10 



Treatment. 



In most cases, it is very difficult to cure a tree after it has 

 become diseased. However, in the case of young trees that are 

 just coming into bearing it seems that something should be done 

 to save them. I believe they can be saved, at least long enough 

 to bear several good crops. 



In the first place, all dead limbs and trees should be promptly 

 removed from the orchard and burned. Old pear trees in the 

 neighborhood of young apple orchards are often a constant source 

 of infection, and, unless kept absolutely free from blight, should 

 be removed. Also every case of twig blight in both pear and 

 apple trees should be cut out and burned. 



Cut out with a sharp knife all the diseased tissue of the canker 

 well back into the healthy bark, and treat all the cut surfaces 

 with corrosive sublimate, — one tablet to one quart of water, or 

 copper sulfate solution, — one ounce to four quarts of water. 

 When dry, paint over thoroly with some heavy lead paint. This 

 should be done early in the season, as soon as the cankers are dis- 

 covered, for two reasons : 1st, the spreading of the canker and its . 

 consequent damage to the tree is checked; 2d, the wound is thus 

 given a long period in which to heal. The painting should be 

 repeated again toward the close of the season and again the next 

 year, or until the wound has completely healed. This prevents 

 a second infection or the entrance of rot fungi. A twice-monthly 

 inspection of every tree should be made and all cankers carefully 

 cut out and treated as soon as they appear. Cankered trees so- 

 treated early in the spring of 1905 have formed good calluses 

 and are fast healing the wounds. Treat all accidental wounds 

 in the same way. 



Keep the body and main limbs of the tree free of watersprouts 

 Uiruout the summer. 



In planting, choose trees with open or spreading crotches. 



Avoid excessive fertilizing with nitrogenous manures. Apply 

 some form of phosphoric acid to ripen new growths. 



The planting of varieties known to be more or less resistant 

 to this disease is to be recommended. The Wolf River and Tal- 

 man Sweet appear to be of this sort, while Baldwin and Ben 

 Davis suffer most severely. Desirable non-resistant varieties may 

 be top grafted on resistant stocks. 



