August 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



lOl 



For the Western Pomologist. 



Pear Blight -Cause and Remedy. 



Ed. Pomologist : — I have read much up- 

 on the subject of Pear Blight iu the past 

 few years, and c aavassed the various theories 

 evolved by writers, but accordiagtomy view 

 of the nature of this tree malady, what I 

 have read or heard has mainly been the pro- 

 duct of speculation. For years I have beeu 

 a careful observer of its appearance and the 

 time of its presence, and from close thought 

 upon the matter do now determine it to be 

 the result of the following causes :— First, it 

 makes its visits to trees in good soils and 

 generally to those of vigor, and is rarely 

 found in full grown bearers, the growth of a 

 former generation. Secondly, its appearance 

 and the cause, and then I will dictate what I 

 believe to be a spiicific preventive, if pru- 

 dently practiced. 



Its appearance is plainly that of vegeta- 

 tion perishing instantly, as if by electricity ; 

 sometimes it will be in the middle part of 

 a limb, leaving life in either e.Ktremity , only 

 however, with posibility of living long in 

 the root end. The time of its presence is 

 almost always immediately after a season of 

 much rain, succeeded by intense sun heat. 

 My opinion, therefore, of this disease is, tl at 

 it is the result of an extra or superabundant 

 flow of sap caused by very propitious grow- 

 ing weather, which, when blight happens, 

 has beeu heated to an unhealthy tempera- 

 ture by the sun. It therefore, resembles the 

 effects of a scald, and is like a tree dead from 

 the too near application of fire, excepting 

 the presence of wilt, iu the latter. 



It can not occur frequently, iu my opinion 

 in a tree meagerly supplied with sap. Its 

 presence is generally manifesljed, in this 

 State, in the month of June, before the peri- 

 od of much ripening of wood, or always suc- 

 ceeding a generous season of rain and during 

 sultry hot sun-weather. 



All nurserymen know the effects of prun- 

 ing upon a tree of any description. If 

 branches of small dimensions be taken from 

 a tree, the day after by examining the bark 

 of the tree from whence the branches were 

 taken, it will be fouud|to adhere to the wood, 

 or to employ the operators phrase, it would 

 be termed, " the bark has set." Pinch out 

 the bud at the end of a switch and its imme- 

 diate effect is to check the flow of sap in 

 that part of the tree. A day or two thtreaf 

 ter, the buds thereon will be found to have 

 undergone merely the process of extraordi- 

 nary maturing. After a period of about ten 

 days vegetation proceeds as usual. Such I 

 apprehend is the the experience of all tree 

 men. If, men therefore, interested in pear 

 culture would be advised against the effects 

 of this disheartening enemy, let them reservei 

 by all means, the pruning of their trees un- 

 til the mouth of June, and then, not until 

 immediately after or during the dashing 



rains incident thereto, and before the sun 

 pours fourth his death deali.ig heat thereon. 

 S)rae writers have, on this subject, recom- 

 mended pruning when the blight has occured 

 as a remedy -this may do good —but it may 

 result in the death of the tree u.dess care be 

 taken, for a year or so thereafter. The pru- 

 ning may be considerable from necessity, 

 which will shortly, if seasonable, bring on 

 an extra growth and flow of sap in the re- 

 maining limbs and incur a second attack, 

 worse than the first, at times proving fatal ; 

 much les:5 meilicine may be used theref ireas 

 a preventive, than may become necessary 

 for a cure. Such as practice this sugge.sti(ju 

 will rarely, if ever, find any blight arao.ig 

 their trees, and comparatively realize a rem- 

 edy therefor in thus preparing them for the 

 sun. Elias S. Reed, 



Dover, Delaware. 



For tlie Wentern Pomologist. 

 A Few Wjrds About the Nursery 

 Business. 



The nursery business is not a profession 

 in every sense of the term, but it deserves 

 that name. 



The truth is, that it takes a longtime to 

 learn to be a good nurseryman. It takes 

 considerable skill to pursue the avocation 

 successfully, and it requires much patience, 

 judgment, and common sense, to enable a 

 man following this business to detect the 

 many worthless impositions and failures that 

 constantly beset him; to. separate the truly 

 useful from the merely ornamental ; and to 

 judiciously proportion his stock, so as to 

 furnish every purchaser relying upon him a 

 good selection of valuable fruits, aiul that 

 only. 



There are quack nurserymen as well as 

 quack doctors, and it well behooves the 

 planter to select his nurserymm as well as 

 his trees, for it is not every one that assumes 

 to know who really does know the varieties 

 of fruit adapted to his soil and climate, and 

 still a less number who know anything 

 about proportio?iing numbers and varieties, in 

 order to best serve the Interests of his 

 patrons. 



It is especially annoying to one who has 

 spent years in carefully testing the fruits of 

 his country, to find an "empirical, oily 

 tougued bigot," who knows nothing about his 

 business, "palavering" among the people 

 and wholesaling worthless stocks amongst 

 them. 



A man who has labored long and well in 

 any laudable vocation, knows that reputation 

 is a thing that can never be sustained but by 

 constant and well directed effort, and some- 

 times not even then. And any man who 

 has faithfully devoted himself to this busi- 

 ness, richly deserves the patronage of his 

 fellow-countrymen, and their patronage they 

 owe to him as a duty ; and they should cease 

 to neglect the true friends of this important 



branch of husbandry, for the " mushroom " 

 dealer who is " here to-day and gone to- 

 morrow." 



And this is not all. When it is a well 

 knovv.i fact that a nurseryman has had years 

 of experience in his busi.icss and has de- 

 voted himself assiduously to that business, 

 making it his special study and undertaki.ig, 

 it is but fair to give him credit for the com- 

 monest kind of sense and to consider his 

 advice concerning his particular calling, as 

 worth hearing and following. 



How common is it for orders to come from 

 men who have no experience, to old a.-d 

 practical horticulturists, already made out 

 in lists twithout regard to quality) of many 

 varieties of fruit, iu the cultivation and 

 fruiting of which there wiU be found neither 

 profit nor pleasure. 



It is time that those who desire to plant, 

 should either inform themselves or confide 

 iu honest and reliable men who are in- 

 formed, and the consequences would be that 

 a better class of fruits would be disseminated 

 throughout the country, and thus a greater 

 degree of satisfaction and an increase of 

 planting would result 



We would say here for the benefit of all 

 concerned, that the writer of this article has 

 no nursery and is but a " lover of horticul- 

 ture " and a friend to the true votary of a 

 pleasing science and a useful and honorable 

 occupation, the growing and disseminating 

 of nature's very choicest productions. 



I. T. W, 



Hart County, Ky., July 16, 1870. 



Phosphorus fob Curoulios.— At a recent 

 meeting of the Cincinnati Horticultural 

 Society, Mr. Welch stated that he placed a 

 small quantity of phosphorus in the crotch 

 of a plum tree. That season the tree was 

 loaded with plums, while other trees had 

 none. Whether it was the unpleasant odor 

 which drove the curculios away or not, he 

 did not pretend to say. Mr. Price said that 

 the way Mr. Keller kept the curculio away 

 from his trees was to place damp oat straw 

 under the trees once a week, and burn the 

 same. The curculios did not seem to like 

 the smoke. Mrs. Bickham said that the plum 

 trees near her house, ground which the dish 

 water and kitchen slops were thrown, were 

 exempt from the curculio, while others, not 

 so treated, bore no fruit. 



The Scuppernong Grape. — A North 

 Carolina correspondent says through the 

 American Agriculturist, of the Scuppernong: 

 " Indeed, I think with you that the Potomac 

 river is the northern boundary of its success- 

 ful, certainly its profitable culture. But 

 here, in Eastern Carolina, the must of ripe 

 grapes needs no sugar, to make a fine table 

 or medicinal wine. 



" I have had the fresh must of the Scup- 

 pernong, .strained through linen, to register 

 96 degrees on Oechsle's scale, at 60 degrees 

 (Fahr.) temperature. 



