PEAR DISEASES 



1633 



inch or two at the side and three to six 

 inches at the bottom and top of the infec- 

 tion may be regarded as safe if done 

 during the winter. However, such cut- 

 ting will not do during the spring or 

 summer when the sap is flowing rapidly. 

 Such work invariably results in missing 

 many cases. It is never a good plan to 

 leave the matter of working out hold- 

 over blight until after the sap begins to 

 flow. The best time to do this success- 

 fully is during the dormant period. How- 

 ever, I do not mean to say that hold-over 

 may not be removed at any time, but I 

 do mean to say the chances for a success- 

 ful operation are very much less, and the 

 amount of cutting necessary is always 

 much greater and more destructive to 

 the appearance and health of the tree. 

 As a general principle, we believe in 

 drawing the line on those cases where 

 the blight has gone below the crown and 

 into the root system. Even here, how- 

 ever, it is possible to dig away the soil 



and follow up the blight on the roots. A 

 tree should never be considered as wholly 

 lost where skilled labor may be had, and 

 where the body is not completely girdled 

 or where the root system is not too badly 

 involved. Where a large portion of the 

 bark must be removed from the body, 

 leaving only a small portion to carry sap, 

 bridge grafting may be resorted to, to 

 fill in the part cut away. If this is well 

 done, and if the bared wood has been 

 protected by a white lead paint, a new 

 bark covering may be grown. This has 

 been done in a very successful way in 

 many instances. In case the tree has 

 set a heavy crop of buds for the next 

 year, this plan will eventually help to 

 carry the fruit crop. 



Seven-year-old Cornice Pear Tree Girdled by 

 Blight in 1908. Bridge grafted spring of 

 1909 ; photographed fall of 1910. The bridge 

 grafts saved the tree, which has borne a 

 heavy crop of fruit each year since the blight 

 was eradicated and the tree bridged. (Orig- 

 inal.) 



Cornice Pear Tree Showing a Bad Case of Body 

 Blight which has been cut out. Note the 

 bridge graft, about two feet long, which con- 

 nects the healthy tissue above and below the 

 limits of infection. Additional grafts were 

 put in after photograph was taken and these 

 have united laterally so as to form a com- 

 plete cover of new bark. (Original.) 



Bridge Grafting 



In case a part of the root system, as 

 well as the bark and cambium above^ 

 must be removed, the parts removed may 

 be eventually filled in by planting good 



8—20 



