THE LOCAL PLANT DOCTOR. 37 



that nursery that season depended future opportunities to get 

 advanced training in his chosen line. It was distinctly up to him. 

 When he came to the nursery in June the disease was already 

 well established in a block of quinces and was spreading into the 

 pears. By systematic and untiring efforts this young fellow regu- 

 larly inspected about 130 acres of nursery stock from one to three 

 times a week, wiped out the blight already established, and 

 promptly suppressed several new outbreaks of the disease. He 

 discovered that the bacteria were spread chiefly by the aphis and 

 with a crew of Italian laborers, armed with whale oil soap in 

 dippers, dipped every aphis infested block of apples, pears, and 

 quinces and effectually stayed the progress of the disease. By 

 systematic inspection, he was able to detect the disease in the tips 

 of the young shoots before it reached the body of the tree and so, 

 by cutting out the diseased shoot and disinfecting the cut with 

 corrosive sublimate, stay its further spread and save the tree. He 

 kept an accurate record of all trees removed (because too far gone 

 to save) and a record of all trees saved by prompt removal of 

 diseased shoots. This table shows the results for the season. 



Apples Pears Quince Total 

 No. of trees from which blighted 



shoots only were removed 834 32 1451 2317 



No. of trees entirely removed. 83 7 256 346 



Not only did he save the company these 2317 trees which they 

 would certainly have lost but he indirectly saved at least as many 

 more by preventing the general spread of the disease. So satis- 

 factory was his work that at the close of the season the company 

 established a fellowship for him in order that he might continue 

 to investigate this and other diseases of nursery stock. So well 

 had he done his work of eradication during 1909 that none of the 

 disease was carried over for 1910, and while a few infections were 

 brought in to some blocks late in the season, they were easily and 

 promptly suppressed with insignificant losses. 



