312 



THE GEtfESEE FAPwMER. 



'^^J2I?Jffll£j9.«^> s * 



IFSCOPEAN LINDEN. 



roots. There was in the soil round the roots of 

 the tree a considerable number of oM decaying 

 roots, the remains of former trees. All these roots 

 were covered with fungm, aKve and growing. So 

 far this was a confirmation of my theory. I then 

 went to another tree attacked with the blight, and 

 on digging round it found the same thing. I next 

 went to another tree and removed the earth to- a 

 considerable distance round it,, so as to lay bare the 

 roots without disturbing them. I found, as before, 

 plenty of old decayed roots covered with fungus, 

 and on carefully examining the roots of the pear — 

 or rather of the quince on which the pear was 

 grafted — I found the fungus on the growing roots 

 of the tree. It seems to me that this fact nearly 

 settles the question. The fungus is there on the 

 roots, and is doubtless taken up into the circula- 

 tion of the tree and in time blights and destroys it. 

 The blight has hitherto been confined pretty much 

 to pears, but I have an apple tree which is now af- 

 fected precisely in the same way. 



"It is probable that a very heavy dressing of 

 lime, thoroughly mixed with the soil, would kill 

 the fungus on the old roots in the grou&d, and thias 



prevent the blight. At all events it is worth try- 

 ing. 



" If I was going to plant out a new orchard, I 

 would BtTRN the son, before planting. 



"Yo® laugh: but nothing is easier. Hundreds 

 of acres are annually burnt in England, and it is a 

 recognized means of increasing the fertility of clay 

 soil's. It ean be done with very little trouble and 

 expense. Yoa pare off the old soil two or three 

 inches deep, and when the sods are dry enough to 

 burn you start a fire with a Kttle straw and wood, 

 and place the sods around and over it, and as these 

 burn put on more, and so on until yon have a large 

 heap. The sods are not burnt, but rather charred', 

 as the fire should not be allowed to burn through. 



"You would get a large quantity of charred 

 sods and ashes. These, of course^ contain no fun- 

 gus. It has all been destroyed by the heat. These 

 ashes and charcoal I would put in the holes round 

 the trees, and I believe they would kill the fvmgus. 



" Let us declare Death to Fungi of all kinds, andi 

 try to rid our gardens and orchards of what now 

 threatens to be one of our most serious enemi&s* 



