Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-04-01
Pear Tree Blight-Positiye Remedies

This is topic likely to be widely dis
cussed during the season of conventions,
and deserves attention. Pertinent to the
subject we publish in the Rural Neo
Yorker extracts from letter written a
year or more ago by William Saunders,
of the gardens of the Department of
Agriculture. He says:
Twenty years ago / became convinced
of the almost invariable presence of fun
gold growths in diseased plants, and have
been liberal in the application of sui
phur, lime and other ingredients known
to be destructive of fungoid spores.
When, therefore, Thomas Meehan, a
few years ago, suggested that the So
called blight on the branches and trunks
of the pear was due to the presence of
fungi, [ at once saw the force of his OBJ
servations and conclusions, and it was
a very natural resort to apply such rem
edies as were well known to be etfectual
in similar cases.
Another favorable consideration was
the easiness of application; it would not
require much labor and still less of skill
to whitewash the trunk and branches OF
a tree: and the cost of materials was
scarcely worth counting, in comparison
further recollected that the practice
INDUCED in by some farmers In extend
ing the operation of withdrawing out
buildings and fences so as to include the
stems of the shade-trees in their door
yards Ia practice which, regarded merely
as an artistical establishment, had fire.
quently and somewhat earnestly con.
demned), resulted in the maintenance or
IL Il 10, az froa
and parasites, and instead of doing injury
was evidently conducive to the heaith
and well being of the plant
During the summer OF 1868 standard
pear tree, having stem SIX inches In
diameter, was observed 10 De ailnoss
girdled by blight near the surface OIL
the ground: the bark for fully three
fourths of the circumference was black,
indurated and dead. On close examina,
ton it was observed that the fungold
growth was rapidly encircling the trunk
and would speedily destroy the plant, as
had previously occurred TO several trees
in the same row. A thick coating OF
wash was spread over the affected parts
and in the course OF a few weeks II pc
came evident that "the plague was
stayed.o A callus commenced TO form
along the IudTRlu VI tuO iciiA"iH
and that tree is alive and well 10 Urls
day.
This was so far encouraging tnat
made semi-weekly examinations OF tne
trees, with the view OF applying the
wash at any point where its necessity
was Indicated; but unfortunately the
first indication of disease was generaiiy
a dead branch, with blackened leaves
gone past recovery; so the wash was 81 :,
no use, and as it was not very ornamental
it was for the time abandoned.
1t was then resolved to use the WASH a.
preventive, and during the following
winter some of the more valuable trees
received careful application on the
stem and over the main branches as
high up as could readily be reached from
the ground. The results OF these anu
similar trials convinced me that TINS
process, if it would not entirely proven.
the blight on the pear tree-and am
net satisfied that it willis so iar use
full as to be worthy of general adoption
not only as preventive Oh iuhsoiu