PEAR GROWING IN CALIFORNIA. 



349 



surely mean that at some later date a much greater outlay of money will 

 be necessary, as a general twig infection, if neglected, will result in 

 many trunk and root eases tliat can not be treated without serious injury 

 to the tree to say nothing of the time and expense needed in the work. 

 Small blighted twigs may be removed by means of a pair of hand 

 shears or a saw. When blight is running in the spring or summer it is 

 always necessary to cut well back of where the blight can be seen on a 

 twig. No distance can be named that is safe in all cases and the blight 

 cutter must become experienced in the work so that he can detect the 

 presence of blight by the discoloration of the inner bark. Cutters 

 should make a practice of examining a twig after it is removed by 

 cutting the bark from the cut end for an inch or more in order that the 



Fig. 147. (iniiiKny kit of tools used in pear bliglit eradication work. 



lilight discoloration, if present, may be detected. When it can be seen 

 in a twig so treated the cut has not been made far enough back and some 

 more of the twig should be removed and the process repeated. In 

 general, no branch should be cut less than six inches back from where 

 there is visible blight and frequently it will be necessar}^ to make the 

 final cut a foot or more from where the disease is detected. Disinfection 

 as described under this heading must never be neglected. 



The cutting of twig blight, while it may occasion an immense amount 

 of careful work, usually does not result in the disfigurement and perma- 

 nent injury to the trees, that comes from the cutting away of larger 

 limbs or the removal of large areas of bark from the trunks. It is often 

 very discouraging for the owner of a fine orchard to be compelled to 

 sacrifice the main portion of certain trees, and in other cases, entire 

 trees. lie must not, however, hesitate to do this when the blight is 

 present, so that extreme measures are necessary for its removal. Large 

 branches can very often be saved by the careful removal of blighted 

 portions of the bark. Special tools shown in Figs. 1-46 and 147 are 

 used for this work and the same precautions that must be observed in 

 cutting away small twigs are necessary in this case. That is, cutting 



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