66 



my trees to see what would happen. I do not recommend that you 

 use Commercial Lime Sulphur on any of your trees, because, if any- 

 thing went wrong, you would say, '''\Vhetzel got me into that 

 trouble.'' 



Member. AMiat can you tell us about this fire-blight on 

 Apples and Pears? 



Prof. Whetzel. I cannot tell you anything, except what has 

 been told hundreds of times. As I told a man this morning, I will 

 guarantee to deliver a hundred acres of Pears or Apples without the 

 loss of any trees, or large limbs; and I will do nothing except to in- 

 spect the trees regularly and take the blight out as fast as it ap- 

 pears. 



Mr. Repp. I do not believe in warm weather this can be done ; 

 the thing is, your infections come together; they are there before 

 you can see them. 



Prof. Whetzel. Yes ; but it can be seen in time to save the 

 trees. 



Mr. Repp. In this warm section here, the bacteria works fast. 

 I can see how it can be done in New York State; it does not work 

 as fast in that section as in this. 



Prof. Whetzel. The people in Xew York wouldn't believe it 

 could work faster anywhere else. 



Mr. Bassett. I agree with Professor \Vhetzel that it can be 

 controlled in this way. 



Mr. Vincent. I know of a case in Southern Oregon where the 

 fire blight attacked a large orchard. The owner said it could not be 

 controlled by cutting it out, consequently he did not fight it. His 

 neighbors fought it, cutting it out wherever it appeared. They con- 

 quered it; he lost 15,000 trees. 



Mr. Repp. Your method may be all right in your State; in 

 this and Xew Jersey the trouble is that it starts in the bloom. 



Prof. Whetzel. That's where it always starts. 



Mr. Repp. How many men would you put on the work? 



Prof. Whetzel. How many men could you put in your or- 

 chard ? 



Mr. Repp. Five or ten. 



Prof. Whetzel. You could put in twenty if you had to, couldn't 

 you? 



Mr. Repp. But, Professor, you go over the trees, and think 

 you have cleaned them all up ; the next day you go out, and they 

 seem to be as bad as they were the day before. You have to go 

 back ever}^ day ; you get discouraged, you lose faith. 



Prof. Whetzel. You have to go back every day until it is cut 

 out. I know how you feel when the blight's been after you. They 

 all feel that way. 



Mr. Fenstermacher. Professor AMietzel says his boys can tell 

 the bHght before the grower would see it ; will he kindly give us 

 some information, so that we could guard ourselves and protect 

 ourselves ? 



Prof. Whetzel. If you will go with the boys and learn the 

 trick, you can do it. There are certain early symptoms. As a mat- 

 ter of fact, an ordinary- grower would not be likely to see it until 

 the tree was half dead. The careful grower cannot see it much 



