The citizen., 1902-04-04
Spring Advice About Fruit
Diseases.
(By J. b. S. Norton, State Pathologist.,

idHu Agricultural EAperlmenC
Station, Horticultural Depart
ment, contains the following in.
teresting article, which we give
in full, as particularly pertinent
at this season:
Last year great deal of loss
was occasioned to fruit growers
in Maryland by such diseases as
brown rot, leaf curl and yellows
of peach; rust, rot and scab of
apples, blight of pear, apple and
ounce, black rot and mildew of
grapes, the various leaf and fruit
spots and many others of minor
Importance.
This loss might have been
greatly reduced by careful atten.
tion and use of preventative
measures.
While it is impossible to pre-.
dict what disease will be preva.
lent this year, experience shows
that it is profitable to be prepared
against those serious diseases
which are apt to occur at any
time and one or more of which
are certain to do injury each sea.
son.
This department has been Civ
ing information in the past few
years on the treatment of many
fruit diseases, and it is the OBJ
ject of this circular to call atten-
tion again to the circulars and
bulletins sent out in the past, and
to bring to mind the importance
of commencing treatment at the
beginning of the season, if these
diseases are to be controlled.
Prompt, energetic treatment
begun early in spring will save
much loss from fungOus diseases,
but to be of value, such must be
thorough and persistent and not
done in a haphazard manner.
GENERAL RULES FOR TREAT
MENT.
The following points should be
observed in work against plant
diseases in general:
(1.) Begin early. AS a rule it
will do little good to spray or
otherwise treat after the disease
appears, since most of the fungi
causing disease are living inside
the plant before their effect is
manifest.
(2.) Destroy dead trees or limbs
and rotten fruit or other plant re-
mains, which may serve as breed :
ing places for injurious fungi or
insects or as sources Of infection
for healthy plants.
(3.) DO not allow dying or
worthless trees to stand in or
near an orchard. They cumber
the ground and are more suscep-
tible to diseases, which they may
transmit to healthy trees. Wild
trees, in particular those related
to the cultivated ones, often are
affected by the same diseases as
those which attack cultivated
trees, so their presence near an
orchard may sometimes be detri-
mental.
(4.) Do not allow large wounds
to remain unprotected, and avoid
unnecessary injury to the bark.
1t is much more easy for injurious
fungi to enter into such places.
besides disturbing the health of
the tree in other ways.
(5.) Keep out injurious insects.
Besides their own injuries, they
may introduce the spores of fungi
into healthy tissue.
(6) Spray with compounds Diet
rimental to fungi to prevent their
growth into portions of the
tree or it's fruit. Bordeaux MKT
ure is the standard fungiclde for
most purposes.
(I) In planting, use sound and
vigorous trees, taking particular
care that the roots are free from
knots and gals, and where pos
sible, grow varieties least suscep-
tible to disease.
(S.) Keep trees in healthy con-
ditiOn by proper culture, fertili-
cation and pruning.
(9.) Whenever possible, rotate
crops with Others not subject to
the same diseases.
These methods of treatment
will, of course, vary with the
crop and the different diseases.
The labor and expense that could
be profitably spent in combating
diseases will also depend on local
labor and market conditions.
NOTES ON SOME IMPORTANT
DISEASES.
Pear blight. Before the buds