No. 4.] FRUIT GROWING. 123 



a heap, where the knots are burned at once, to prevent the 

 spreading of the spores. The limbs are afterwards gathered. 

 I suspect that as long as we grow plums — and we shall 

 continue to do it as long as there is anything in it — we 

 shall find more or less black-knot, but by cutting it off we 

 hold it in check. 



Mr. Pratt. Do you spray for it? 



Mr. Willard. No, sir. While it may be a good thing, 

 I have but little confidence in it. I know cutting the knot 

 off is sure, and I prefer to take my chances in that direction. 

 I believe it may be treated, but I have to adopt a system 

 which will work well with men whom I cannot stand over 

 every minute. You can hire muscle, but not brains. I 

 should be afraid, in spraying, the men might overlook some. 



If you had been over the Hudson and know how they 

 have lost the best industry they ever had, you would take 

 care to get rid of this black-knot. I can remember the time 

 when they made thousands of dollars a year on their plums. 

 They neglected the black-knot, and it has cleaned out the 

 plum orchards until you cannot find one on the Hudson River. 



Question. Do they trouble cherry trees? 



Mr. Willard. Sometimes you will find them on the 

 sour cherries, but not on the sweet. You will find them on 

 the wild cherry. 



I think about as bad a thing as we have is the tent cater- 

 pillar. We cut out fifteen hundred nests of the tent cater- 

 pillar in an orchard where it was supposed to be cleaned out 

 tho previous year. Some of my neighbors did not take care 

 of them, and from the breeding places on their farms the 

 caterpillars found their way to my orchard. 



Mr. Wood. How far can the spores of the black-knot be 

 carried ? 



Mr. Willard. It is said that the spores may be carried 

 two or three miles, especially if it is a damp time. 



Mr. Taylor. Why will not the apricot fruit with us? 



Mr. Willard. I did not know but it would. It is a 

 peculiar fruit. I do not believe there is anything in the 

 tree fruits that is more peculiar than the apricot. We have 

 experimented with them for years and years, but they are of 

 no use to us for commercial purposes. 



