THE PEAR 105 



stems and fruit. It produces ugly, hard, scabby- 

 looking places on the fruit, frequently causing it to 

 crack open. Remedy : Spray the trees with Bordeaux 

 before blossoms open ; repeat, after blossoms have 

 fallen ; repeat, once or twice more, at intervals of 

 two or three weeks. This trouble should not be 

 confused with the disease called pear or "fire" 

 blight, which attacks the limbs of trees. 



Scab : Scabby fruit is usually caused by leaf blight 

 A very similar disease apple scab may attack pears. 



"FiRE" OR PEAR BRIGHT. This is a bacterial 

 disease which injures or kills thousands of trees every 

 year. It is to the pear orchard what the "yellows" 

 is to the peach orchard a deadly, relentless, not 

 thoroughly mastered, enemy. Whatever it touches it 

 blackens and "burns," leaves, blossoms, fruit and 

 branches wither at its approach. It sometimes walks 

 down a pear tree limb at the rate of from one to 

 twelve inches a day ; usually only two or three inches, 

 or less. One can easily recognize the disease. Watch 

 the trees carefully during the growing season, and 

 amputate attacked limbs at once. Have a bottle of 

 alcohol, and dip the tool in it after each amputation ; 

 it kills the blight germs that will cling to any imple- 

 ment and which may infect the next tree that is treated. 

 Always cut well below the affected part of branch. 

 Burn all cuttings, promptly. This disease is more 

 apt to attack fast-growing than slow-growing trees, 

 therefore an important part of the treatment is to avoid 

 a too stimulating method of fertilization and cultivation. 



COMBINATION SPRAYING SYSTEM. The best sys- 

 tem yet devised for most insect and fungous troubles, 



