The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-10-28
agricultural.
T. H. HOSklNS, m. D., Editor,
Newport, Vermont.
Care and Prevention of Tree Diseases.

We constantly COlllC upOh SuCu para
graphs as these in our exchanges:
"SALT is being freely used by GER
tain New York nurserymen in their
pear nurseries for the purpose of coun-
teracting blight. Iron filings and cop
peras in solution have been used for the
same purpose. If these remedies do
not prevent the disease, they at least
correct disposition to blight"
THE best remedy for black knot, in
cherry and plum, is wood-ashes. Spread
at least bushel around each tree for
several feet in each direction. To pre-
vent the spread of the disease, the
knots should all be trimmed out. The
benefit, we opine, is derived from the
vigorous growth produced, thus en-
abling the trees to repel the attacks of
the fungus which causes the difficulty"
PROFESSOR MAYNARD of the Massa-
chusetts Agricultural College considers
that the use of muriate of potash as a
fertilizer is specific remedy for the
yellows in peach-trees."
1t is well recognized fact that dis
eases are much more likely to attack
both animal and vegetable organisms
when they are in an enfeebled condi-
ton. AS the drunkard is more liable
to be attacked by disease than the sober
man, so weak and sickly fruit-tree is
far more likely to fall a victim to some
diseased action than a vigorous and
healthy one. Over-nutrition and under
nutrition are both causes of weakness
to plants and animals, and weakness in
vites the invasion of disease. The at
tempt to cure the disease by any par
ticular nostrum, without knowledge of
the exact cause, may succeed by
lucky guess, but is more likely to fail.
Take pear and apple blight as an illus
tration. 1t may be due in some cases to
condition which can be remedied by
an application of salt to the soil in
which the trees are planted. Or it may
be that the absence of available potash,
or available phosphoric acid, or the
presence of an excess of organic nitro
gen, may cause the condition which
permits the invasion of the disease
called blight. In these cases last named
the use of salt would not prevent the
disease, and experience shows that it
will not. Some soils are too full of rich
food to grow healthy apple or pear
tree. In such cases seeding down the
orchard to grass has arrested the blight.
But if the disease is due to the alb
sence or deficiency of some element of
plant food, seeding to grass would
probably aggravate the evil. Professor
Maynard is no doubt right in saying
that he has cured peach-trees of the
yellows by the use of potash salts; yet
that might not cure the disease in other
soils, where there is no deficiency of
potash, but perhaps deficiency of
some other element, causing feeble de-
velopment of the peach-tree and thus
enabling the disease to effect lodg-
ment in its tissues.
So of the plum and cherry-trees, when
attacked by the fungus known as
DldCh huOl' IL lue trees are III Il
soil well supplied with all necessary
plant-food, yet not over-rich, they may
grow so healthy that the spores of the
fungus cannot get hold of the bark or
wood, and consequently no black knot
will appear.
All of these facts indicate not that
there is any sure, universal and specific
remedy for tree diseases, but that in
order to have healthy orchards we
must be sedulous to supply our trees
with all the needed elements and con-
ditions of healthy existence and growth.
What may be wanting in any particular
case cannot be known except by ex-
periments, carefully made. Salt, or
ashes, or copperas, may have effected
a cure in one mans orchard, but that is
no proof that the same result will fol-
low the use of the same thing in another
mans. Prevention is worth more than
cure in all cases, and prevention in
these cases is most sure where pains
are taken to keep the land supplied in
due proportion with all of the elements
of plant-food, taking care, at the same
time, that the physical condition of the
soil is properly secured by drainage,
tillage, mulching, or whatever else is
needed,