person cuts back he may establish a new 

 place for the infection of the tree by leaving a small part of the 

 diseased part which opens the chance for infection again. In regard 

 to the cutting I mentioned, you must cut several inches below the 

 place where it seems to be affected. I did not say it was "bug" 

 blight. That is the trouble with the farmer. Last winter when I 

 was speaking about strawberries I told the farmer to plant two kinds, 

 but some one said he should plant only one kind because the farmer 

 could not learn anything. He is afraid he will learn something, and 

 he does not want to meddle with anything he knows nothing about. 

 I repeated the name a couple of times — and I don't know. of a better 

 way than to drill you people in repeating the name, just as I do with 

 my pupils when I want them to commit a particular to memory — I 

 have them repeat it over and over until they can't forget it. I don't 

 believe you can learn by any other means. The name I gave was 

 nothing more or less than the bacillus amylovorus. This blight, as 

 we call it, works on the bark and softer part of the growth. You 

 cut it down as far as it appears to be dead, and the work will go right 

 on because you have not cut all of it out, and you will soon see the 

 results in the disease continuing right along below the cut ; so you 

 must cut below the apparently affected part for a distance of ten or 

 twelve inches to two feet. Cut the infected branch off. The best 

 time to do cutting is in the fall. Work along one side of a row 

 and then down the other. The mark on the twig where the blight 

 has appeared is quite distinct. It will make its appearance early in 

 the summer, and you can cut back far enough to cut off everything 

 that is affected or is liable to affect the rest of the growth. Look 

 over everything in the orchard and see that you cut everything out, 

 and then repeat it in the spring. All the statements I have made are 

 practically those covering the work done by the gentlemen I have 

 mentioned, who are practical investigators. I have not had 

 the opportunity to follow them to know whether their statements are 

 true, but so far as I can see there is nothing to do except to cut back 

 the trees that are affected. Mr. Waite does not say anything about 

 pruning, etc. He says it is the movement of the wind when this 

 gum exudes that carries it to other trees. Some do say that to prune 

 everything severely is a good plan. This seems to be the- only 

 remedy aside from selecting those varieties that are least affected. 

 Some literature has been devoted to that, but the work was of such 



