The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-04-15

town Pippin orchard If he can do
that we'll at that age he must be going
to plant his orchard nearer certain
hot place than l have ever been or
ever want to be. There is much more
of the same kind but this will do for
a sample of what gets into pretty re-
spectacle papers about fruit growing.
why such hot air should find a place
in the papers I don't know, unless it
is because the men who edit them,
not being we'll informed in the bust
ness of fruit growing, do not know the
good from the bad or it may be that
some people prefer such twaddle.
Well, "there is no accounting for our
difference in our tastes" as the old
woman said when she kissed her COW.
A gentleman whose name I have
lost sent me some twigs from some
apple trees near Sunnyside, Wash.
was unable to tell what was the mat
ter with them, so sent them to Prof.
A. L. Melander of the State College
at Pullman, who is very thorough
entomologist. Here is his reply:
"The cause Of the trouble is small
huOWA ChO Col llohlOu PieshC O"S
or some near relative of this insect.
This insect lays it's eggs in punches OF
about one-half dozen in the wood of
the twigs and in pushing her oviposi-
tor into the twigs produces a scar.
am in doubt as to whether the washing
of the twigs would prevent the hatch
ing of the eggs as they are inserted
some distance beneath the bark.
would suggest as a matter OF treat
ment for the insect, however, to clip
off all branches showing infection and
destroy them by burning. The disease
is conspicuous enough so that this
would not be a serious task. Spraying
the trees with kerosene emulsion di-
luted to one to six or seven at the
time the eggs are Matching should
prove a remedy" In connection with
this query and reply l wish to say
that we invite such matters. Ii |
cannot give what I regard as correct
answer 1 know where to go for the
information. Send on your inquiries.
There has been at times quite
scare about what is commonly known
as crown gall. 1t is believed that
many careless or inexperienced per
sons have condemned trees as being
infected with this disease where moth
ing of the kind is present. Often there
is an enlargement of the joint where
the scion and the root unite in root
grating but there is no crown gall.
The rule laid down by our most care
full Psychologists is to cut into the sup
posed gall. If the enlargement shows
that the texture is the same as other
parts of the root no gall is present.
If the part affected is soft and f1abby
somewhat like a wilted potato then
we are justified in calling the disease
root gall.
Another thing must not be over
looked, and that is that where there
is root gall it does not readily spread
from one tree to another. Three years
ago Prof. G. V. Piper, then of the
State College at Pullman, visited the
writer and remained over night. |
showed him an apple tree that was
affected with crown gall. The tree
had been set in the orchard eight
years. 1t is in the midst of my eX.
perimental orchard with apple trees
all about it in every direction. Not
one of the adjoining trees showed the
least sign of the disease. At the re-
quest of Prof. Piper / let the affected
tree remain that we might determine
whether the disease would finally be
communicated to the nearby trees.
No sign of the gall can be found on
any of the other trees. Moreover,
the affected tree bears just as we'll
as others of the same kind. The only
trouble that can see is that the af-
growth