The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-11-12
Horticulture.
PEAR BLIGHT AND ITS CONTROL.

Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
In a recent trip through northern
and western Florida and southern
Georgia | observed with regret Shat
large proportion of the pear Oroh
ards, which abound in this region,
are gravely affected with blight. In
many cases the trees T practically
dead and | sa Y verv few orchards
Hfeless limbs to TESTIFY TO the a
ages of this most serious menace to
the pear growing industry. I was
very much surprised at this, as l
have seen but very little reference
in farm journals to any suoh gener
ally d~isoouraging conditions existing
in this mot important branch of
fruit growing
And yet all this is simply an irdi-
cation of the inexcusable ignorance
or ~carelessness or both of the own
ers of there neglected grlves. Pear
blight il a perfectly comfortable dis
ease. The writer speaks on this
subject Mt from theory only, but
from practical experience and that,
TOO, in a region where the trouble is
very prevalent and where the pear
and apple both if left uncared for
very soon succumb 80 its ravages.
OF course all who keep as all
abreast of current agricultural re-
search are aware that pear blight,
Ftfre blight" as il is some times
termed, is a bacterial disease. 1t
starts in the spring with other
awakening vegetable life. The air
is more or less laden with the spores
of the disease. Bees and other in
sects are largely responsible for it's
spread. The blossom, as the most
tender growing tissue, is especially
liable to attack, and is of course the
part visited by them, and here the
disease usually begins. Still any
young and tender bud is liable TO at
tack.
AS the disease progresses very
rapidly, the treatment TO be
full must be prompt and thorough.
As soon as the trees have done bios
soming and the fruit is set, and the
work can be intelligently done the
process of pruning should begin. For
this one will need a sharp knife-a
good pair of pruning shears, a small
paint brush and an ordinary glass
preserving jar fitted with a strap go
that it a be swung over the shout
der and carried mouth open, and this
TO be filled with q disinfeoting liquid
prepared by dFssolving a t~easpoonful
of corrosive sublimate in d quart of
hot water. This of course should be
distinctly labeled 'Fpoison" and
placed where children or servants
cannot get hold of is.
With this -armamenture the primer
is ready for his work. The next
thing is TO find and cut off six inches
below where is shows disease every
twig and branch. Care, sharp eyes
and patience are necessary for this.
After every cutting the knife or
pruning shears should be dipped in
the d~isinfecting liquid. In nine cases
out of ten this is really not neces
sary, but the difficulty is to know
exactly when it is and so salty is
secured by making the dipping uni
form.
The most difficult cases are where
some short spur or twig has bsen at
taoked and the "black death" has
gone down until it has reached the
main trunk or some large limb. In
that case, all obviously affected bark
must be cut away and an inch or so
of the apparently sound bark around
the base of the affected twig. This
fresh wood must then be treated
with the d~isinfecting fluid. Ii will
be seen how important it is that all
short spurs shall be kept pruned
away from the main trunk and
larger branches.
After going over the tree as care
fully as possible the primer should
stand off from it a few feet and look
is over again on all sides from a new
standpoint. In most cases he will
discover some black affected branches
which had previously escaped notice.
But this spring pruning is only the
prelude. The work must be re
peated at frequent intervals-four
Oh fve-during the summer, or as