THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
682 
THE EFFECT OF CROWN GALL UPON THE ORCHARD 
PETER YOUNGERS, Geneva, Nebraska 
It has fallen to my lot to discuss this important subject 
as chairman of a committee appointed by the Western 
Nurserymen’s Association, and instead of making a report 
to the Western Association, I have been requested to report 
to the National Association. I realize that the task is not 
a pleasant one as there has been so much written and so 
many laws enacted on this subject that the only way to 
determine this is to weigh the evidence that is produced on 
both sides of the question. In the first place, we have very 
learned scientists who have a theory that this so-called 
Crown Gall is infectious, but often theories are not facts, 
and as yet we have been unable to get satisfactory proof of 
that being the case. Can it be that they have erred in their 
calculations as the astronomers erred in predicting the 
course of the comet ? 
EXPERIMENTS AND EXPERIENCE 
There is quite a difference between conducting an experi¬ 
ment in a greenhouse where the temperature and moisture 
can be kept at any desired degree and having the same 
experiment conducted in the orchard where the trees are 
subjected to nature’s whims. While we are willing to yield 
to the scientific man every honor for his faithful research in 
order to help us to solve the different problems that arise, 
and we, as nurserymen are more vitally interested than any 
one"else, for if it is found by positive experiments to be a 
fact that the so-called Crown Gall is infectious and danger¬ 
ous to the orchard interest, the nurserymen must abandon 
the growing of apple trees, but we know that years before 
the scientist ever mentioned the Crown Gall, orchards were 
being planted that today are a source of revenue to the 
owners. Over thirty years ago, the writer saw this same 
Crown Gall on the apple trees and no tree was rejected be¬ 
cause the Crown Gall was present, unless the gall was so 
large as to cause comment and it was then rejected, not by 
the inspector, but by the nurseryman. 
CAUSES OF ABNORMAL GROWTH 
There are many reasons for abnormal growth at the 
crown. Sometimes it is caused by a defect in the union 
where it is grafted, which the tree soon outgrows. Some¬ 
times by mechanical injury, caused by the cultivator or the 
hoe in the process of cultivation, which causes an enlarge¬ 
ment similar to an enlargement caused by a broken bone. 
Aphis has also been known to cause lumps at the crown 
which are classed as crown gall, and anything that has an 
enlargement from any cause is thrown out, not by the 
inspector, but by the nurseries, as experience has taught 
the nurseryman that the only safe way is to throw out the 
tree that shows any signs of the so-called crown gall, and in 
many instances it takes more than the profit of the entire 
block of trees. Not that the trees thrown out would not 
grow and produce profitable trees, but because the inspec¬ 
tion laws and inspectors will not discriminate against any 
mechanical injury, but condemn all, regardless of the cause. 
The inspector simply does his duty as the law requires and 
should not be censured for so doing, but if the scientific men 
can or will enlighten us so that we may be able to distinguish 
between the so-called infectious gall and the galls or warts 
caused by grubs and mechanical injury, and so that the 
inspector can be educated to determine quickly the dif¬ 
ference between them, they will help to solve the question 
to the benefit of both orchardist and nurseryman. 
EFFECT OF SOIL 
We find that the old nursery land does not contain as 
much Crown Gall as the newer land. We also find that the 
new alfalfa sod produces more Crown Gall than older land, 
which shows most conclusively that the older lands are 
freer from insects that work upon the roots of the trees 
and injure them and that if it was infectious the trees on 
the older lands would have the same proportion of Crown 
Gall that those have that are planted on the new lands. 
And again, if this Crown Gall will injure the tree why will 
the largest and strongest growing tree in the nursery be 
effected with so called Crown Gall; yet the nurserymen 
present will bear me out in this assertion. 
We all know that the Wealthy apple is one of the hardiest 
and most prolific trees in the orchard and that it also con¬ 
tains more so-called Crown Gall than any other standard 
variety in the nursery. If this so-called Crown Gall is 
infectious, why will the varieties grown on either side of the 
rows of Wealthy escape infection and produce only a 
limited number, or no Crown Gall. 
We have an instance that we can refer to in the Marshall 
Brothers orchard, at Arlington, Nebraska, and I will read 
their letter on the subject. The gentlemen are known as _ 
honest, reliable and conscientious men, keen observers and 
unbiased in their judgment, and in addition they have the j 
proof that cannot be successfully contradicted. 
EXPERIENCE OF NURSERYMEN 
Arlington, Neb., March 10, 1910. 
Peter Youngers, 
Geneva, Neb. 
Dear Sir: 
Answering your favor concerning the Crown Gall trees 
of which you witnessed the digging in our orchard on 
February 25th, will say that during the spring of 1895, 
while digging and delivering the Wealthy apple trees, we 
found so much crown gall that through curiosity we planted 
a row of 24 trees, all crown gall trees, across our orchard. 
Then we selected out 7 or 8 trees containing the largest 
galls which it was possible to find and planted them as 
fillers between the other trees in the commercial orchard 
north of the railroad. These were the trees that you witnes¬ 
sed the digging of. These trees were three years old when 
transplanted, making them 18 years old this spring. They 
have borne profusely ever since old enough, and the 
premiums that we have been getting at the State Fair, for 
the best 50 plates of autumn apples these late years, were 
won by apples picked from these trees. They bore from 8 
to 15 bushels each the past season. The row of trees that 
