The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-07-03
TIE PEAR BLIGHT.
horticultural Starnes Gives some Interest
ing and Valuable Information.

50 frequently called of late to the sub
iect of pear blight, and so maay II
Suiries have been received by tii"
Georgia experiment station asking Tor
detailed information on this head.
that Director R. J. Redding, finding IL
impossible to satisfy each individual
inquirer. requested Mr.. Il. ". Starnes,
the horticulturist of the station, to
briefly summarize all that IS known
up to date concerning this scourge OF
the orchardist.
The term blight, writes Mr.;
Starnes. is very comprehensive and
although there are five different kinds
of blight, each produced by specific
ally distinct agency, in the popular
mind they are quite confused. 10 the
average fruit grower blight is blight,
just as eggs is eggs, whether caused
bv insect, fungus or bacterlum. II
the leaves turn black and witber and
the twig shrivels and dies, he says his
trees have got the blight-though per,
haps they haven't got it bad. Should
the malady fail to con1ine itself TO
leaf and twig, communicate to branch
and trunk and the trees are destroyed.
it is still blight, but an awf'll case OF
it.
Others, more Observing, dlstln-
guish three kinds of blight, which
they call leaf, twig and fire blight,
though they do not recognize the
agencies at work in their production
many even regarding them as but
successive phases or manifestations OF
the same malady. Others still ascrlbe
the first two to insects and the latter
to something else-maybe an insect,
maybe .not-perhaps frozen sap, to the
trees being hide bound at any rate:
to something 'diabolically inveterate,
and in the latter estimate they are GER
tainly correct.
Now, the fact is that of the five
kinds of blight two affect the leaf,
two the twig and one the entire tree.
One of them is produced by fungus,
three by insects and one by bacteri-
um. the latter only proving fatal.
\ detailed description of each would
require too much space, says Mr..
Starnes, so he gives the following
enumeration which he says must suf-
fee for all but the last named, which,
being the most important, will be
touched on somewhat more fully.
/. Pear Leaf Blight.--A fungus, en-
tomosporium maculatum, affecting
the leaf. This can be controlled by
spraying. Use either bordeaux mix
ture, modified eau celeste, or ammoni-
acal copper carbonate, preferably the
former. Apply just as buds are start
ing and thereafter at intervals OF two
weeks, until fruit is half grown.
2. Pear Leaf Blister-An insect IN
the form of an invisible mite, phytop-
tus pyri; does some damage, but not a
great deal. Remedy: AS the mites
live within the tissues of the leaves
they are beyond the reach of the ordl-
nary insecticides. Even kerosene
emulsion fails. They must be attacked
in their winter quarters by pruning
and burning the young wood and fal-
len leaves and rubbish.
3. Twig Blight (a)-An insect, psylla
pyricola, or pear tree psylla, slightly
resembling the aphis, or plant louise.
This is the insect whose excrements
form the sweet viscous liquid drop
ping occasionally from the trees and
known popularly as ''honey dew. "
In this secretion a mold-like fungus
fumago salicena) grows, giving the
twig in winter a sooty appearance
(whence its name) and forming a
coating which closes many of the
pores of the tree, and materially al
fects its growth. Remedy: Kerosene
emulsion applied in early spring, just
after the leaves have unfolded, while
| the young brood is in an unprotected
state.
4. Twig Blight. (b)-Also an insect,
xyloborus pyri, or pear blight beetle.
Ugly as his name sounds, and ugly as
he is in face and figure, he does not
really do great deal of damage. In
fact none of the blights-twig and leaf
amount to much. They are only y a
little "scary" on first appearance, lest
thay might upon examination turn out
to be the dreaded fire blight. Ihave
never known tree destroyed by eth
er form of leaf or twig blight; when
they are wiped out utterly, it is by fire
blight, and by that only.
The xyloborus is destructive in that
it gets in its work during the heat of
summer; the resulting destruction IS
hence sometimes attributed to drought:
The only remedy is the amputatlon Of
the affected limbs and their destruction
by fire.
5. Zymotic Blight, or the blight of
fermentation also termed fire
blight by reason of its virulence--ls
the "king of blights,' besides which
all other blights are comparatively in
offensive and harmless. In character
it is. as stated. virulent and fatal, and
the utter failure of all remedies lex
cept preventive ones heretofore de-
vised and tested renders it a scourge
to be indeed dreaded. Unfortunately
it is On the increase in all parts of the
country, especially in this state, and
confronts US with very serious prob
lem. For long time the LIE Conte
pear was claimed to be exempt, suffer
Ing, it was said, only from twig blight,
but it is now apparent that it can no
longer boast immunity. Of all varle
ties Bartlett appears to be most liable
to zymotic blight.
AS all growers are unfortunately
aware" Mr.. Starnes goes on to say,
the malady first makes its appearance
known by the blackening leaves, espc-
cially those in the young growth at
the tops of the shoots The branch
bearing such blackened leaves some
times appears healthy, but is often
contemporaneously affected, the bark
turning dark and shriveling. a Wis
cous exudation is often found on the
bark, which dries on both bark and
leaves, giving them a glistening or
vanished appearance. The malady
appears to pass from the outer twigs IN
ward, toward the trunk, and is more
apt to attack fruiting branches than