The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-07-07

= 49,
On the oath ult., the Maury County
Farmers Club met pursuant to adjourn
ment, President r. S. Ewell in the chair.
Owing to the extreme inciemency al the
weather. and the fact that the Chancery
Court was in session, but few of the
members responded to the call of the
Secretary, After the usual prelimina-
ry business, the regular subject was an
nounced by the Secretary, who stated
that he had made an examination of
trees affected by the blight, alluded to
in the last meeting, and discovered the
disease to be caused by an insect, or
worm. Upon the limb covered with the
dead leaves, was small raised or swol-
len surface, as if it had been punctured
with a pin, and this extended into the
hard wood. He discovered no insect in
the wood, but upon the diseased trees he
discovered small gray insect, with
wings; was unable to say whether this
little fly was the cause of the disease, or
the result of the egg deposited in the
wound. The disease, so far as he exam
ined, was confined to young trees, and
the dead wood extended no further
than the last years. growth.
When Mr. Dew had concluded bis re-
marks, he requested w. S. Rainey, ESD,
to tell the Club what, in his opinion, was
the cause of
BLIGHT ON THE FRUIT TREES.
He said the disease now affecting the
ample trees was an wholly different dis
ease from that affecting the pear trees.
The apple trees were affected with in
sect blight, and the pear tree with frozen
sap blight. Such were the theories.
In the months of May and June, the APP
pie trees being then in luxurious growth,
the extremities of the branches are seen
suddenly to wither, the leaves turn
brown and crisp, and soon become hard
and difficult to cut. with the knife. The
disease usually involves thepresent and
previous year'sgrowth. 1t is caused by
a
MINUTE INSECT, ~
Which seems to be about Lilo OF an inch
long, very hard and round, and of q
dark brown color, 1t is known by Po-
molOgists under the name of ,ScOtVtus
pyri. By taking hold of the end of one
of the poisoned and wi.bered limbs and
bending it, it will break off where the
insect has penetrated. You will find it
has bored out the centre of the twig, for,
perhaps, a half inch. About the 10th of
June examined a number of these lit
tie little hollows, and in them, by the
use of magnifying glass, found the
little beetle, and with him, usually four
to six minute eggs. You may also find
upon these withered limbs, small spots
of raised bark. By peeling off these
spots with knife, you will find, be-
tween the bark and the wood, two par
rallel rows, about Il of an inch long, of
small eggs When first found these
eggs, supposed the insects Matched
from them penetrated the branches and
hoilows them out. But when 1 found
the second set of eggs in the little hol-
lows, was in doubt about this. And
L am now in doubt whether there is one
or two species of insects engaged in this
mischief.
1t seems to me the only mode Of pre-
venting the insect blight, is to
CUT OFF THE LIMBS
Below the affected parts, as soon as the
disease is discovered, and burn Them.
In this way it may destroy both the in
sect and its eggs.
THE PEAR BLIGHT
Is very different disease from the IN
sect blight. 1t is very destructive and
disheartening disease. 1t selects for its
victims the most thrifty, vigorous, and
handsomest trees in the orchard. a
number of my best trees, models in
shape, perfection in symmetry, and won
ders in vigor and promise, are now
standing, dead to the ground, their
leaves black and crisp, and the poison
ed sap exuding from their bodies, a
mockery of my hope and pride.
PoMoLoGIsTs
Differ about what is the cause of this
frtf
seems to be that it is caused by frozen
sap. There are two currents of sap in
a tree, the upward and the downward
currents. 1t rises through the outer
wood and descends through the inner
bark, depositing new wood on the down.
ward passage. When the summer has
been dry, the sap in a measure ceases to
flow, and the tree ceases to grow. Late
i'll the fall the rains set in, the sap starts
anew, and the tree makes vigorous
SECOND GROWTH.
The weather suddenly turns cold, and
the. sap freezes in the descent. This
stops its progress. 1t sours, thickens
and becomes ctdmmy. 1t then descends
with difficulty; it chokes up the sap ves-
sells. 1t freezes, and thaws, and sOurs
and thickens and so continues during
the winter. Itlloses its vitality, becomes
dark and discolored, and lodges in the
inner bark. When
SPRING COMES,
The sap rises and performs its office in
making new leaves and new twigs, and
the tree seems to flourish. Then it I'M
dertakes its journey down the inner
bark to make new wood. 1t comes in
contact with the frozen, poisoned sap of
last winter The poison is diluted, tax
Ell up by the new sap, and carried to all
parts of the tree. The leaves and branch
es Immediately turn black, and die, and
the clammy sap eXudes through the
bark, emitting the odor of decaying
trOst-bitten vegetation.
Whenever the blight is discovered, all
THE DISEASED PARTS
Should. immediately be cut away, and it
will take more severe pruning than an
inexperienced person would suppose.
To prevent the late fall growth, and the
consequent blight, various expedients
have been resorted to, among the most
effective of which, is perhaps, root prun-
ing. Wherever the pear is cultivated,
this disease appears, and its fearful raw
ages are almost enough to deter us from
its cultivation.