STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 71 



punctures the sap vessels, causiug a discharge and oozing of the 

 gum. Others, that it is owing to some disorganization of the sap 

 circulation ; and some of the believers in this theory have, of late 

 years, bled their trees by driving spikes into the trunks, or admin- 

 istered to the suffering trees certain medicines near the base of the 

 trunk, professedly to purge them of noxious and destructive hu- 

 mors by the remedial effect which might be imparted to the sap as 

 it flowed to every part. Favorable reports have been published of 

 these experiments, but I do not think any certain, well established 

 theory of the cause of the cherry tree disease has been discovered. 



Hon. S. L. Goodale, former Secretary of the Board of Agricul- 

 ture, in a paper on Fruit Culture in his report for the year 1864, 

 page 138, says : " The Kentish cherry, common throughout New 

 England, and generally called tame to distinguish it from the sorts 

 which grow wild among our forest trees, was formerly very plenty 

 through the State. It proved hardy and bore abundantly. But of 

 late years the stock has become diseased from some cause, and 

 having been usually propagated by suckers which carried the ten- 

 dency to disease with them, it is now grown with less success 

 than formerly, and in some sections has become extinct." The 

 foregoing quotation does not pretend to contain any explanation 

 of the original cause of the cherry tree blight, but contains a 

 warning hint against the practice of planting diseased suckers for 

 the purpose of obtaining healthy, productive trees. 



It will be noticed that only the old Kentish, or common "tame 

 cherry," is mentioned as suffering from this disease ; the newer 

 and better kinds being presumably free from it. In fact, I do not 

 remember of seeing any of the Heart or Bigarreau cherry trees 

 which had the black knot upon them. Whether the Dukes or 

 Morellos, from their nearer resemblance to the late Kentish, have 

 or will ever develop the same disease, I am not able to say from 

 observation. Mr. Francis H. Whitman of Harrison, who is a 

 cherry fancier and cultivates several varieties of the Hearts, says 

 he has not noticed in his trees any signs of the black knot, and it 

 is his opinion that the improved kinds of cherries obtained from 

 nurseries and well planted and attended to, will be very profitable 

 and free from disease. If it is true that this disease is confined to 

 the old Kentish cherry tree, and has not appeared in any of the 

 newer sorts, it is sufficient cause for thankfulness among fruit- 

 growers and lovers of cherries that such a discovery has been 

 made, and the best thing that could happen in that event would be 



