MAINE APPLE DISEASES. 377 



common ways are barking by macbinery in cultivation and in- 

 juries by such animals as rabbits and mice, and by borers. 

 Broken or improperly prujied branches make a good place for 

 the entrance of fungi. A broken, splintered branch which will 

 hold moisture makes an excellent place for the germination of 

 spores and the mycelium after it- has grown for a time under 

 favorable conditions is able to penetrate the wood. Care should 

 be taken to remove all such broken and splintered branches and 

 in removing them long stubs should not be left which will be 

 slow in healing over if they heal at all. In pruning the branch 

 should be cut back as close to the larger branch or trunk as pos- 

 sible, and the surface of the wound should be parallel and as 

 near as possible on line with the surface of the main trunk or 

 branch. Such a wound if protected will heal over without in- 

 jury to the tree, while even a short stub will never do this, 

 although the wound made is much smaller. Much of the heart 

 rot is caused by fungi which gain entrance through stubs left 

 by improper priming. When it is necessary to remove large 

 branches, the wound should -be painted or otherwise protected. 

 Wood destroying fungi may also enter the wood through 

 places in the bark injured by canker fungi and by frost. Here 

 again may be emphasized the necessity of attending promptly 

 to the treatment of all wounds of whatever origin, as the con- 

 trol of wood destroying fungi must be a matter of prevention 

 and not of cure. 



Orchard Sanitation, Sprays and Spraying. 

 From the foregoing pages it will be seen that all attempts at 

 the control of fungous pests of the orchard must in a large 

 degree be directed toward the application of preventative rather 

 than curative measures. While spraying is beneficial and should 

 be practiced by all, it should be supj)lemented by thorough or- 

 chard sanitation. No dead or diseased limbs, cankers, or mum- 

 mified fruit should be allowed to remain on the trees or in the 

 orchards. Particular attention should be given to the removal 

 and destruction, by burning, of all rubbish, litter, decaying wood 

 or fruit which might serve as breetiing places for fungi or for 

 insects. The good efifccts of cultivation in the orchard are by 

 no means confined to those which tend to make available the 

 food sui)plies contained in the soil and to the conservation of 



