The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1904-04-09
APPLE AND PEAR BLIGHT
A NEW BACTERIAL DISEASE
RuIletin Issued by Experiment station
How Fire Blight ARects Fruit Trees
some Remedies and other Helps for
Fruit Growers


Idaho and is of interest TO all fruit
growers:
Spring is now upon us,-the time
when the careful hortioulturist must
De preparing to combat those many
ills incident to fruit culture, whether
Of an insect or Of a fungous nature.
OF all these probably the Fire Blight
is the worst and most to be dreaded.
The name Fire Blight" is the
proper one TO use; 1t should not be
called Pear Blight" for two reasons.
In the first place it..is liable to be
confused with the Pear leaf Blight.
disease which attacks the leaf Of the /
pear, aud incidentally Injuries the /
fruit. In the next place this disease /
is not limited to the pear; it is fast /
becoming too common ON the apple !
as we'll, in our state. Nay, in many |
states il attacks all of the pOmAceous
fruits, such as pear. apple, ounce,
crab aud hawthorn. Three years
ago, this disease was unknown to the
writer in the southern part Of the
state; today, there Is hardly an
orchard in certain districts which
does not show some blight, and in
many it is very serious In northern
Idaho it has been in our pear orchards
for over 10 years, but luckily it has
hardly ever attacked the apple. From
the devastation this disease Is causing
in the southern Idaho apple orchards,
We cannot expect that the northern
portions of the state will be long
exempt.
Though this trouble has been
known as working havoc in orchards
for century or more, it Is only in
comparatively recent times that its
true nature has been we'll understood.
For long period Of years the dis
cussions of this trouble wers of sue
theoretic nature, that many horti-
cultural societies forbade its being
brought up in their meetings, unless
someone had something Of absolutt
knowledge to offer about it. Various
causes we're ascribed for its presence
such IA sour sap atmospheric
conditions, "soiI conditions, anC
''effects of various fungi" In 1878
however, Professor Burrill OF Illinoi
discovered the true cause snG
announced his discovery to tn
world. This was found to be
bacrecial disease, due TO the presence
OF myriads Of little germs in th
inner bark aud cambium. The germ
was called By Professor Burrill
Micrococcus amylo7orus, from tn
eagerness with which 1t seizes upon
and devours the starch in tines
tissues. From the subsequent stUdie
o. '-.hur at the Geneva Station i
New York, aud Of Waite in Tn
L. S. Department OF Agriculture, "
know how this germ or bactsriar
lives. reproduces itself aud is CARRIE
from tree to tree.
Luckily the disease il very con
spicuous one, which renders II
presence in an orchard the more in
excusable when we'll known.
affects twigs, leaves, young fruit
and even the branches or trunk;
From the experiments Of Waite,
Ias been found that il cannot attac
he plant through the uniniured bar
IT leaf. 1t can, however, gain en-
rance through any injured place o
runk, limb or even leaf it, mo;
ommOn points Of entrance ar
atural ones. These are the youn
rowing tips Of the branch, stigma c
re flower, or the glands whic
,crete nectar Therefore the flower
light, the twig blight" and tn
branch or trunk blight" are al
)rms OF this disease.
In the first, the young twis
peoilaly if it DO growing rapidly
rms black IN both leaf and stsr
% wherever the leaves ars blightso
ey remain black and dead thruug
ensuing winter. This black
ratical flag is the sursst sv.denc
its presence
Ia the Flower blight" Who'll
nch Of flowers, or frequently ever
uch upon the trso will be- affected
! dying back to the beginning q
spur hold the blsckeue1 flower
young fruit also through tn
ire year. This Is the most commo
N on the apple.
frequently an entire limb or eve
u the trunk will be- affected 70
y a short distance, while the to
still be entirely free from tn
'ase, aud this can only be under
ID when we speak OF how the die
il spread.
ore frequently upon the pea
raj limbs and even the Who'll
k will be affected, and when thi
70 case the tree should bs cut gu
and branch
the young shoots of tree aifecte
blight be examined. small drou