1- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



to Bordeaux mixture for this disease. Badly affected branches should be pruned 

 out. In the cankers that remain the dead material should be cleaned out as far as 

 --ible and burned. If merely thrown on the ground there is a possibility of spore 

 production still taking place. Wounds, if large, should be protected with grafting- 

 wax or paint. Where the number of cankers is very great, keeping them painted 

 over is a quicker method and seems fairly satisfactory in preventing the formation 

 of spores. If the surface layer is shaved off incipient canEers noticed in winter or 

 early spring, many of them will dry out and not develop further. Pruning should 

 be done as early as possible and the pruuings removed and burned, otherwise they 

 may prove a source of future infection. Fallen fruit should be gathered up and 

 destroy ed. 



BACTERIAL BLIGHT (Bacillus amylovorus). 



i 

 Also generally known under the names of fire-blight and pear-blight. Circular 23 



of the Department of Agriculture deals fully with this disease and should be studied 

 by every grower in any district where it occurs or is likely to be introduced. This 

 circular, however, was intended mainly to give information about the disease and 

 the method of controlling it to the grower as an individual. With SOID- 

 there is little danger of one man's neglect directly cai> is material injury 



to others, and in such cases it is a matter for the grower himself to decide how far 

 he will take measures to control the disease. Kven though he chose to lose his entire 

 orchard there would be no call for the Government to interfere. Among plant- 

 tire-blight stands in a class by itself in the extent to which it 

 can be spread from a centre of infection and in its destructive results. Fur 

 reasons the control of blight cannot be regarded as an individual problem, but must 

 be considered a community one. rendering necessary the application of cot-: 



if requisite t- ensure prompt removal of sources of infection. The Provin- 

 cial Government has from the first taken this view, and by its legislation and inspec- 

 tion service endeavoured to protect the interests of the community. Compulsion, 

 however, is not desirable, except where all other means have failed, though it is 

 usually : .ted l.y th->se who have taken least trouble t. understand the 



nature of the case, or who have least at stake. At the same time, bligh; 



y variable in its behaviour, varying with the variety and age of the b 

 cultural conditions, irrigation, rainfall, etc., so that it is practically impossible to lay 

 down hard-and-fast rules to fairly meet all conditions: while the action of an 



ctor in making distim- een different cases is liable to subject hi 



criticism on the grounds of favoritism or inconsistency. It has therefore been 

 thought desirable i- - -- here in a general way, referring the reader to the above- 

 mentioned circular for details, the subject of blight -control, with especial reference 

 to debatable points and the limits within which individual liberty of action is per- 

 missible in dealing with it. 



loo often or too strongly emphasized that the only known means 

 by which the n persist from on- another is in the "hold-over" 



cankers on the larger branches, trunks, and roots. Thorough work in removing 

 f infection is the only sure way of preventing an epidemic the follow- 

 ing season. // all such " 1> -trirt cnulil // . bliyht trow/*/ 

 disappear until r<:> n //.vi/ . This work is done whilst the trees are 

 dormant, but the actual time for doing it may be left to some extent to the individual 

 grower. In no case, however, must it be left until the so.- - - far advanced that 

 thorough and deliberate work cannot be completed before the sap begins to rise. 

 Many growers combine the operations of blight-cutting and winter pruning, but 

 there is something to be said in favour of getting the blight cleaned up first. Blight- 

 cutting requires more care and skill than ordinary pruning, and if the blight is out 

 thei-' iauger of careless work resulting in new infections unless all pruniug- 

 wounds are also disinfected. As soon as the fruit has been picked an inspection 



