PEAR BLIGHT. 493 
PEAR BLIGHT. 
The Secretary of Agriculture gives the following suggestions rela- 
tive to pear blight: Pear blight is caused by a very minute microbe 
which enters the tree at the blossom cluster or at the tip of the ten- 
der growing shoot. It may destroy only the blossom cluster or a 
few inches-of the twig, or it may run downward several feet, killing 
large limbs or even whole trees. The same microbe causes apple 
twig blight and quince blight. Mostof the damage from this blight 
is done during the first month of growth, beginning at blossom 
time. After running downward for a few inches or a foot or more, 
the disease usually comes to a standstill. When it has stopped,a 
definite crack forms in the bark, separating the live and dead por- 
tions. When the diseased portion blends off into the live part, it 
shows thatthe disease is still progressing. Below the blighted por- 
tion the tree may be perfectly healthy, as the blight kills only as far 
as it reaches. Healthy, thrifty, rapidly growing trees suffer more 
when attacked than those not so vigorous. In certain cases the 
blight does not stop, but keeps on slowly growing in the bark till 
the close of the season. After this such cases continue progressing 
slowly, the new blight for each year coming from germs which lived 
over from the preceding season’s cases. The remedy for the pear 
blight is to exterminate the microbes which cause the disease. This 
can be done by pruning out the old blight in the fall or winter, thus 
preventing the microbes from living over. In mild attacks, where 
there is but little blight, and wherever practicable, it is best to cut 
out the blight as soon as discovered. Complete destruction of the 
blight should be carried out in the fall as soon as all late growth 
has ceased. In cutting out the blight, care should be taken to cut 
on the sound wood below the disease. 
SOME SEASONABLE HINtTS.—The greedy fruit grower hesitates to 
thin his apples, pears, peaches or similar fruits, looking only to quan- 
tity as his reward; but the edible quality of the fruit of the over- 
bearing tree is never good. Those who have the courage to thin 
their fruits in the early stage of growth not only get larger and finer 
fruit but also fruit of better quality. In the pear tree,one who tries 
the experiment will be surprised to find how vastly superior in 
quality is a pear from a tree in which a large number were thinned 
while the fruit was still young. The proper time to commence thin- 
ning is as soon as the fruit commences to swell. Nature herself 
throws off large numbers which she feels she will be unable to bring 
to perfection, and in a week or so after this has taken place will be the 
time for the good gardeners to help her still further by thinning out 
some of the rest. 
FERTILIZERS A SOURCE OF DISEASE.—In a recent bulletin Prof. H. 
J. Webber says in substance that some diseases including’ those 
caused by insects are “apparently influenced by the use of fertili- 
zers, organic manures rendering the trees more liable to injury from 
this source than chemical fertilizers.” It would be interesting to 
experiment with the blight along this line. 
