104 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



old knots should be cut before Februaiy, and the young ones, 

 as soon as possible after the}- form, to prevent the formation and 

 spread of spores ) 



2. Cut and burn all the wild, fire cherr}' and choke cherry trees near 

 the orchard. (Spores are light and are carried a long way by the 

 wind. Out of the millions produced by an infested tree enough will 

 be carried a long distance to start the disease.) 



3. Spraying with a solution of some copper salt has been recom- 

 mended. As the winter spores are formed by Februar}-, and the 

 summer spores commence to form early in the spring and continue 

 to be formed all summer and as it is not known when, where or 

 how the disease is propagated, this method would necessaril}- be work 

 in the dark. It is based on the belief that the spores lodge on the 

 branches, germinate and spread the pest. Experiments alone can 

 decide its efficacy. If adopted, spraying should be kept up all 

 summer, after every heavy rain. An application in the spring would 

 probably destroy any spores of this or other fungi on the branches. 

 "Washing the trunks and larger branches with brine was tried as 

 early as 1863. So this method is not new. 



4. Cutting out the warts and applying varnish was tried as early 

 as 1863, but the fungus produced new warts around the old ones. 

 (See United States Agricultural Report, 1863, p. 572.) This served 

 only as a temporary protection. It is to be seriously doubted 

 whether a tree badly affected can be saved. It would be better to 

 begin anew and carefully observe preventive methods. The first 

 knot should be noticed and destroyed, or it becomes a source of 

 infection near at hand. An ounce of preventive in the shape of pre- 

 caution will save a pound of disease, the sure product of neglect. 



5. Painting the knots over with some solution or substance, to 

 destroy the fungus or prevent spore formation, is now claiming the at- 

 tention of experimenters. This is an old method revived. Townsend 

 Glover in United States Agricultural Report, 1863, p. 572, says: 

 "Even when the wound had been washed with a strong solution of nit- 

 ric, or sulphuric acid and water the disease invariably appeared either 

 above or below the old scar." Something must be found to pene- 

 trate the branch and kill the fungus and not kill the branch, or the 

 remedy would have no advantages over pruning. It certainly will 

 take more time than pruning. Prof. Maynard has published recently 

 (Bulletin No. 4, Massachusetts Experiment Station 1, p. 15) the 



