BLIGHT. 135 



close root and top-pruning. While I have often pruned 

 single vines after the buds were swollen, and once when break- 

 ing, and had the sap to flow freely from the cuts for several 

 days, I never saw the slightest damage from it. Perhaps this 

 very flow may be a relief to the vine, the sap of which seems 

 to move in spring with more intense activity than that of any 

 other plant. Perhaps thus pent up by the dry surfaces from 

 winter pruning the vines may become gorged or congested, 

 thereby furnishing the proper conditions for subsequent rot in 

 the fruit, especially if a late freeze has occurred. 



Here is a wide field for experiment, especially with close 

 root-pruned vines. If pruning can be delayed, as I am sure 

 it can, as well with vines as trees, until growth actually starts 

 in spring, it is plain that a crop of fruit will never be lost, as 

 the terminal buds start first, while those that are to furnish 

 the fruit are more backward and no risk is ever run of knock- 

 ing off the shoots in pruning, or, being killed by frost. How- 

 ever this may be with the grape, it will readily be seen that 

 by deferring pruning of fruit trees until the fruit has set, in 

 fact, become well developed, we do away almost entirely with 

 all necessity for thinning. By removing parts of all the bear- 

 ing shoots and spurs the crop can be reduced as desired, re- 

 sulting in a marked and surprising increase of development 

 in the remaining fruit in a few days. This I have proved time 

 and again. 



And now, having shown the causes of blight and the meth- 

 ods for its absolute prevention in all pear orchards planted 

 hereafter, provided these methods be adopted, the question 

 naturally arises, What is to be done to prevent blight in 

 orchards already surface-rooted from planting long-rooted 

 trees ? The answer is plain. Put them down at once and for 

 all time to grass, to preserve every root for an emergency of 

 severe drouth. Often light summer showers will stimulate 

 growth in such trees where a dry bed of three or four inches 

 of loose soil would not be wet through. Keep the grass 

 closely mowed the whole season, and top-dress annually with 

 free, applications of some complete fertilizer or barnyard 

 manure, to obtain a healthy growth until the trees begin to 



