The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-07-30
WHY FRUIT TREES DIE.
Too Much Strong Medicine on the
Leaves and Roots.

Too Much Strong Medicine the
Leaves and Roots.
SEATTLE, July %, 1894
To THE EDITOR: The PosT-ISTELLIGEs-
GER of Wednesday, the 18th inst, con-
tanned the following:
TACOMA. July 24-TSpeciaL loving to
the large number of requests from Wash
ington fruit growers and the state board
of horticulture, the United States govern
ment. department of pathology, has ar
ranged TO send Newton Il. Pierce TO this
state to investigate the cause OF the de-
struction of the great numbers OF trees.
Most of the diseased trees are between two
and three years old"
AS man who mas had considerable ex-
perience in this line, | take upon myself
the responsibility to give your readers my
opinion. So far as one reason is
concerned, / take 1t for granted
that all the readers of your
journal who are horticulturlsts. and
those who are not, are aware of
the fact that there is vegetable and animal
life Take animal life, and you will find the
whole makeup of the general composition
is n very delicate piece of handiwork by
the Creator. When disease sets In this
wonderful piece of machinery requires
a skillful physician to make the
necessary repairs. SO IL Is with the
vegetable kingdom. Take young
tree; II is in its infancy; it
has the same relationship to the parent
tree in many respects that the child has to
its parents. The stock is tender, the leaves
are tender while in the nursery row. For
mother to say: IL am going to wean
my baby" often means death to-
her offspring, and more especiall y
If she gives It too strong food.
A physician NAV give twenty grains OF
Quinine TO the mother and she may not
die; give II to the child and in all proba-
biiity IL means death. So il Is IN regard 10
young trees; 20 take the young tree from
the nursery row is TO dig il up by the roots.
To plant IL in new ground means new food.
Perhaps the ground is too rich. perhaps
too poor. perhaps too dry, perhaps too wet,
and perhaps killed by too much care, per-
hans no care at ali.
Perhaps the poor tree has been q little
AAlne. and q physician was called, who
felt It's pulse looked at its tongue sounded
its lungs and pronounced the disease con-
sumpfion--prescrib for an old tree aud
not young one. The dose he gave IL was
too strong snd he kilelt the patient Let
me ask. what is more tender than the
young leaves on a tree2
TIE leaves are the lungs; these lungs are
one mass Of pores. Place them under q
powerful g.ass when IL is 10 degrees in
the shade, when il - very dry. and you
viii and these little valves open and shut;
tats means gasping for breath.
hsve before ne . prescription pre-
scFtoed b. = physician Of trees for those
lungs let as see a hat it is. Take one
pound OF sulphur, one pound of concen-
iTAted I've and two pounds OF whale oil
soap, aid - this twenty-five gallons OF
water. Apply this 20 the lungs tlsavesl I"
A pretty strong tonic The physician
who prescribed this prescription evidently
believes IN either "kill or cure" IS il has
soe0; one-foursh pound OF the combined
strength 10 gallon Of water
But me AJAX. what is more tender than
tie asroas roots Of q young tender tres