The New York Apple Tree Canker 



' ROM many sections of the country 

 come alarming reports of the 

 effects of canlcer on apple trees. 

 Vn examination of some of the orchards 

 Reveals the presence of the New York 

 fApple Tree Canker. The cause of the 

 Fcanker is the "Black Rot" fungus which 

 fis commonly found on apples. Professor 

 fPaddock of the New York Experiment 

 IStation, Geneva, demonstrated satisfac- 

 Itorily by inoculation experiments that 

 |the Black Rot fungus is the cause of 

 cankers so common on the branches 

 of the trees. The first effect of the can- 

 ker, after the infection occurs in the 

 spring, is a discolored area of outer 

 bark. These ;ireas soon enlarge, and 

 sometimes encircle the branches. The 

 jinner bark is killed, and there is notice- 

 able a definite boundary to the diseased 

 areas. After the disease has made con- 

 siderable headway, the bark loosens and 

 peels off, exposing the bare wood. Of 

 course when apple girdling occurs, the 

 portion of the branch beyond the canker 

 dies. Professor Paddock believes that 

 he fungus effects an ertranoe through 

 vounds or cracks. It is very probable 

 Jso that inoculation occurs very fre- 

 ouently through the agency of sucking 

 Tisects, as I have frequently observed 

 infection to begin from punctures 



Prof. W. Lochhead, Macdonald College 



in the bark, which are probably made 

 by sucking insects. Professors Parrott 

 and Stewart, of Geneva, have very 

 cleverly shown that the Snowy Tree- 

 Cricket {Oecanthus niveus) may be the 

 unconscious agent of inoculation of trees 

 by canker. 



New York Apple Tree Canker is found 

 more frequently on the larger limbs of 

 well-grown trees than on the smaller and 

 younger limbs of young trees. Moreover 

 thrifty trees are more resistant than weak 

 and neglected ones. On the bark killed 

 by this canker spore bodies termed py- 

 cnidia are frequently observed in autumn 

 and winter. The mycelium of germinat- 

 ing spores from these pycnidia cannot 

 effect an entrance to the cambium 

 through the living tissue, but can find 

 an entrance through wounds. Paddock 

 believes that in some cases the mycelium 

 may live over winter in the bark, for 

 he cannot otherwise account for the for- 

 mation of the largest cankers. Paddock 

 recommends, in the line of prevention of 

 canker, that trees should not be crowded, 

 and that they be pruned so as to admit 

 sunshine and air. 



To sun-scald and sun-burn were pre- 

 viously ascribed such injuries to twigs. 

 It is very likely, however, that the injuries 

 due to sun-scald have been exaggerated, 



although it is undoubtedly true that trees 

 suffer from this cause to some extent. 

 The sun-scald areas are usually quite 

 characteristic. They run longitudinally 

 and are usually found on the south and 

 south-west sides of the limbs. 



The treatment which has been recom- 

 mended for the control of this canker is : 



(i). To collect and destroy diseased 

 fruit, which usually accumulates on the 

 trees in orchards. These, however, often 

 contain the spores of the Black Rot fun- 

 gus, by means of which the cankers are 

 inoculation in the spring. The destruc- 

 tion of such diseased fruits will greatly 

 diminish the liability of infection of the 

 limbs. 



(2). To scrape the cankered areas on 

 the limbs and to paint these areas with 

 to coat it with tar or paint, 

 disinfectant, such as copper sulphate, and 



(3). To cut off the smalhr cankered 

 branches wherever possible, and to burn 

 them. 



(4). To spray with Bordeaux mixture. 

 Observations in New York have shown 

 fairly conclusively that cankers are most 

 abundant in those orchards that are not 

 sprayed with Bordeaux. Applications 

 of Bordeaux made year after year appear 

 to have a cumulative effect in keeping 

 down all kinds of fungous diseases. 



Window Boxes, Hanging Baskets and Rustic Stands 



Wm. Hunt, Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph 



AVVINDOW box does not necessar- 

 ily require to be of an elaborate or 

 expensive nature, so long as it 

 is strong enough to stand the pressure 

 of the weight of soil used and to resist 

 the efforts of gales and winds to dislodge 

 ^it from its position. A plain wooden box 



An Undecorated Window 



nade of one inch dressed pine of the fol- 

 bwing dimensions will be found very 

 useful, inexpensive and effective : 



Length of box (over all) should be 



•Paper read at the last convention of the On- 

 tario Fruit Growers' Association in Toronto. 



t I'art of an addreas delivered at tlie convention of 

 the Ontario Horticultural Association, held in Toronto 

 last November. It will be concluded in next issue. 



about the width of the window itself, 

 not including the window frames. 

 The two or three inches in width of 

 frames on each side of the window will 

 allow for covering the box with cork 

 bark, or other material, if required, of 

 which more will be said later. The di- 

 mensions given here can of course be 

 changed to some extent so as to suit the 

 style of window, but care must be taken 

 not to have the box too large, so as to 

 be heavy and unwieldy : Width of box 

 at top (inside measurement), nine to ten 

 inches ; width of box at bottom (inside 

 measurement), eight to nine inches ; 

 depth of box (inside measurement), about 

 seven inches. 



The difference in the width of the top 

 and bottom of the box will allow the front 

 to stand at an angle or slope outwards 

 from the bottom up, thus avoiding 

 the common box-like appearance which 

 a perfectly upright front board would 

 leave. This method also allows the 

 drooping varieties of plants to hang 

 clear of the box, thus adding to the ef- 

 fect, as well as being beneficial to the 

 plants. The box should have three or 



29 



four thin cleats of wood one inch in 

 width and half an inch in thickness nailed 

 to the outside of bottom to allow of free 

 drainage, and to prevent the rotting of 

 wooden sills. Some half inch holes 

 should be bored about six inches apart 

 in the bottom for drainage purposes. 



Plain Painted Box 



two inches down from top on inside. A 

 dark, dull, olive-green color is best for 

 The box should be painted outside, and 

 this purpose. A small iron staple or 

 screw-eye should be placed on each end 

 near the front top corner to support the 

 box when placed in position. A piece of 

 strong wire, or an iron hook, fastened 



