THE GElTESEi: FARMER. 



»t 



as, and pronounced by Mr. Sakgent "tlie most 

 graceful and pendulous of evergreens." It is rather 

 difficult to transplant, and should be protected 

 from the sun until well established. 



THE PEAR TREE BLIGHT-AGAIN. 



J. J. Thomas, the able and experienced liorticul- 

 tural editor of the Country Gentleman, writes as 

 follows in the last number of that journal: 



".J. Hareis, editor of the Genesee Farmer, who 

 is one of the most sound and scientific of our ag- 

 ricultural writers, gave his views at the late meet- 

 iDg of the Fruit Growers' Society at Eocliester, in 

 favor of the conclusion to which he had arrived, 

 that the pear tree blight is caused by a fungus at 

 the root. The subject was very briefly alluded to 

 in our report of the proceedings at the time. Some 

 facts have since appeared in the Genesee Farmer. 

 Althougli we regard the proof as incomplete, yet 

 on a subject of such deep interest to fruit raisers, 

 every suggestion of tlie kind is well worthy of at- 

 tention; and possibly much more truth may be 

 found eventually on the side of this opinion than 

 at first sight would appear probable. The Genesee 

 Farmer makes the following statement: 



[ Here follows some extracts from an article in 

 the November number of the Genesee Farmer. ] 



" We commend these statements, and the opinion 

 deduced from them, to the careful attention of fruit 

 raisers, in connection with close microscopical ob- 

 servation. The remaining question is tliis : If tlie 

 fungus is always found on the roots of tlie bliglited 

 trees, and never on healthy ones, is it the cause or 

 the effect of the disease ? 



"Diseased and decaying organized matter, very 

 commonly, almost universally, produces tlie growth 

 of fungus in some of its many species. But some 

 parasitic fungi also attack living rapidly-growing 

 plants. A familiar instance is the rust in icheat — 

 which close observations with powerful micro- 

 scopes show to be a distinct, regularly-formed 

 plant — wliich begins to grow from the inside of the 

 wheat plant, and when the weather favors the rust, 

 increases rapidly and bursts the epidermis, and then 

 scatters its dust in every direction. The micro- 

 scope shows that -the seeds of these little plants 

 are so small, that they are readily carried all 

 through the interior of the wheat plant by means 

 of the sap vessels ; and it is probable that unless 

 circumstances favor their growth, they may remain 

 without germination, or if they germinate, may 

 grow but little. There is no doubt that innumera- 

 ble seeds of different kinds of minute fungi exist 

 almost everywhere, and pi'oduce 'mold,' mildew, 

 blight, &c., as causes favor their growth. The 

 curl in tlie peach leaf appears to commence inside 

 the leaf in the same way; and the leaves of the 

 pear which have been affected with the Zeffl/ blight, 

 show by microscopic examination a minute fungus 

 of a specific form inside the pulp. 



"The question occurs: If the pear blight is 

 caused by a fungus, is it developed first on the out- 

 side of the root ; or are the minute plants men- 

 tioned in the preceding extract, such as have burst 

 from the interior? If the theory is correct, further 

 examin;j,tion and experiment may lead to a remedy." 



In regard to the question whether the fungus on 

 the roots of the pear is the cause or the effect of 

 the disease, it may be well to recall the fact that 

 fungus is found not only on the roots of the blighted 

 pear trees, but also in far greater quantity on the 

 old decaying roots of a former generation of trees 

 in the soil. Whatever may be said in regard to the 

 cause of the fungus on the pear roots, it is certain 

 that the blight did not produce the fun gas on the 

 old roots in the soil! This is clear. The fungus 

 is in the soil lefore the trees'blight. AU will admit 

 that it may be taken up by the roots of the pear 

 and produce the effects characteristic of the dis- • 

 ease. We ielieve such is the case — though it must 

 be confessed that the facts do not prove it. If we 

 succeed in calling the attention of intelligent hor- 

 ticulturists to the subject, and of inducing them to 

 investigate the matter for themselves, our object 

 wiU be attained. 



THE PEAR A PANACEA. 



We believe in good fruit. We wish that every 

 man, woman and child had an abundant supply. 

 It would improve the health of the riation. It 

 would abate the desire for tobacco and alcoholic 

 drinks. It would refine the tastes and habits of 

 the people. It would make good men better, and, 

 bad men. less vicious. It would give health to the 

 body and tone and elasticity to the mind. It was 

 the food of man in Paradise, and it is a hopeful 

 sign of the times that it is beginning to occupy a 

 larger place in our dietaries. 



It has occurred to a correspondent of the Few 

 York Olserver that a supply of good fruit would 

 be beneficial to Jeff. Davis ! It might give a 

 healthier tone to his mind, and lead him to see the 

 error of his ways ! Accordingly he sends a baskot 

 of pears to the editors of that journal to be for- 

 warded by the next flag of truce to Eichmotrl, 

 The letter accompanying the fruit is so pleasan^-'.y 

 written that, though eschewing all allusions io 

 politics in the G6.\Aisee Farmer., we can not dfj^?y 

 our readers the pleasure of its perusal. It is m 

 Charles Lamb's happiest vein. We give the let' <^v 

 entire : 



The present season has been a fine one for frr't. 

 Our market has been well supplied with cherrii«B, 

 plums, peaches, pears and apjiles. Taking all th6«« 

 varieties into the account, it has been the best friirt 

 crop ever gathered in this county. The supply vrf 

 pears has been far beyond that of any former year. 

 Large quantities of even the better sorts have been 

 (Ti'own. The pear is the king of fruits. Rich, 

 luscious, delicate, it has no rival. Take those of a 

 good family, well bred, highly cultivated, and th'-y 

 constitute the most attractive feature of the d*?*- 



