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I noticed of this was last year. The end of the twig would turn black, and 

 after leafing out the leaves would turn black, and also the bark from six 

 inches to two or three feet. We pruned off and burned the blighted part, 

 and tried to keep up with this, thinking it would stop; and I was in hopes 

 that it would not occur again this year, but it has, and some have been 

 quite seriously affected. I am told the same thing began in New York, 

 about fifteen or sixteen years ago, and the pear growers there trimmed 

 until they cut the trees all away, and the pear interests were ruined in 

 about three years. 



Dr. Kimball: Is there very much of that disease in the orchard? 



Mr. Gray: Considerable, and in two or three orchards quite remote from 

 each other. 



Mr. Klee: The only symptoms similar to what I have seen to-day, I have 

 seen at Mr. Kells place near Yuba City, though they seem somewhat dif- 

 ferent, and I afterward saw them on my own trees turned black in a few 

 days, and a portion of the limbs dies, but Mr. Kells tells me that the whole 

 tree did not die, but only a portion of it. In this case there were quite 

 large limbs that had died, and the young shoots showing that they might 

 be affected. I am not sufficiently familiar with all these different blights, 

 because there are more than one in the Eastern States; the so called fire 

 blight and sap blights; and still, perhaps, another form; and it is one of 

 the most dangerous and troublesome things that we have to deal with. 

 They have, as Mr. Gray states, made great havoc in the Eastern States, 

 and there has been absolutely no cure brought forward . One of the reasons 

 why the Keifer and LeConte pear have been propagated in the Eastern 

 States is, because they have been pronounced blight proof. 



Mr. Kells: In regard to what Mr. Klee has stated: in my orchard the 

 leaves seem to blight first, turn black, and then they would break off after 

 a week or ten days, and then the limbs soon lose their color. The blight 

 seems to start in the leaf first, and it went over some two or three of my 

 trees, almost leaving the fruit hanging, so that it was exposed to the sun; 

 but this year they have borne a crop of pears and apparently are as healthy 

 as they ever were. This season I have not seen any in my neighborhood. 



Mr. C. W. Reed, of Sacramento: I went over to examine the trees spoken 

 of by Mr. Gray, and I do not think it is anything more than a sap blight 

 caused by the extreme hot weather, and not the dreaded pear blight they 

 have in the Eastern States. I have often seen the same effect in my own 

 orchard and cut them out and never have seen anything more of them. 



Mr. Wickson: I would like to say that my observation agrees with that 

 which Mr. Reed has described. I am quite sure that it is not the so called 

 fire-blight which they fear so much in the East; I can see no indication of 

 that whatever; it seems more likely to be the sour sap-blight, as it is called, 

 than anything else I know of. I am quite sure it is not the worst form of 

 blight. 



Mr. Gray: There was a young Bartlett pear orchard where the trees 

 were very thrifty and it would not seem possible that the heat of the sun 

 could burn them, where the most damage has been done — a young tree that 

 is growing fast does not burn by the heat of the sun, and especially on the 

 shady side of that tree. I am in hopes that Mr. Reed and Mr. Wickson 

 are right; I am very much afraid they are not, for I notice that on the 

 shady side of the tree just as much damage was done as on the other side, 

 and just on parts of the tree, one or two limbs affected and the rest all 

 healthy; if the hot sun does it why does it strike one limb and not the 

 balance ? There is one point as to pruning, as to which I should like to 

 hear some discussion from nurserymen and those who have had experience 



